Indian neobank Zolve expands into expat-friendly mobile services with telecom-as-a-service platform Gigs
Neobank start-up Zolve, founded in 2020 and based in Bangalore, India, is pairing its financial services with its newly-launched mobile service, Zolve Connect, powered by the telecom-as-a-service platform Gigs.
Zolve launches mobile service, Zolve Connect
The combined telecom-financial offering is specifically tailored for expats pursuing educational or professional opportunities in the US.
The service’s “flexible plans” feature options for both eSIM and physical sim cards, no lock-in periods and “carrier-grade connectivity” through either AT&T or T-Mobile’s 5G networks, enabling expats to “go online as soon as they land in the US”.
Users can sign up for the mobile service from anywhere in the world, without incurring the red tape and bureaucracy of traditional phone plans.
Speaking on the launch of the new mobile service, Raghunandan G, founder and CEO of Zolve, describes gaining access to financial and mobile services in the US as a traditionally “time-consuming, complicated and overwhelming” process for expats.
“However, by enriching our suite of financial products with our own phone plan, we can significantly simplify the lives of the international community and transform the Zolve app into a launch pad for global ambitions,” he comments.
Instead of negotiating costly contracts with telecom providers, the fintech has partnered with the Gigs platform, which was founded by Hermann Frank and Dennis Bauer in 2020 as is currently based in San Francisco, California.
The announcement of Zolve Connect cites the opportunity of audience monetisation with new recurring revenue streams and control over brand image, customer experience and price points as the predominant reasons behind the fintech’s selection of the platform.
“With more than one million people relocating to the US every year, Zolve has identified a huge underserved group,” comments Frank.
“By combining easy access to both financial services and phone plans under one roof, Zolve is positioned as the prime destination for US-bound expats looking to hit the ground running.”
