Financial services platform Mukuru, which offers domestic and international money transfers, has launched a first-of-its-kind drive-thru service in Chisipite, Harare, to enhance financial inclusion in Zimbabwe.

The Chisipite Drive-Thru is one of the fintech’s new locations in the country, along with nine other sites launched across the region in February.

“We strive to enable financial inclusion for Africa’s emerging markets. This is why we continuously shift our focus to innovative ways that make financial services more accessible for the people of Zimbabwe and those in the diaspora,” says Marc Carrie-Wilson, Zimbabwe director, Mukuru.

Carrie-Wilson adds: “As we increase our footprint in the country, we explored various innovative ideas to push the envelope and challenge the type of locations that we have as a financial services company. Safety remains a top priority for us, and the drive-thru idea proved to be the safest and most convenient option for our customers.

“The Chisipite Drive-Thru is open from 7am to 7pm daily (including public holidays) and comes with a ‘walk-in’ option for customers who wish to register or visit the location on foot.

“Out of the ten new locations, Chisipite is the only drive-thru at the moment, but we hope to launch one in Bulawayo in the next phase.”

Apart from the drive-thru offering, Mukuru has, in recent months, launched a series of services to build a diverse product offering for customers, which include partnerships with Multichoice, to make paying for DStv more convenient, and Bereka, to deliver money transfers directly to customers across Zimbabwe.

“We have seen how well these collaborations work in our ongoing partnership with wholesaler Metro Peech & Browne, which makes purchasing groceries, stationery and appliances more convenient for people in Zimbabwe who use our platform,” says Carrie-Wilson.