SplashArk launches in Cameroon with mobile money and payment protection

SplashArk said Cameroon is the first market in its Africa rollout, bringing its free selling and booking app to small businesses, service providers and creators. The app is built for WhatsApp-era commerce, with mobile money, card payments and funds held until delivery.

Why it matters: - Cameroon’s informal sellers and service providers often rely on WhatsApp and social media to find customers, but they still face missed appointments, unpaid orders and scams. - SplashArk is designed to reduce those risks by putting orders, deposits and payment protection inside one app. - The app could make it easier for buyers to trust strangers and for sellers to get paid on time.

What happened: - SplashArk, Inc. announced that Cameroon is the first market in its Africa rollout. - The company said the free app helps small sellers, service providers and creators sell products, take bookings, go live and get paid by mobile money or card. - Founder and CEO Marvin Mvondo said the app gives Cameroonian sellers deposits, receipts and payment protection.

The details: - Customers can pay by mobile money through PawaPay or by card through Stripe. - The app works fully in both English and French. - Service providers in 35 categories can take bookings with a deposit. - Supported service types include tailors, hairdressers, tutors, mechanics, photographers and event planners. - Bookings can happen at the customer’s door or by video call. - Sellers can list products and choose where to sell, from a neighborhood market to worldwide. - Sellers can also go live with tickets, pay-per-view and tips. - WINTA, the built-in AI assistant, helps sellers set prices and answers customer questions at any hour. - SplashArk is free to download on Google Play and the App Store. - The app is also available on the web at splashark.com/fr. - SplashArk said the app is open in more than 30 countries.

Between the lines: - Mvondo was born in Cameroon and is a U.S. citizen. - He spent more than 10 years as CEO of Blu Nation, a record label and entertainment company that worked with Afrobeats and Afropop artists and staged events across the U.S., England and Africa. - He founded SplashArk in 2023 in Katy, Texas, to give informal workers tools more commonly used by established businesses. - Mvondo framed the company’s pitch as an access problem rather than a talent problem.

What’s next: - SplashArk is positioning Cameroon as a launch point for broader growth across Africa. - The company’s multilingual, mobile-money-first setup suggests more market entries could follow in countries where phone-based commerce is already common. - The app’s utility will likely hinge on whether sellers and buyers adopt the in-app payment and dispute process at scale.

The bottom line: - SplashArk is trying to turn informal, phone-based commerce into a more secure marketplace with deposits, delivery-linked payments and local language support.