Purpl partners with Mambu to facilitate money transfers to Lebanon

By Leandra Monteiro

Purpl, a remittance and cash-out aggregator combined with a digital wallet for Lebanon, announced it has selected Mambu to scale operations in the region. Purpl recognised the need for an ecosystem designed to leverage new technologies. Mambu’s cloud platform will underpin the FinTech’s offering as it evolves products and services based on customer needs.

Purpl is the technology hub between remittance and cash-out partners, promising low fees on the sender side and no cash-out fees on the beneficiary side. Through the app and Purpl’s remittance partners, users can send and receive money in Lebanon, triggering an SMS alerting beneficiaries of incoming funds. Users then follow a simple sign-up flow, which includes a one-time e-KYC process, before cashing out at a number of locations throughout the country. The start-up has plans to expand its partner network to over 800 cash-out points, including 190 ATMs in Lebanon.

Jean-Marie Khoueir, Co-founder and COO of Purpl said, “We provide the first digital wallet for remittances and cardless ATM withdrawal in USD in Lebanon. In many ways we are already disrupting the financial sector in the country. Our goals are bold, and Mambu’s composable approach is the right fit for our ambitions. We were eager to partner with Mambu as we evolve the remittance sector and support more unbanked and underserved customers in Lebanon and eventually in the Levant region.”

Miljan Stamenkovic, General Manager of Mambu MENA commented, “Neobanks and fintechs are looking for solutions to close that gap where access to finance lags. Purpl is a great example of a startup in the MENA region that has risen to the occasion. Digital wallets have flexible technical capabilities and lower costs of service. This makes them the logical solution for a more inclusive financial future. We look forward to jointly delivering more value to Purpl customers.”

In a second phase, Purpl plans to extend service into the Levant region and kick off a greenfield implementation with Mambu for the launch of its stored value wallet product. This will support payment at merchants via QR code at point of sale and is purpose-built for those seeking easier ways of transacting.