Four products, live with operators across West, Central, Southern and East Africa, bring AI and credit to people with basic phones and no internet
NAIROBI, KENYA – NewsVoir – 12 November 2026 – blackNgreen (BNG), the 18-year-old telecom AI company with operator relationships in more than 80 countries, today shared results from its four platforms, now live in more than 35 African countries. BNG has given more than 5.25 million people their first loan via phone call and made AI available via voice to 225 million subscribers. In FY 2025-26, its platforms generated USD 170 million in top-line revenue for operator groups including Orange, MTN and Moov. These results earned BNG the Best AI-Powered Technology Company in Africa award from Telecom Review Group in October 2026.
“Every deployment we run in Africa is measured on two lines. Did it grow the operator’s revenue, and did it reach people the formal economy has left out? The same platform that handles billions of calls has given more than 5.25 million people their first loan. That inclusion is the business model. Operators earn more because their subscribers can do more, and we are taking that into every market we enter,” said Rahul Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, blackNgreen.
AI on Call reaches 5 million users in 95+ languages
AI on Call lets anyone with an ordinary phone speak to AI in their own language by calling a short code. It needs no smartphone, data plan or ability to read. A student, a farmer or an elderly parent can ask questions and get answers, advice or companionship on a phone they already own.
Launched with one operator in August 2024, AI on Call is now live in more than 20 countries and available to 225 million subscribers. It handles more than 38 million queries a month from 5 million users, in more than 95 languages. Call volumes rose 150% in the last six months. Moov Group runs it at full scale under the name MIA. BNG plans to take AI on Call to more than 40 countries next year.
BNG reports social KPIs to operators alongside revenue: feature-phone users brought into AI, languages supported and daily engagement. This gives boards and regulators one view of growth and inclusion.
AI On Call is now live in Ghana, Zambia, Mali and Benin, with deployment in Nigeria, Ethiopia & Uganda currently underway. “Our commitment to Africa is that no one gets left out of the AI era because of the phone in their hand. A person on a basic feature phone, with no internet, can talk to AI in their own language and ask it anything. They don’t have to learn anything new; AI learns to speak to them. That is the Africa we are building for, one country at a time,” said Pushpendra Kumar, SVP, blackNgreen.
SmartConnect gives first-time borrowers credit through a phone call
SmartConnect offers subscribers a loan or a top-up when they need it, while they’re on a call or browsing the internet. In FY 2025-26, it enabled USD 28 million in financing and provided more than 5.25 million people with their first loan, most of whom had no bank account or card. In Africa, it has handled more than 3 billion calls with two leading operators. Volumes are growing to 18 billion calls a year, with more than 70 billion expected by the end of 2027.
For operators, SmartConnect raised loan transactions per eligible subscriber 2.2 times within six months. Letting subscribers opt in lifted conversion by a further 20-50%, and the service adds 2% to ARPU. On one leading network, nearly one in five eligible subscribers has used it, with fewer than one complaint per 100,000 interactions.
A national deployment in Ethiopia went live in July 2026 and is on track to become BNG’s largest. Nine more launches by year-end are expected to distribute about USD 63 million in loans. BNG projects SmartConnect will bring more than 15 million people into financial inclusion.
Ranjith B., SVP and Chief Growth Officer at blackNgreen, explains the case for SmartConnect in terms of how African mobile markets work. Most subscribers carry more than one SIM, so operators can lose a customer easily and pay heavily to win them back. In low-ARPU markets, getting a microloan or a top-up involves real friction. In rural areas, there is often nowhere to go at night, and traditional channels make people remember keywords and short codes. “A platform like SmartConnect eliminates that friction by providing exactly what the customer needs in their most important time of need, whether they’re trying to make a call or browse the internet,” he said. “Operators grow revenue from what they already have, and society benefits along the way.”
Mobibattle grows users 4x in six months
Mobibattle, BNG’s live multiplayer gaming platform, grew users by 4x, sessions by 10x, and data consumption by 9x in its first six months across six markets. In Nigeria and Zambia, it added more than 140,000 subscribers and reached close to USD 200,000 in monthly revenue, with Nigeria growing about 40% month on month. Of its players, 65% are aged 18-34 and 45% are women.
AI Personal Assistant (AI PA) reaches 2.4 million users
AI Personal Assistant (AI PA), BNG’s newest product, answers calls when a subscriber is busy and sends a summary by a preferred channel like SMS or email. It gives busy subscribers a personal assistant on every call, and gives operators a new revenue stream. Live with three operators that have more than 60 million subscribers between them, it has 2.4 million active users and generates USD 3.4 million a month in top-line revenue. Twelve deployments are confirmed by the end of 2027.
As BNG expands across Africa, its next commitments are already set. AI on Call is planned for more than 40 countries next year, SmartConnect has nine more launches due by year-end, and AI PA has twelve deployments confirmed by the end of 2027. BNG aims to offer all four services on every operator network on the continent: credit, AI conversations, gaming and call assistance. “A mobile network reaches people that banks and app stores often do not. That makes it the right channel for credit, AI, entertainment and a personal assistant, delivered to the phone people already own. Each of our four platforms meets a different subscriber need, and each earns operators more from the network they already run. We see room to take this model across Africa and to build long-term partnerships with operators as we grow,” said Kartik Shankar, Co-Founder, blackNgreen.
About blackNgreen (BNG)
Founded in 2008, blackNgreen (BNG) is a global AI technology company enabling telecom operators to accelerate customer engagement, unlock new revenue opportunities and advance digital inclusion. Through its integrated ecosystem of intelligent platforms and digital services, BNG helps deliver AI-powered experiences at scale, making digital services accessible to millions of people across diverse connectivity environments. With 180+ operator relationships across more than 80 countries, blackNgreen combines deep telecom expertise, AI innovation and scalable platforms to help operators grow faster, innovate with confidence and create meaningful business and societal impact.
Media contact: Archana Mukherjee · [email protected]