One country live. Eleven in the strategic next ring. Six on the second-wave roadmap. Built by Layby Africa.
Africa's retailers run layby on paper. We're rebuilding it as software. Hover any country to see its status in our rollout.
Three tiers. Clear timelines. SADC first because of geographic + regulatory proximity; broader Africa second.
The same constraint produces the same solution everywhere: people with income but no credit access, buying goods the retailer holds until they are paid for. It has a different name in every market — and almost nowhere does it run on software.
Mainstream in the national chains. Shares its name with the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Where the word comes from — and codified in consumer law as its own kind of agreement, explicitly not credit.
Since the 1950s. Store-run instalments tracked on a paper payment booklet, extended on the shop's relationship with the customer rather than a credit file.
Instalments are a condition of the purchase rather than a perk offered on top of it.
Interest-free instalments are standard at the major retailers, and dedicated layaway platforms already operate.
More than half of adults are unbanked. Paying over time is simply how phones, appliances and motorbikes get bought.
Rotating savings and credit associations, running across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Never actually went away. It returns to the big chains every time consumer credit tightens.
These are not on our rollout map and are not counted in the 17 target markets above — Africa is where we operate. They are here because they answer the only question that matters about the model: is this a local quirk or a universal pattern? Every one of these markets runs pay-over-time retail on paper, booklets or a chat thread. The rails do not care which continent they are on.
A rolling log of what's happening across the Layby Africa network.
If you're a retailer in any of the 17 target markets, or a partner who wants to bring Layby Africa to a country we haven't reached yet — we want to hear from you.
Get in touch