British short-term loans provider Wonga has opted for South Africa in its first step towards international expansion.

After trials indicated that consumers in Africa’s largest economy like its online loan service, Wonga, a company that provides short term loans online, said it would offer loans of between R100 rand ($12.1) and R2,000 rand ($242.3) for periods of up to a month to South African customers.

The company, which launched in Britain in 2007 and recently added a Wonga for Business Service, is the market leader for short-term unsecured loans obtainable online.

Wonga.com provides small, short-term cash advances to UK consumers online. Its unique automated risk assessment technology gives consumers instant decisions on loan applications, along with the total they will have to pay back displayed on screen.