INTERVIEW: Mobile financial inclusion and credit scoring company Juvo is in the process of rapid expansion, with Eastern Europe, Africa and China on the company’s hit list following a $40 million cash injection in 2017, CEO Steve Polsky (pictured) told Mobile World Live.

In an interview at MWC Shanghai, Polsky said the company – which is “broadly deployed” in Latin America – was enjoying growing support in South East Asia, had also made inroads into Eastern Europe and is exploring moves in Africa.

“We’re growing very quickly as a company,” he noted, adding its Asia unit was “based in Singapore but our plan is to expand into China too.”

Juvo, which counts Samsung as an investor, provides operators with credit-scoring technology to assess prepaid customers’ suitability for a number of services including mobile money and handset finance.

“Everyone uses their mobile phone,” he added. “If you can harness people’s everyday transactions it’s an amazing way to help people to give people the chance to build a financial identity. Once they’ve gained access to financial identities, they can gain access to financial services.”

“We need to meet people where they are – meet people around their phone as a starting point to address the challenges of financial inclusion,” Polsky noted.

For the full interview click here.