Our Privacy Notice and You
Effective: July 2026
This Privacy Notice (“Notice”) describes M-KOPA’s policies and practices regarding your Personal Data as a customer of M-KOPA. It explains how your Personal Data is collected, used, and disclosed by the M-KOPA group of companies (“M-KOPA”, “We”, “Us”). It also tells you how you can access and update your Personal Data and make certain choices about how your Personal Data is used.
If you do not provide necessary Personal Data to us (we will indicate to you when this is the case, for example, by making this information clear in our sign up forms), we may not be able to provide you with our goods and/or services. This Notice can change from time to time (see Section 20).
This Notice provides information based on how you interact with M-KOPA followed by more general information on how data is processed and protected. Where specific or additional information is needed based on your location this is included in the relevant section:
YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH M-KOPA
- WHEN YOU APPLY TO BECOME AN M-KOPA CUSTOMER
- WHEN WE MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT
- WHEN YOU MAKE PAYMENTS
- WHEN YOU USE OUR CUSTOMER APP OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE
- WHEN YOU CONTACT CUSTOMER CARE
- IF YOU FALL BEHIND ON PAYMENTS
- WHEN YOUR ACCOUNT IS SETTLED
GENERAL INFORMATION
- DATA CONTROLLERS
- SECURITY
- PERSONAL DATA OF CHILDREN
- SHARING CUSTOMER DATA
- DATA RETENTION
- SOURCES OF PERSONAL DATA
- SENSITIVE / SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL DATA
- AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING
- CROSS BORDER DATA TRANSFERS
- FRAUD AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
- ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
- YOUR RIGHTS
- CONTACT US
- CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH M-KOPA
1. WHEN YOU APPLY TO BECOME AN M-KOPA CUSTOMER
If you are new to M-KOPA we need to collect certain information from you in order to onboard you as a customer. We will need you to complete an application form that includes information such as your name, contact information and details of your product. We collect this in order to enter into a contract with you for the purchase of that product. If you do not provide this information we cannot provide you with M-KOPA products.
At the same time we will also ask for your consent to contact you with information about future upgrades or additional products and services. We do this via a combination of phone calls, SMS and push notifications. You may withdraw this consent at any time. This can be done manually, by changing your push notification settings or using the opt-out option added to each SMS, or by contacting us directly.
In order to improve our ability to contact you about your account, we may collect more than one contact phone number should you be happy to provide one. You may also be able to provide an alternative person for us to contact if we cannot reach you directly, for example a friend or relative.
As part of our licensing as a credit provider, we are legally required to confirm the identity of our customers. We do this by taking a copy of an identity document and comparing it against a ‘selfie’ image of you. We may use an automated service to carry out this check however manual checks and reviews by our Customer Care team are also part of this process.
South Africa – If you are based in South Africa we have a further legal requirement to carry out a credit check against you with an authorised credit bureau before onboarding you as a customer. To do this we share identifying information about you and your application with credit bureaus during your onboarding process.
2. WHEN WE MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT
In order to fulfil our contract with you we enrol you into the M-KOPA Customer App and collect information directly from your M-KOPA product including serial / IMEI numbers and information on usage, software status, crash reports and related activity. If the product is used in a way that breaches the terms of your contract we may use this software to lock the product as described in our terms and conditions.
We will also create a Customer Account in your name that holds the information you have provided to us or that we have collected about you in the course of your relationship with M-KOPA.
M-KOPA has a legitimate interest in ensuring product functionality, enforcing the terms of your contract and being able to support customers and help you to resolve issues with your product. We use the information described above to assist with this.
3. WHEN YOU MAKE PAYMENTS
M-KOPA collects information about any payments made in relation to products or services you may have with us. We collect transaction logs, date and time stamps, payment amounts along with some limited information about the individual who made the payment, including if that is someone other than you.
M-KOPA does not manage any payment platforms directly and we receive the above information from whichever of our payment partners were used for that transaction.
We use information about your payment history, along with account behaviour and other information provided at onboarding, to make automated decisions about your eligibility for additional products and services. Being a good payer means you have a better chance of qualifying for more products and offers. The better your payment record, the more opportunities become available to you. You can request manual checks of your eligibility by contacting Customer Care.
4. WHEN YOU USE OUR CUSTOMER APP OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE
When you use the M-KOPA Customer App we collect product level information, telemetry and usage data as described in section 2.
We also use the Customer App to send push notifications containing (non-marketing) information related to your account. This includes payment notifications, fraud warnings and updates on service downtime or interruption where we have identified a legitimate interest to do so.
If you have consented to receive information on upgrades on other new products we may send push notifications about these offers. These can be turned off in your phone settings if you wish to withdraw consent.
If you visit any of our M-KOPA websites we may use cookies to improve your experience and to better understand how visitors use our site. Where consent is needed we request this via our cookie banner which also contains more information on what information our site collects.
5. WHEN YOU CONTACT CUSTOMER CARE
If you get in touch to ask a question, raise a complaint or for support with your product our Customer Care team will use information from your Customer Account to assist you as appropriate. Customer Care will also create a ticket to track and monitor the issue you have raised and may ask you for additional personal data in order to help you as needed.
If you contact Customer Care by telephone we may record those calls for training and quality purposes and to ensure we have assisted you appropriately.
If you contact us via email or WhatsApp we will retain copies of the conversation within the ticket for the same purposes.
6. IF YOU FALL BEHIND ON PAYMENTS
The terms of our contract with you require that you make regular payments for your product. The details of these payments are described in your contract.
If you do fall behind we use an automated locking process to deactivate your product. If you are in danger of your account reaching this point, we will attempt to contact you in order to advise you to keep current with your payments. You can also contact Customer Care to discuss your account status at any time.
As a licensed credit provider, M-KOPA has legal obligations to provide information to local credit bureaus in relation to customer accounts. If you do not keep current with your payments information about this may be shared with those credit bureaus. These reports may impact your eligibility for credit from other providers in future.
7. WHEN YOUR ACCOUNT IS SETTLED
Once you have completed payments on your M-KOPA product you will remain enrolled via the Customer App for 11 months from the date of your final payment. This enables us to continue to offer you further products and services on your account. If you wish to be unenrolled you can request this at any time via Customer Care, however it may impact your eligibility for additional products and offers.
Information from customer records may be retained beyond the end of the contract where M-KOPA is required to keep those records for the purposes of tax, regulatory or audit obligations.
GENERAL INFORMATION
8. DATA CONTROLLERS
M-KOPA does business across Africa. The privacy laws in some countries consider a Controller (or Responsible Party as defined in South Africa) to be the legal entity (or natural person) who defines the purposes for which the processing of Personal Data takes place and how that data is processed. Parties that are involved in processing operations on behalf of a Controller are referred to as Processors (or Operator as defined in South Africa). In the majority of cases the Controller will be the operating entity in your country which will be made clear as customer onboarding, however other M-KOPA entities may also be Controllers for some activities. A full list of M-KOPA Data Controllers are provided in Appendix A. More information on our processors is available in Section 11.
9. SECURITY
M-KOPA has implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls that restrict personal data to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis, and ongoing monitoring of our systems for vulnerabilities and threats. We maintain information security policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly, and our staff receive training to ensure they handle personal data responsibly. Where we engage third-party service providers to process personal data on our behalf, we require them to maintain equivalent security standards as a condition of their engagement.
10. PERSONAL DATA OF CHILDREN
M-KOPA does not sell products or services to children under 18 year old. Our customer onboarding process includes checks to ensure that all customers are adults. If there are ever specific situations where we may need to process children’s data we will only do so with the consent of a parent.
12. DATA RETENTION
M-KOPA will ensure that your personal data is only processed for the minimum amount of time needed for the reasons explained in this notice. We will retain copies of your personal data for as long as:
- We maintain an ongoing relationship with you (e.g. where you are an active customer)
- your personal data is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice;
- We have a statutory obligation to retain your personal data
- if any relevant legal claims are brought, we may continue to process your Personal Data for such additional time necessary in connection with that claim.
13. SOURCES OF PERSONAL DATA
Wherever possible we will aim to collect personal data from you directly – either where you have provided it to us or we have collected it based on your interactions with us, including via the Customer App and your M-KOPA product.
Where we are legally required or have a legitimate interest to do so we may also collect information about you from other sources including credit bureaus, payment providers and network providers.
14. SENSITIVE / SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL DATA
M-KOPA does not collect sensitive categories of personal data unless there is a clear need to do so. We will always ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place if we need to process your sensitive personal data.
We collect biometric data (your image) during customer onboarding where we have a legal obligation to confirm your identity by checking your formal identity document against a current image. This is done as part of our regulatory compliance and via a controlled process. We retain this information as proof of the identity process and will only refer to this data if there is a legitimate reason to do so, for example to combat fraud.
15. AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING
M-KOPA uses automated systems for three relevant purposes in connection with your account.
Firstly, when you register as a customer we are required to obtain proof of identity as part of our Know Your Customer (KYC) process. This is a requirement as part of our compliance with our licensing obligations. Your KYC documents and image may be subject to automated review, however human oversight and review of these decisions is available as part of the process.
Secondly, upgrade and product eligibility assessments are performed based on payment history and account standing. Our systems automatically review your payment history, account behavior, and any information you provided at sign-up. If you consistently make your payments on time and maintain your account in good standing, you're more likely to be eligible for additional offers. Being a good payer means you have a better chance of qualifying for more products; the better your payment record, the more opportunities become available to you.
You may contact M-KOPA Customer Care to discuss your eligibility at any time.
Finally, device access (locking and unlocking) is managed via an automated system that responds to daily payment credit updates. Your device access is maintained on a rolling daily credit basis. Each day, a credit update is processed; if your account reflects sufficient credits, usage is extended. If no credit is received, usage expires in accordance with the terms of your agreement.
We wish to be clear that this process involves human oversight at the operational level: before deactivation is effected, M-KOPA's customer care team issues advance notification via SMS or push notification. This notification provides you with the opportunity to contact M-KOPA directly before any deactivation takes place to either discuss your account status, catch up with missed payments or request a review of any access decision.
16. CROSS BORDER DATA TRANSFERS
M-KOPA operates across several markets and therefore your personal data may be transferred between different group entities in the course of providing products and services to you. All group entities are covered by relevant internal policies and an intra company agreement is in place to ensure there is no loss of protections for your personal data as a result of these transfers.
We also work with third party suppliers and processors, as described in section 9. Some of these organisations may be based outside the country where you personal data was collected and therefore a cross border transfer may take place. Where this occurs, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards and protections are in place as applicable and in line with local legislation.
17. FRAUD AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
M-KOPA may use customer’s personal data for the prevention and detection of fraud or similar where we have a legitimate reason to do so. We reserve the right to share data with law enforcement bodies for this purpose or where we have a legal obligation to disclose that data. We may also use customer data to defend our legal position as necessary.
18. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
From time to time M-KOPA may ask to collect personal data for other reasons not covered by this Notice, for example competitions, surveys or customer feedback. Where this happens we will be clear about what data will be collected and why and ensure that you are given options about how that data is used as appropriate or required.
19. YOUR RIGHTS
Depending on where you are located, you have certain rights when it comes to the handling of your Personal Data. You may contact Us (see Section 20) to:
- Request access to your personal data,
- Ask to have your personal data updated or corrected.
- Request to obtain your Personal Data in a usable format and transmit it to another party (also known as the right to data portability);
- Request to delete the Personal Data We hold about you;
- Opt-out of specific Personal Data processing types, such as targeted advertising;
- submit a complaint if you are not satisfied with how M-KOPA is processing your personal data.
Please note that the above rights are not absolute and may be subject to limitations or exemptions within local legislation. Where applicable, we will identify this in our response to your request. If you have unresolved concerns you also have the right to complain to the relevant competent data protection authority. Authorities can be contacted through their websites (see below table).
20. CONTACT US
Data Protection queries can be sent to dpo@m-kopa.com.
Please contact your local customer care team regarding other queries in relation to your account.
21. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
This Notice will be reviewed and updated periodically. The latest version will always be published on our website: m-kopa.com.
Appendix A – M-KOPA Data Controllers
The table below shows the entities within the M-KOPA Group who act as Data Controllers. The exact Controller(s) for your personal data may vary depending on how you interact with us.
Off Riverside Drive,
P.O. Box 51866-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Nii Martey Tsuru Street,
Spintex, Accra
P.O.Box CT 6282,
Cantonments, Accra
Ghana
P.O. Box 199,
Entebbe, Uganda
Jibowu,
Lagos, Nigeria
257 Jean Avenue,
P.O. Box 7750, Centurion,
Gauteng 0046
South Africa
One Crown Square,
Woking, Surrey,
United Kingdom, GU21 6HR
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