According to the survey that was conducted by Financial Sector Deepening FSD) Uganda in 2015, it indicated that Micro, Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) collectively constitute about 90% of private-sector production; employing over 2.5 million people. This research showed that a majority (69%) of them were aged between one and ten years old.
It further indicated that nearly nine out of ten owners started up using their funds, and three quarters operated as sole proprietorships.
All these stats are oversight of the rise of small-scale businesses over the years in Uganda. These businesses mostly work in the agricultural sector, education/health sector plus recreation/personal projects.
Running a small-scale business in Uganda comes with a lot of uncertainties; zero your factors down to KCCA, progress to insecurities of survival, the working capital scare that often brings a high appetite for loans, etc. These financial difficulties in an industry that is so competitive are a real enemy to progress.
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Small scale businesses in Uganda
Before we go any further, let me show you some of the small-scale businesses you may tap into/invest in;
- Food processing (restaurant business, Food joints-Toninyiras, etc)
- Construction (roads, buildings, etc)
- Small manufacturing industries (sewing, tailoring, soap making, more)
- Tourism and hospitality (resorts, tour company, tour agents and more)
- Transport services (local taxi service, think the SafeBoda-way to address a need in the industry)
- Trading (second-hand clothing, firewood, newspapers, foodstuff)
- Computer and internet services (gaming stations, Café, IT support services, etc)
All the above are in operation but the question lies in the exchange of money. How do these businesses handle money transactions? Am going to help you help a friend with some of the unique ways you or your friend can handle money transactions easily and effectively.
Here are the mobile apps to use for money transactions in your small business
If you are operating a restaurant or you even sell second-hand clothes, the insecurities lie in hard cash transactions-COVID_19 is another problem in the mix.
Let us talk Fintech; Companies and innovations like Xente App and Swipe2Pay are fully dedicated to helping you solve those financial errors and difficulties through technology. I just delayed you there, but hang on;
1. Xente App
Xente App is an e-payment platform that provides Mobile Financial Services and is also an E-Commerce Market Place Platform.
The platform connects buyers to sellers and later connects them to licensed financial institutions for payments, credit, savings & insurance. It was selected among the 100 startups for the government innovation fund last year.
Beyond personal payments, Xente empowers businesses with modern and digital cashless business transactions. I will focus on the business side to save the day.

Xente For Business Features
Have everything your Office needs in one place;
- Airtime & Data
- Mobile Money
- Uber 4 Business
- Shop for office supplies
- Corporate Card
- Gift & Discount Vouchers
Choose how to pay;
- Monthly invoice
- Bank transfer
- Mobile Money
- Visa & Mastercard
Handle business complaints;
- Awesome reports
- Approval workflows
- World-class security
- Multi-user support
- Integration with ERP
Here is how to get started with the Xente for business;
- Go to the Xente website
- Business is the second category on the landing page.
- Tap Business and scroll down to Start Now
- Click Start Now to fill in all the necessary business requirements or Tap Contact Sales to fill in your contact details, and the Xente team will reach you Within 24 hours.

Swipe2Pay Uganda
Swipe2Pay is a Small and Medium Enterprise business management platform. It is a sell anywhere, get paid and grow your business POS service platform. The fintech startup is a mobile point of sale that helps small businesses to sell smarter cashlessly, and manage their businesses better.
It has integrated mobile money services of MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda and M-Pesa to help it process payments across the country.
Business owners have a better understanding of their businesses with a smart dashboard of real-time data on how their businesses are performing.
You can sell from your smartphone or tablet, get paid in cash or accept credit cards, send electronic receipts to your customers from our smart mobile point of sale system.
It has an actionable business dashboard of your sales and orders. Make the right choices for your business, analyze and gain insight into your store’s growth. Track down which products are selling — and which ones aren’t.
Swipe2Pay Features
- Cloud computing;
As your business grows, you’ll need tools that will help you with more than payment, Swipe2pay takes care of your books and processes helping you understand your business better.
- Better Management
Forget bulky spreadsheets. Swipe2Pay makes detailed reports for you (daily, weekly and monthly). This helps you visualize your business growth and make informed decisions. Cashless payments
- Inventory management
Manage your entire inventory with Swipe2pay, across all your retail locations. Track stock, and automatically stop selling products when inventory runs out.
- 24/7-hour servicing
The Swipe2pay support team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by email, live chat and phone, only to make sure you get the best experience as you watch your business grow.
With all these goodies, the payment platform also allows you to create an online store; call it a business if you don’t have any. You can also bring your already existing ka-hustle on their dashboard. Wait, the other truth is you can have both; the newly created business and the already existing hustle altogether.
How to get started with Swipe2Pay
App Version
- Download and install the Swipe2Pay App.
- Create an account and log in
- Go to (Store) on your dashboard and create a store.
- You’re all set up!
However, the app is only available on Google Store and not on the Apple store; something the iOS users should be aware of. Here are some user reviews we managed to collect for you, you can head-over to the play store for more.

Web Version
- Visit the Swipe2Pay website
- Click on SIGN UP-the last category in the right top corner, and will lead you to the dashboard page
- Fill in your contact details and verify number to tap NEXT
- You can now enter your name and email address.
- Follow the lead to a point where you will be asked to enter your business name, type, category, location, etc
Enter and confirm your number Name and email address
Conclusion
With Xente App and Swipe2Pay working tirelessly to help foster money transactions for small business owners, and make their dreams a reality, we anticipate;
- More trackable growth of businesses
- Increased productivity
- More Jobs of course
- A cashless economy
If you think the above are true, let us know which of the two you would prefer for your business.