For millions across Africa and Latin America, owning a smartphone remains out of reach.
High device costs and limited access to credit still block many from the digital economy. However, the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) model, also known as PayGo is changing this. Customers pay in small installments while providers manage repayment through secure remote-locking technology.
As a result, Buy Now Pay Later is not just driving smartphone adoption, it’s unlocking access to education, employment, and digital services that transform everyday life.
The Market Today
Why Buy Now Pay Later Works
🌍 Africa: High Demand, Low Penetration
Across Africa, feature phones still dominate. Entry-level smartphones often cost more than a month’s salary, making them unattainable for most households. As a result, smartphone adoption has lagged behind the growing demand for internet access.
Buy Now Pay Later and other device-financing models are emerging as powerful solutions. By breaking costs into flexible installments, providers are opening digital access to millions of new users.
🌎 Latin America: Better Coverage, Persistent Gaps
Smartphone adoption is higher in Latin America, but rural and low-income communities remain underserved. Flexible financing is gaining traction, especially when bundled with mobile data and digital services. Recent studies show that combining Buy Now Pay Later with fintech partnerships could unlock enormous growth potential across the region.
Flexible Payments for Everyday Realities
Buy Now Pay Later lets customers pay daily, weekly, or monthly, matching real income patterns. This flexibility helps people transition from feature phones to smartphones smoothly and sustainably.
Remote Locking Builds Trust
The backbone of BNPL success is security. Remote-locking technology allows providers to disable devices if payments stop, even offline. Therefore, financing becomes less risky and more scalable, enabling providers to serve low-income users with confidence.
Partnerships Power Scale
Telcos, distributors, and financial service providers are teaming up to deliver affordable devices. When integrated with BNPL software and remote-locking solutions, these collaborations enable large-scale smartphone adoption, reaching millions who were previously excluded from the digital economy.
Success Stories
Across emerging markets, BNPL smartphone programs are accelerating digital inclusion. Governments, telecoms, and ecosystem players are showing that combining affordable devices, flexible repayment models, and secure technology dramatically boosts adoption in underserved regions
Challenges and Opportunities
⚠️ Challenges
High default risk among customers with no credit history.
Weak distribution and after-sales support in remote areas.
Taxes and import duties that inflate device prices.
Data affordability that limits smartphone usage.
💡 Opportunities
Adapting payment models to local realities through smaller, flexible installments.
Leveraging remote-locking tech to reduce default risk.
Building cross-sector partnerships to scale financing and delivery.
Targeting underserved groups—rural households, women entrepreneurs, and informal workers.
Insights from Upya.
Buy Now Pay Later smartphones are more than a financing model, they are a pathway to digital inclusion. By making devices affordable, secure, and data-driven, BNPL enables millions to connect to opportunities once out of reach.
At Upya, we provide the tools that make Buy Now Pay Later sustainable and scalable.
🔹 Secure remote-locking technology
🔹 Customer engagement and repayment tracking
🔹 Data-driven automation and reporting
Our platform helps providers manage customers, devices, and repayments seamlessly ensuring growth that’s both responsible and profitable.