President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday evening became the first holder of the Flot Ultra Black Card, a Visa card issued in partnership with Zenith Bank Sierra Leone. The Flot team presented Card No. 001 to the Head of State at State House ahead of the full launch of flot.ai.
The presentation carried clear symbolism: the first Sierra Leonean to receive a card designed and built at home to link citizens directly to the global financial system.
For years, Sierra Leoneans travelling abroad have faced the same frustrations, long queues for scarce foreign exchange, the risks of carrying large amounts of cash, and higher costs when forced to route through other countries. Officials say the Flot card is designed to change that.
The card supports fully cashless travel. Users no longer need to travel with physical foreign currency. This eases pressure on government and commercial banks to release scarce forex while giving travellers a safer way to spend wherever Visa is accepted.
President Bio also welcomed Flot’s travel services. He noted that the platform is helping make Freetown International Airport a stronger and more competitive gateway.
Sierra Leoneans can now fly more safely and affordably from home instead of taking longer, riskier routes through other hubs.
One clear example was shared: a ticket to China that previously cost travellers about $2,800 now costs $1,600 under the Flot offering, putting $1,200 back in the pocket of traders and business travellers on one of the country’s most important commercial routes.
“Financial innovation of this kind speaks directly to our vision for Sierra Leone’s place in the world,” President Bio said. “When our citizens can travel cashless, transact globally, and fly affordably from their own airport, we strengthen not only their opportunities but our nation’s competitiveness. I commend Flot and Zenith Bank for building this here, for Sierra Leoneans.”
David Kpakima, CEO of Open Banking Hub, the company behind Flot, described the moment as significant for the team.
“Presenting Card No. 001 to His Excellency is a moment of profound pride for our team,” he said. “Flot was built on a simple conviction: that Sierra Leoneans deserve the same ease, dignity and access in managing their money as anyone else in the world. From cashless travel to more affordable routes for our business community, this is only the beginning—and the best is yet to come.”
Flot, Zenith Bank and Visa reaffirmed their commitment to high service standards and customer experience as they work to expand financial opportunities for Sierra Leoneans.
Full details of the national launch will be announced in due course.
About Flot
Flot is a Sierra Leonean fintech platform operated by Open Hubb (SL) Limited. It combines financial services and travel in one experience. Through Flot Travel, users can search, book and pay for flights inside the app, while Visa cards support spending at home and abroad. The platform also links mobile money, bank accounts and merchant payments. Its goal is to make global travel, trade and business more accessible for ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
More information is available at www.flotme.ai.
