Back home, a whole country already pays by phone — scan a QR and the money moves in seconds, no card machine, no ~3% to a network you'll never own. Mela brings that same system to Habesha businesses in the US, in USD — owned by the community, not the card networks.
US-incorporated · Ethiopian-owned · built for and by the Habesha community
While the US still swipes plastic and pays a network ~3%, Ethiopia leapfrogged straight to paying by phone. The customer scans a QR or sends to a number, the money moves in seconds, and there's no card network in the middle taking a cut. Mela brings that exact system here — in USD.
Figures from Ethiopia, 2024–2025 (telebirr user reports; EthSwitch/NBE POS data). Mela is independent and not affiliated with telebirr or Ethio Telecom.
Every Mela consumer is a US-based Habesha customer — the same person sending money home is the one at your counter on Friday night. You’re not asking anyone to download anything new; you’re letting customers pay you the way they already hold money. On the demo we show you the live Mela user count in your metro and how fast it’s growing.
It runs on the phone you already have — for you and each cashier. No POS hardware, no terminal lease, no contract.
We create your business account and your USD wallet. You add your cashiers from your own phone, with Admin and Cashier roles. Nothing to install at the register, no terminal to lease.
Show a QR: enter the amount, the customer scans it in their Mela app and confirms. Or send a request: type their phone number and the bill pops up in their app to approve. Tips are built in.
The payment confirms on your screen in seconds and the money lands in your USD wallet — not a 2–3 day card-settlement hold, and no card network in the middle taking a cut.
Today's sales total and count, the full transaction list, per-cashier visibility. Admins see everything; each cashier sees their own. Move your balance, hold for payroll, or spend on supplies — your call.
US small-business card processing averages 2.5–3% (Square, Toast, Clover, Stripe all land there). For a grocer netting ~1.6%, that fee can be bigger than the profit. Move even half of your card sales to Mela QR and you keep most of it.
Illustrative, at ~3% MDR. We run the numbers on your real volume in the demo.
We'd rather you hear the limits in week one than discover them in week two.
No. telebirr is Ethiopia’s system, back home. Mela is independent and US-incorporated — we built the same kind of phone-and-QR payment here in the US, in USD, owned by the Habesha community. We’re inspired by how home pays; we’re not affiliated with it.
Yes — to pay you on Mela, a customer pays from their Mela app. And Mela's customers are exactly the Habesha community already in your dining room and sending money home. Every QR at your counter is also a nudge for new sign-ups. We'll show you the live Mela user count in your metro on the demo.
Far less than the ~3% you hand the card networks today. We'll walk you through the exact numbers on your real volume in the demo — no surprises, no long-term contract, no hardware lease.
It settles to your USD wallet in seconds, not the 2–3 business days a card processor holds it. From your wallet you can move it to your bank, hold it for payroll, or spend it on supplies.
In-app refunds aren't built yet — they ship in V1.1. Until then refunds are handled directly between you and the customer. We tell you this up front in onboarding so it's never a surprise.
Keep it. Mela sits alongside your register as a QR option for your Habesha customers — it's a standee on the counter, not a system to rip out. You take Mela for the community that has it, and keep your card setup for everyone else.
Then the fee savings are smaller for you today — and that's an honest answer. Mela is still a clean digital option that settles instantly to USD, with a real record for your books, and no card fee as your card business grows.
The current version supports a single location. Pilot one site now and add the rest as we ship multi-branch support.
Mela is a US-incorporated, Ethiopian-owned financial platform — the first Ethiopian-owned banking experience, built for and by the Habesha community.
Leave your details and we'll reach out — usually same day. Fifteen minutes: we show you the app live and walk the fee math on your real card volume. No pressure.
We'll reach out shortly — usually the same day. In a hurry? Call or text (202) 599-9077.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (202) 599-9077 · or email hello@melafinance.com
