𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐛𝐛 𝐔𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Open Hubb on Friday unveiled Flot Business and its AI-powered assistant, “Flot”- a platform designed to connect payments, people and possibilities in one seamless ecosystem.

At its core, Flot is targeting a stubborn reality: cash still dominates. With mobile money adoption at 48 per cent, the gap is no longer access alone, but fragmentation. Flot’s answer is interoperability — enabling instant transactions across cards, mobile wallets and merchant platforms through a single, unified interface.

For businesses, the promise is immediate. Flot Business allows merchants to accept payments from Visa, Mastercard and mobile money providers with real-time settlement — a critical fix for long-standing challenges around cash flow and collections. A no-code online store builder further lowers the barrier to entry, bringing even informal traders into the digital economy.

Open Hubb’s Chief Executive, David Kpakima, framed the ambition in stark terms: the real competitor is cash. By “decashing” the economy, he argued, businesses gain time, efficiency and scale. More importantly, the platform opens doors for diaspora engagement — allowing Sierra Leoneans abroad to pay for goods and services at home instantly, bridging two economies that have long operated in silos.

Crucially, the rollout is backed by strong institutional collaboration. The Bank of Sierra Leone’s regulatory sandbox has enabled innovation while safeguarding stability, signalling a maturing financial ecosystem.

Banking partners have been quick to align. Zenith Bank described the launch as a “necessary shift”, noting that digital platforms like Flot eliminate the inefficiencies of carrying cash and queuing for basic transactions. Similarly, Sky Bank emphasised that interoperability is no longer optional but essential for growth, particularly for small and medium enterprises navigating fragmented payment systems.

Mobile money operators, including Orange Money, have also been recognised as foundational partners — underscoring the collaborative backbone required to make real-time, cross-platform payments viable.

Yet Flot’s ambitions extend beyond finance. Its AI chatbot introduces a new layer of utility, connecting users not only to payments but to everyday services — from locating tradespeople to planning events — effectively turning financial technology into a lifestyle companion.

The stakes are high. A successful shift away from cash could unlock transparency, expand financial inclusion and accelerate economic growth. But execution will be decisive. Infrastructure gaps, digital literacy and user trust remain hurdles that no single platform can solve alone.