Smartscape
Smartscape licenses its patented Universal Payment System (UPS) to Accredited Payment Intermediaries, enabling cross-carrier mobile fund transfers and merchant payments using mobile phone numbers without requiring bank accounts. The company is pre-commercial and operated by founder KH KWAN.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSandakan, Malaysia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Smartscape does
Smartscape is a Malaysian-domiciled, founder-owned private company developing the Universal Payment System (UPS), a patented cross-carrier mobile payment platform invented by founder KH KWAN in 1999. UPS enables fund transfers and merchant payments between mobile users on different telecommunication networks using a mobile phone number as the account identifier and prepaid airtime or monetized units as the settlement currency, removing the requirement for a bank account or credit card. The underlying architecture is protected by two granted US Patents (7,461,010 and 7,487,126) covering a centralized payment processor that intermediates between carrier servers, with a third patent pending.
The company serves four primary customer segments: individual mobile users (including the unbanked), online merchants and retailers, social sites and auction platforms, and banks and non-bank payment service providers. Real-time fund transfers are irreversible; physical goods transactions can be escrowed until buyer confirmation, and digital goods settle immediately. Security is anchored on one-time passwords intended to be embedded at the SIM level.
Smartscape does not operate the payment service directly. Its go-to-market is to license the UPS technology and provide API tools to Accredited Payment Intermediaries — social sites, auction platforms, merchant sites, and banks or non-banks — that operate the payment server/exchange and present standardized payment pages to end users. Revenue is intended to come from licensing/accreditation fees, transaction fees on user-to-user transfers, credit charges on installment payments for physical goods, and API/integration services; however, transfer fees are not yet finalized and the service remains in pre-commercial development with ongoing negotiations to secure mobile operator consent.
Smartscape firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smartscape
- Legal name
- Smartscape
- Website
- https://smartscape.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smartscape licenses its patented Universal Payment System (UPS) to Accredited Payment Intermediaries, enabling cross-carrier mobile fund transfers and merchant payments using mobile phone numbers without requiring bank accounts. The company is pre-commercial and operated by founder KH KWAN.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smartscape industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Payment Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Prepay Metering & Customer Payment Solutions (EUADAFAL), Payouts, Disbursements & Mass Payments Infrastructure (FSAGABAN)
Keywords
Where Smartscape is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sandakan
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smartscape business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Licensing and Accreditation Fees: Licensing the UPS technology to Accredited Payment Intermediaries who operate the payment scheme. Intermediaries pay for access to use the patented Universal Payment System and brand.
- Transaction Fees: Transfer fees charged when sending funds to another user. No additional charges for digital goods purchases. Fees are yet to be finalized (amount to be decided).
- Credit/Installment Charges: For installment payments on physical goods, a credit charge is built into the price (e.g., $100 upfront vs $110 over 10 months - $1 per month charge).
- API Integration Services: Providing API tools and integration services to intermediaries and those who want to build applications on the UPS platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Digital goods purchases - no additional charges |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | User-to-user fund transfers - fee to be determined |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Installment payments - credit charge built into price |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Smartscape product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smartscape develops and licenses the Universal Payment System (UPS), a patented mobile payment platform that enables fund transfers between mobile users across different telecommunication networks using mobile phone numbers as account identifiers and prepaid airtime or monetized units as currency. The company licenses UPS technology to Accredited Payment Intermediaries (social sites, auction sites, merchant sites, banks, and non-bank payment service providers) and provides API tools for third-party developers to build payment applications on the platform. Smartscape's strategy is to monetize through licensing and accreditation fees, transaction fees, and credit charges on installment plans rather than operating the payment service directly.
Product overview
Smartscape operates the Universal Payment System (UPS) as its core mobile payment platform, enabling fund transfers and payments between different telecommunication networks using air-time or monetized units. The UPS platform serves as a centralized payment processor that connects to mobile network operators' servers, allowing users to make payments using their mobile phone number. The company also offers an Accredited Payment Intermediaries program that licenses the UPS technology to third-party payment service providers who meet accreditation criteria, allowing them to build payment applications and operate trusted payment schemes across different mobile networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Universal Payment System (UPS): Patented mobile payment system enabling fund transfers between different telecommunication networks using mobile phone numbers.
Products and services
- Universal Payment System (UPS) Patented mobile payment platform enabling fund transfers between mobile users across different telecommunication networks using mobile phone numbers as account identifiers and prepaid airtime or monetized units as currency. Users only need their mobile phone number and optionally a password to make payments across different networks. Supports real-time user-to-user transfers, escrow for physical goods, and installment payment options.
- Accredited Payment Intermediaries (API) Program Licensing and accreditation program that allows third parties (social sites, auction sites, merchant sites, banks, and non-bank payment facilitators) to operate as trusted payment intermediaries using the UPS platform. Accredited intermediaries manage billing requests between consumers and mobile operators, provide payment server/exchange infrastructure, and present standardized payment pages to end users.
Quantifiable outcome
- Real-time fund transfers between mobile users on different networks
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Smartscape
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Smartscape technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Smartscape partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smartscape competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Venmo: Venmo is a major P2P mobile payment app in the US enabling real-time transfers between users. It is comparable to Smartscape's P2P transfer feature but is tied to a bank account/card funding model rather than prepaid air-time.
- PayPal: PayPal is the global incumbent in digital payments, including cross-account P2P transfers via email/mobile and mobile checkout. Smartscape explicitly references PayPal-compatible donation flows on its website and competes for similar micropayment and merchant acceptance use cases, though PayPal is bank-account/card-based rather than air-time-based.
Direct peers
- M-Pesa: M-Pesa is the dominant mobile money platform in Africa, enabling P2P transfers, merchant payments, and micropayments for unbanked users via mobile phone numbers. It is the most direct analogue to Smartscape's cross-network mobile payment proposition, though it operates as a licensed telco-led service rather than a licensed technology platform.
- Paytm: Paytm is a major mobile payment and wallet platform in India serving unbanked and underbanked users with mobile-number-based payments, QR merchant acceptance, and bill payment. It overlaps with Smartscape's mobile-number-as-identifier and micropayment use cases.
- GCash: GCash is a leading mobile wallet in the Philippines enabling account-to-account mobile payments, bill pay, and merchant transactions. It directly competes with Smartscape's mobile-first, unbanked-friendly positioning in Southeast Asia.
- TransferTo: TransferTo is a B2B mobile money transfer network enabling cross-network mobile top-ups and remittances across telecom operators. It is explicitly named on Smartscape's website as a comparable solution and directly overlaps with Smartscape's cross-telecom-network payment architecture.
Emerging players
- Bango: Bango provides mobile payment and data monetization APIs that enable merchants and app stores to route payments through mobile operator billing. It is comparable to Smartscape as an infrastructure-layer mobile payment enabler with similar API-first licensing economics.
- Cellulant: Cellulant is a pan-African mobile payments platform providing payment aggregation, mobile money, and merchant solutions across multiple telecom operators. It is comparable to Smartscape in its cross-network mobile payment interoperability focus.
- DIMOCO: DIMOCO is a payment service provider specializing in carrier billing, mobile payment, and licensed payment intermediary services across telecom operators. It is comparable to Smartscape as an accredited payment intermediary with telecom billing relationships.
- Fortumo (now part of Circle): Fortumo operated a mobile operator billing and payment aggregation platform enabling app and digital content monetization via carrier billing. It is comparable to Smartscape's mobile-billing-as-payment thesis and the Accredited Payment Intermediary distribution model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Smartscape financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smartscape leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Smartscape funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smartscape M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smartscape
What does Smartscape do?
Smartscape develops and licenses the Universal Payment System (UPS), a patented mobile payment platform that enables fund transfers between mobile users across different telecommunication networks using mobile phone numbers as account identifiers and prepaid airtime or monetized units as currency. The company licenses UPS technology to Accredited Payment Intermediaries (social sites, auction sites, merchant sites, banks, and non-bank payment service providers) and provides API tools for third-party developers to build payment applications on the platform. Smartscape's strategy is to monetize through licensing and accreditation fees, transaction fees, and credit charges on installment plans rather than operating the payment service directly.
Is Smartscape a public or private company?
Smartscape is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smartscape founded?
Smartscape was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Smartscape based?
Smartscape is headquartered in Sandakan, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does Smartscape make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Licensing and Accreditation Fees are the primary driver. The others are transaction Fees, credit/Installment Charges and API Integration Services.
Who are Smartscape's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Venmo and PayPal. Direct peers are M-Pesa, Paytm, GCash and TransferTo. Emerging players are Bango, Cellulant, DIMOCO and Fortumo (now part of Circle).
Does Smartscape have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smartscape.
What industry is Smartscape in?
Smartscape's product category is Mobile Payment Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets), with a secondary code of EUADAFAL, Prepay Metering & Customer Payment Solutions. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 7371.