Telecoms and internet
EVC Plus: Hormuud's mobile money service
EVC Plus (Electronic Voucher Card) is the mobile money service of Hormuud Telecom, the largest in Somalia. It began about 2011, works by typing short codes on any phone, and is free to use for transfers. In February 2021 it received Somalia's first mobile money licence, when it had about 3 million users. The GSMA certified it in 2022 and again in 2025, and Hormuud says more than 145 aid groups use it to pay cash aid.
The short version
EVC Plus, short for Electronic Voucher Card, is the mobile money service run by Hormuud Telecom. People use it to send money, pay shops and bills, and receive salaries and aid, by typing short codes on any phone (VOA, 27 February 2021). It is the largest such service in Somalia and covers the south and centre of the country (Mobile money in Somalia). VOA described it as free to use (same source).
When it started
VOA wrote in 2021 that mobile money in Somalia had "emerged 10 years ago", which puts its start at about 2011 (VOA, 27 February 2021). Sources differ on the exact year: some give 2009, others 2011 or 2012 (Wikipedia, Hormuud Telecom). TechAfrica News calls it Somalia's first mobile money platform (TechAfrica News, 20 August 2025).
The first licence, 2021
On 27 February 2021 the Central Bank of Somalia's governor, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, gave Hormuud the country's first mobile money licence, for EVC Plus (VOA, 27 February 2021). Until then mobile money had run without regulation. At the time EVC Plus had about 3 million users among Hormuud's 3.6 million subscribers (same source). The licence followed the Central Bank's Mobile Money Regulations of 2019 (Mobile money in Somalia).
Size
- The World Bank reported about 155 million mobile money transactions a month in Somalia in 2018, worth about $2.7 billion (VOA, 2021, citing the World Bank). This figure covers the whole market. Some later reports give it for EVC Plus alone (Mobile money in Somalia).
- In 2025 Hormuud said EVC Plus had more than 4.5 million users and was used by more than 145 aid organisations to pay cash aid (TechAfrica News, 20 August 2025).
Certification
The GSMA, the mobile operators' industry body, first certified EVC Plus under its Mobile Money Certification programme in 2022 and renewed the certification in August 2025. The programme checks services against eight principles and nearly 300 criteria, including fraud prevention, customer data protection and resilience. TechAfrica News reported that EVC Plus was one of about ten services worldwide holding it, alongside Safaricom's and Vodacom's M-Pesa and MTN MoMo (TechAfrica News, 20 August 2025; Garowe Online).
Links to banks and apps
- Banks: Salaam Somali Bank's DEEQTOON mobile banking was built on Hormuud's technology in 2010 (Salaam Somali Bank). In October 2024 Hormuud connected EVC Plus to accounts at MyBank and Agro Bank (TechAfrica News, 21 October 2024).
- Waafi: the Waafi smartphone app, launched in April 2021, moves money between EVC Plus wallets and bank accounts (Waafi).
Sources
- VOA, 27 February 2021 · voanews.com
- Wikipedia, Hormuud Telecom · en.wikipedia.org
- TechAfrica News, 20 August 2025 · techafricanews.com
- Garowe Online · garoweonline.com
- TechAfrica News, 21 October 2024 · techafricanews.com
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Somali telecoms, internet and media companies: directorySomali phone, internet and media companies, with founding year, head office, owner where public, and source.
- WAAFI: the Somali mobile money app and cardWAAFI in facts: the 2021 launch by Hormuud, what the app does, the companies behind it, the 2024 Waafi Mastercard card and how it fits with EVC Plus.
- Zaad: Telesom's mobile money service in SomalilandZaad in facts: the 2009 launch by Telesom, how it was built, merchants and salaries, the dollar and money changers, usage figures, currency exchange and the 2024 GSMA certification.
- Sahal: Golis Telecom's mobile money service in PuntlandSahal in facts: launch by Golis Telecom, how to register and what it does, how customer money is held, its use for local taxes in Puntland, and its certifications.
- eDahab: the Dahabshiil group's mobile money serviceeDahab in facts: who owns it, how it links to Dahabshiil and Somtel, the 2018 Somaliland shilling rule, the 2018 launch in Mogadishu, and its links with banks.
- Hormuud Telecom: Somalia's largest phone and mobile money companyHormuud Telecom in facts: founding, owners, EVC Plus and WAAFI, network coverage, cables, licences, jobs and its foundation.