President Julius Maada Bio has become the first Sierra Leonean to receive the Flot Ultra Black Card, a Visa-powered financial card developed through a partnership between Flot and Zenith Bank Sierra Leone, in what has been described as a major milestone for the country’s fintech and digital finance sector.
The Flot team presented Card No. 001 to President Bio at State House on Tuesday evening ahead of the official launch of flot.ai, marking the introduction of a locally developed financial solution designed to connect Sierra Leoneans more easily to the global economy.
The presentation was symbolic as the card represents a home-grown innovation aimed at giving citizens greater access to secure, convenient and internationally accepted financial services.
For many Sierra Leoneans travelling abroad, accessing foreign currency has often been a challenge, with travellers facing long queues, limited availability of forex, security risks associated with carrying cash, and additional costs when using alternative travel routes.
The Flot Ultra Black Card seeks to address these challenges by enabling cashless international travel, allowing users to make payments wherever Visa is accepted without the need to carry large amounts of physical foreign currency.
Officials said the innovation could also help reduce pressure on government and commercial banks in managing foreign exchange demands while providing travellers with a safer and more efficient payment option.
President Bio welcomed the initiative, noting that Flot’s travel services are contributing towards making Freetown International Airport a more competitive gateway for Sierra Leoneans and international travellers.
He highlighted the benefits of enabling citizens to travel more conveniently and affordably from their home country instead of relying on longer and more expensive routes through regional hubs.
An example shared during the presentation showed that a flight ticket to China, which previously cost travellers about $2,800, can now be accessed for approximately $1,600 through Flot’s travel platform, saving traders and business travellers around $1,200.
“Financial innovation of this kind speaks directly to our vision for Sierra Leone’s place in the world,” President Bio said. “When our citizens can travel cashless, transact globally, and fly affordably from their own airport, we strengthen not only their opportunities but our nation’s competitiveness. I commend Flot and Zenith Bank for building this here, for Sierra Leoneans.”
David Kpakima, Chief Executive Officer of Open Banking Hub, the company behind Flot, described the presentation of the first card to the President as a significant achievement for the team.
“Presenting Card No. 001 to His Excellency is a moment of profound pride for our team,” Kpakima said. “Flot was built on a simple conviction: that Sierra Leoneans deserve the same ease, dignity and access in managing their money as anyone else in the world.”
He added that the platform’s focus on cashless travel and affordable business mobility represents only the beginning of a broader vision to expand financial access for Sierra Leoneans.
Flot, Zenith Bank and Visa reaffirmed their commitment to delivering improved financial services and customer experiences as they work to widen opportunities for citizens both locally and internationally.
Flot is a Sierra Leonean fintech platform operated by Open Hubb (SL) Limited, combining financial services and travel solutions in one digital experience. Through Flot Travel, users can search, book and pay for flights within the application, while Visa cards enable secure payments at home and abroad.
The platform also integrates mobile money, bank accounts and merchant payments, with the aim of making global travel, trade and business opportunities more accessible to ordinary Sierra Leoneans.