Industry
Real Estate
Objective
New market expansion
The First Group is an award-winning international real estate developer and hospitality firm headquartered in Dubai, UAE. With over two decades of experience, they have built a reputation for delivering high-quality residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. As part of their global growth strategy, they recognized immense potential in the African market but needed a financial infrastructure that could support the unique payment preferences of local investors and travelers.
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Shafraz Nasser
Senior Vice President of Technology, The First Group
the Challenge
Despite their global success, The First Group faced a significant hurdle when expanding their footprint into Africa: geographic payment friction.
Preferred Payment Methods: Investors in markets like Nigeria and Ghana often prefer using local bank transfers or mobile money over traditional international credit cards, which frequently face high decline rates.
Currency Volatility & Trust: Expecting clients to pay in foreign denominations (like USD or AED) introduced unnecessary FX risks and psychological barriers for potential local buyers.
Operational Latency: Without a localized gateway, reconciling cross-border payments was a slow, manual process that delayed transaction closures and impacted client satisfaction.
the Solution
The First Group integrated Startbutton’s Transact and Expand platforms to localize their financial operations across Africa.
Local Collection Rails: Startbutton enabled The First Group to accept payments in local currencies through bank transfers, USSD, and mobile money, matching how their African clients actually live and work.
Unified Pan-African API: Instead of managing multiple separate integrations for each country, The First Group utilized a single API to unlock various African markets simultaneously.
Streamlined Compliance: Startbutton managed the complex regulatory and compliance requirements inherent in cross-border real estate transactions, ensuring that every payment was secure and met local financial standards.
the Result
By removing the technical and financial barriers to entry, The First Group achieved unprecedented velocity in their regional expansion.
Record Time Expansion: The company went from "planning" to "active collections" in new African markets significantly faster than traditional methods allowed.
Increased Transaction Volume: Offering local payment methods led to a direct uptick in successful transactions and a decrease in payment abandonment.
Enhanced Client Trust: Providing a localized, friction-free payment experience solidified The First Group's position as a developer that truly understands and respects its African clientele.
