← Embedded Finance Index 2026

Intelligra

“Can telco-data-driven BNPL for smartphones become the on-ramp to financial inclusion for underbanked Africans?”

Founded2018
HQIkeja, Lagos, Nigeria
FoundersTayo Ogundipe
IndustryFintech / Lending
The story

Intelligra is a pioneer operator-led smartphone financing platform in Sub-Saharan Africa, founded in 2018 in Lagos. It functions as a BNPL/device-finance orchestrator connecting mobile network operators (telcos), device OEMs (Samsung, Itel, Infinix, Tecno), and financiers to underwrite underserved consumers using proprietary telco-data-based credit scoring and a device-lock enforcement mechanism. The company has expanded from Nigeria into Rwanda, Tanzania and the DRC, serving 200,000+ subscribers. Its 2026 partnership with EFGH ConnectSure signals a move beyond pure lending into embedded device protection and credit-life insurance.

Last 12 months
2026-05
Product timeline
2018
Intelligra founded in Lagos as a smartphone financing platform integrating device OEMs, financiers, and mobile network operators across Africa.· pivot
2022
Backed by Oui Capital as part of its Africa-focused early-stage portfolio.· funding
2026
Partners with EFGH ConnectSure to embed device protection and credit life insurance into its BNPL smartphone financing journey in Nigeria.· lending
The stack
2 layers disclosed in Intelligra’s embedded-finance stack
Lending
Intelligra smartphone BNPL bundleProprietary telco-data credit scoringProprietary device lock enforcement
Insurance
in the full report
Accounting gap: none
1 more provider across 1 layer, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.