More
    Ecosystem News

    Standard Bank Leads $330m Refinancing for JSE-Listed AI Fintech Optasia

    Optasia, which made history in November 2025 as the largest fintech IPO on the JSE, uses proprietary AI to provide credit scoring and micro-lending to unbanked populations.

    Hassanein Hiridjee’s Outsized Stake Reshapes Power at Jumia Technologies

    Whether this influence evolves into a full takeover remains uncertain.

    Endeavor SA Closes $13.6M Co-Investment Fund to Target the Late-Stage Liquidity Gap

    The final close arrives 18 months after the fund announced its first close.

    Fintech Unicorn Flutterwave Lands Banking License to Take on Nigeria’s Digital Incumbents

    Flutterwave, Africa’s most valuable fintech, has acquired a microfinance bank (MfB) license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Egypt’s MNT-Halan Raises $41.3m in Fresh Securitisation to Fuel Lending Growth

    The Cairo-based fintech continues to tap the debt markets, converting its loan portfolio into fresh capital as it navigates an inflationary macro environment.
    Analysis & Opinion

    Morocco’s Hanout Wars: Three Startups, $10m, and One Corner Shop

    In Morocco, three startups are all targeting the same 126,000 independent retailers. Backed by Morocco's largest bank, its royal family holding company, and a South African insurer, the race is now about who locks in the merchant first.

    Africa’s Most Active Startup Investors in Q1 2026 — and Where They Put Their Money

    While fintech remains a dominant sector for African venture capital, the nature of the deals has changed.

    The Five Countries Capturing 90% of Africa’s AI Funding

    Analyzing the five markets reveals three cross-cutting insights.

    South Africa’s University Technology Fund Leans Into Alumni for New Startup Thesis

    The practical application of this broadened mandate is already visible in the market.

    Partner Content

    From Kitchens to Cockpits: The Egyptian Startup Turning Cooking Oil Into a 25x Investor Return

    Delta Oil operates at the intersection of waste management and energy production.

    “No Shortcuts Through the Data”: How Intron is Building African Voice Infrastructure from Scratch

    "The assumption we had to kill earliest was that the technical problem was the hardest one. It is not."

    Optasia’s Growth Is Coming From Where Few Investors Are Looking

    The Dubai-headquartered lending platform's most revealing growth story is not in Africa's largest markets.

    South Africa’s OneBio Secures Funding to Build Africa’s ‘Biotech Factory’ Amid a Deep Tech Reality Check

    The Cape Town venture studio is doubling down on its hybrid model, but a high failure rate highlights the structural hurdles of scaling science in Africa.

    SafeBoda Pivots to Corporate Clients as Kampala’s Regulatory Crackdown Threatens Its Ride-Hailing Core

    This latest pivot suggests the company may be approaching the limits of its ability to absorb sustained regulatory pressure.

    Governance, Policy & Regulations Forum

    Sunset for the Blue Flame: Koko Networks Begins Its Final Liquidation Journey

    Employees, some of whom are owed salary arrears following the abrupt February shutdown, will rank behind secured creditors under Kenyan insolvency law.

    The Ultimate Corporate Shield? How SA Fintech Lesaka Escaped the $5m Ghost of Its Liquidated Subsidiary

    Cash Paymaster Services, the defunct South African fintech and subsidiary of Lesaka Technologies that administered welfare payments to millions...

    BCEAO Sets Hard Deadline for Fintechs Stalling on West Africa’s Interoperable Payments Network

    The mandate, announced this week, forces a reckoning for the region’s largest fintechs and telecom operators.

    Eskom’s Monopoly Gets a Reprieve as South Africa Stalls Energy Trading, Millions in Limbo

    Venture-backed startups and institutional investors have collectively poured millions into the “energy middle-man” economy.

    All the Latest Articles

    “We’re Not Monitoring Energy — We’re Deciding What Happens Next”: Inside PowerLabs’ Bet on Automation

    "The most important lesson we’ve taken from this journey is how much your team determines everything else."

    Standard Bank Leads $330m Refinancing for JSE-Listed AI Fintech Optasia

    Optasia, which made history in November 2025 as the largest fintech IPO on the JSE, uses proprietary AI to provide credit scoring and micro-lending to unbanked populations.

    From Kitchens to Cockpits: The Egyptian Startup Turning Cooking Oil Into a 25x Investor Return

    Delta Oil operates at the intersection of waste management and energy production.

    Sunset for the Blue Flame: Koko Networks Begins Its Final Liquidation Journey

    Employees, some of whom are owed salary arrears following the abrupt February shutdown, will rank behind secured creditors under Kenyan insolvency law.