Launching a new digital payments capability in an underbanked market takes more than a strong product, it takes a marketing strategy built around how people there actually build trust and adopt new financial tools. A leading global payments network preparing to launch a new mobile payment feature for partner banks in the Democratic Republic of Congo engaged KoreFusion to synthesize existing research and real-world case studies into a practical go-to-market marketing playbook for the launch.

The Challenge

The payments network needed clear, actionable marketing guidance for introducing a new payment feature to consumers in a market where digital financial services are still nascent. In the DRC, mobile phone ownership and internet access are growing but still limited, trust in digital financial tools remains low, and cash remains the default way most people transact. The team needed a fast, evidence-based way to translate lessons from comparable product launches elsewhere in Africa into concrete marketing recommendations tailored to the DRC's specific financial inclusion and connectivity realities.

The Approach

KoreFusion conducted a rapid, secondary-research-based synthesis, reviewing the payments network's existing marketing and consumer research alongside a set of local and regional digital wallet case studies selected jointly with the client, representing a combined base of more than 30 million consumers across West and Central Africa. For each case study, KoreFusion analyzed the marketing strategies, acquisition channels, and customer journeys that drove adoption and engagement, then distilled the transferable lessons most relevant to launching a new payment feature under the DRC's specific market conditions.

The Outcome

The engagement produced a set of key lessons learned and a marketing strategy framework built around three reinforcing pillars, relevant products, user-friendly experience, and clear communications, designed to drive new user acquisition, engagement, and ongoing usage. The findings highlighted the central role of agent networks in bridging cash and digital transactions, the importance of traditional marketing for building trust in a largely offline market, and the value of a targeted digital and community-driven strategy for sustained engagement. The payments network's team now has a concise, evidence-based playbook to guide its go-to-market marketing strategy for the launch.