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Achieving a Frictionless Customer Experience in Fintech (By Lelen Udayan)

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Modern customers expect fintechs to focus as much on the experience they provide as the products and services being offered

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 14, 2023/APO Group/ — 

By Lelen Udayan, head of customer experience at Mukuru (www.Mukuru.com)

By definition, a truly frictionless customer experience (CX) is unobtainable even though it is the end state every fintech company strives for. Along the way, the focus falls on providing enhanced experiences that stem from the points of friction identified across the customer journey. In doing so, businesses can improve on the products, processes, and services they deliver.

According to Gartner (https://apo-opa.info/3lyxYiG), this requires fintechs to remove the elements that create unnecessary friction or make it unnecessarily difficult for customers to access products and services. To this end, Gartner repositions (https://apo-opa.info/3E4pZ3f) frictionless as rather about creating an effortless experience. This is important as it shifts the spotlight from what it calls ‘feel good’ moments that have low impact on loyalty or repeat business. Instead, more attention is put on using CX as the means to secure repeat business while reducing operating costs.

Removing friction

Modern customers expect fintechs to focus as much on the experience they provide as the products and services being offered. An enhanced experience is important because it shows customers that the fintech acknowledges its failures and is working on improving those areas while also removing the elements that can lead to dissatisfaction.

For an organisation like Mukuru, increasing customer satisfaction, retention, and referrals are largely due to making sure pain points are seen, heard, and addressed. This is done by tracking the customer journey, measuring satisfaction, and customer effort. Additionally, Mukuru (https://apo-opa.info/3lB0396) ensures that customer sentiment and the voice of the customer are prioritised across the business.

Fundamentally, the only way a fintech can remove friction is to ensure its service teams are equipped to assist customers when they do have a problem, query, or complaint.

Channels of engagement

Fundamentally, the only way a fintech can remove friction is to ensure its service teams are equipped to assist customers when they do have a problem, query, or complaint

For this to happen, the company must embrace all of the channels within its capabilities to invest in an omnichannel CX. A PWC report (https://apo-opa.info/3RVAiw4) found that the number of companies doing this has increased by more than 60% in recent years.

Closer to home, the State of CX in South Africa 2022 report (https://apo-opa.info/3YvNAlF) writes that 45% of financial sector respondents identified seamless omnichannel experience on their channel of choice as the main factor influencing customer satisfaction. As many as 64% of local fintech’s have fully implemented virtual assistants and chatbots or are in the process of doing so as critical enablers of this omnichannel experience. Similarly, 27% of companies in financial services have installed bots on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, compared to only 7% average in other sectors.

At Mukuru, our purpose is to enable greater degrees of financial inclusion for customers on the African continent – still predominantly cash-based – and globally, which is why we take a tailored approach to customer channels. Channels such as USSD and WhatsApp perform well across Africa, whereas our App is a more relevant channel for UK customers. We have seen the impact of this strategy with WhatsApp, our biggest transacting customer channel in South Africa, where the proportion of transacting customers have almost doubled in the last 3 years.

The golden thread running through a successful omnichannel strategy is how best to meet customer expectations. This requires providing the right fintech employees with the tools, systems and processes to effectively support customers. With these in place, the most common points of friction can be addressed. These include things like resolution time and understanding who the customer really is. In the case of the former, the challenges encompass response times and why the first point of contact might not have the answer. When it comes to the latter, it is about knowing who the individual customer is without having them provide different pieces of information at every engagement point.

FinTech’s must therefore be more consistent and remove the frustration of customers repeating the query to every person in the engagement chain or, even worse, having to phone back at a later stage. Furthermore, the value of self-services cannot be ignored as digital-savvy customers might prefer to resolve the common queries they have themselves.

Through all of this, the fintech must have access to fit-for-purpose tools, competent staff, and efficient processes across product lines and platforms.

Continuous journey

One of the biggest mistakes any fintech can make is to assume that creating a frictionless experience is a once-off exercise. As mentioned, becoming frictionless is an end goal that will never be fully realised. Driving this is setting the business up to learn from its past CX mistakes.

To do so requires the process of CX improvements to be formalised and rolled out to all applicable areas of the business. Service staff must be empowered to resolve customer pain points. Additionally, there is a growing need to establish effective self-service solutions where customers become less reliant on human touch points. Perhaps most crucially, customer success can only be realised by continually monitoring the journey, touchpoints, and the voice of the customer.

All of this can be distilled into initiating a CX project, implementing it, and then iterating as needed. Mukuru (https://apo-opa.info/3lB0396) has made CX a part of its ethos. This enables the business to continually drive improvements in this space. FinTech’s should strive to make every customer interaction with the business a positive one.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mukuru.

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Liberia to Preview Next Oil & Gas Licensing Round Strategy at Houston Investor Day

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The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority will host operators, investors and partners in Houston on August 19 to preview future licensing opportunities and showcase the exploration potential of its offshore basins

HOUSTON, United States of America, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) will present its strategy for the country’s next offshore licensing round at Liberia Investor Day Houston on August 19, bringing together international exploration companies, investors, service providers and energy leaders to discuss the next phase of Liberia’s upstream development.

Hosted in partnership with Energy Capital & Power, the event will provide a platform for the LPRA, led by Director General Hon. Marilyn T. Logan, to outline Liberia’s regulatory framework, investment priorities and plans to attract new participation across the country’s offshore sector. Discussions will focus on upcoming licensing opportunities, exploration prospects and the subsurface data supporting future investment decisions.

Liberia’s offshore sector is entering a new phase of exploration activity, with renewed international participation and a growing pipeline of opportunities. Following the award and ratification of eight Production Sharing Contracts in 2025, Liberia has re-established itself as a frontier exploration destination, with international operators advancing work programs designed to further evaluate the country’s petroleum potential. TotalEnergies is progressing exploration activities that include offshore geochemical surveys, 3D seismic acquisition and seabed mapping, while Oranto Petroleum has also signed contracts to explore Liberia’s offshore.

At the Liberia Investor Day Houston, the LPRA will provide industry stakeholders with insight into the priorities shaping the next licensing round, including the anticipated process, qualification requirements, available acreage and access to technical data. The engagement will give prospective investors a clearer view of Liberia’s exploration landscape and the opportunities emerging across its offshore basins.

The event will also facilitate direct dialogue between LPRA and the global upstream community, connecting companies with policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in shaping Liberia’s next chapter of petroleum development.

As exploration companies continue to seek new frontier opportunities, Liberia Investor Day Houston will highlight the role of regulatory certainty, data availability and strategic partnerships in unlocking long-term investment across Liberia’s offshore sector.

Registration is now open for attendees. Companies interested in Liberia’s emerging offshore opportunities are invited to join LPRA, investors and upstream leaders in Houston for insights into the country’s licensing strategy and exploration outlook. For more information contact info@energycapitalpower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 

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Beyond Stabroek: Guyana’s Offshore Basin Attracts New Wave of Exploration Investment

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As ExxonMobil advances appraisal activity in Stabroek and new operators target frontier acreage, Guyana is attracting global capital and building a diversified offshore portfolio designed to sustain long-term growth

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Guyana’s transformation into one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers is entering a new phase, with a growing network of IOCs expanding exploration activity across the country’s offshore basin. Beyond the landmark discoveries that first put Guyana on the global energy map, new drilling campaigns and licensing partnerships are creating a broader exploration ecosystem designed to support long-term production growth.

At the center of this momentum is ExxonMobil’s continued exploration and appraisal activity in the prolific Stabroek Block. The company has submitted a proposal for a 35-well exploration and appraisal drilling campaign, expected to run from 2028 through 2033, pending regulatory approval. The program would build on more than 30 commercial discoveries already made in the block, with drilling activity focused on evaluating new prospects and appraising existing discoveries to support future development opportunities.

Exploration activity is also extending into Guyana’s frontier acreage, with ExxonMobil advancing drilling operations at the deepwater Canje Block. The company has deployed the Noble Stena Carron drillship for exploration activity, highlighting continued industry interest in evaluating Guyana’s underexplored offshore potential beyond the established Stabroek Block.

Guyana’s strong exploration outlook comes as the country’s economy continues to benefit from rapid oil sector expansion, with hydrocarbons expected to remain a key driver of exports, government revenues and economic growth. As production scales up, attracting additional investment across exploration, services and infrastructure will be critical to supporting the next phase of development.

That momentum is being reinforced through partnerships established under Guyana’s 2023 offshore licensing round. A consortium comprising TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy and Petronas is advancing exploration activities in Block S4 under a five-year production sharing agreement signed with the government in late 2025. The award represents one of the first major outcomes of the licensing round and demonstrates continued international confidence in Guyana’s offshore resource potential.

Beyond the largest operators, a diverse group of companies is also expanding activity across Guyana’s offshore basin. Eco Atlantic is advancing exploration at the Orinduik Block; CGX Energy and Frontera Energy are progressing work in the Corentyne Block; Occidental is evaluating opportunities in the Roraima Block; while Ratio Guyana and Cataleya Energy hold interests in the Kaieteur Block. Together, these partnerships are broadening Guyana’s exploration landscape, increasing competition for acreage and creating opportunities for future discoveries.

As Guyana transitions from an emerging producer to a global energy hub, the next challenge will be converting exploration success into sustainable investment, local value creation and regional growth. These opportunities will be explored at Caribbean Energy Week 2027, held under the theme “Unlocking the Caribbean Energy Corridor: Oil, Gas, LNG & Investment for a New Global Hub.” Bringing together governments, IOCs, investors and technology providers, the event will examine how Guyana’s expanding partnerships can accelerate offshore development, strengthen regional energy cooperation and attract the capital needed to support the Caribbean’s evolving energy landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Energy Capital & Power Establishes London Entity, Expanding Global Platform for Energy and Mining Events

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The move strengthens ECP’s presence in the UK and Europe, and its ability to connect African and South American markets with global investors

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 6, 2026/APO Group/ –International events company Energy Capital & Power (ECP) (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com) has officially established its UK entity in London, marking a milestone in the company’s growth strategy and reinforcing its ability to deliver world-class energy and mining events and campaigns in the UK and Europe.

By establishing a presence in a key hub like London – the pre-eminent energy and mining finance center – ECP actively shapes the global energy conversation. The expansion positions ECP to better serve clients, partners and investors seeking to develop business opportunities between Africa, Europe, the Americas and energy markets worldwide.

Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital

The milestone comes as ECP strengthens its reach through a series of investment platforms that connect global capital to energy and mining projects. These include the Venezuela Energy Week London Showcase on July 30 – with over 300 delegates registered – and the annual Invest in African Energy Forum, held in Paris as the premier event connecting global investors to Africa’s energy transformation.

ECP hosts high level summits and investor conferences in leading energy and minerals producing countries in Africa and South America, including: Venezuela Energy Week; Angola Oil & Gas; MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power; African Mining Week; Libya Energy & Economic Summit; Congo Energy & Investment Forum; South Sudan Oil & Power; and Caribbean Energy Week. The company has hosted investor forums and supported licensing round roadshows in Houston, London and Paris since 2016.

“Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital,” states CEO James Chester. “Having a permanent presence in London further cements our footprint in Europe, enabling us to fulfil our mission to bring minerals and energy investment to diverse global markets.”

With teams located across Africa, Europe and the Americas, ECP has long-facilitated strategic engagement, market intelligence and industry convening, uniting investors with leading energy and mining projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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