African Unicorns
Hi Fintech friends 👋,
Here are the highlights of what happened in African Fintech this week;
Francophone Unicorn Mobile Money Fintech secured banking license.
The most Active Fintech country in Africa considered establishing a single authority that would licence and regulate all fintechs in the country.
Kenya’s largest commercial bank by assets invested in a POS based Fintech.
South Africa’s Unicorn named a new CEO to drive its rebranding and expansion in 2026.
Africa’s most valued Fintech expanded in Stablecoin payments.
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💸Fundraise and Exits
Saudi startup Stream raised $4 million to fix payments for MENA businesses.
💰 Venture Funds
The Era of Easy Money Ended: African Tech Faced a Brutal Reckoning.
🚀 Partnerships & Product Launches
Nigeria considered establishing the Nigerian Fintech Regulatory Commission (NFRC), a single authority that would licence and regulate all fintechs in the country.
👔 Leadership Lineup
📰 News of the Week
Kenya’s largest commercial bank by assets KCB Groupacquired a minority stake in Fintech company Pesapal.
Seven months ago KCB invested $15.4 Million to acquire a 75% stake in Riverbank Solutions, a Nairobi-based digital payments company.
The Kenya’s largest commercial bank by assets invested in PesaPal and said “The investment sets the stage for the development of innovative payment and other related solutions for Kenya’s small and micro enterprises, enhancing value for shareholders of both Pesapal and KCB".
👀 Eye Openers
Wave, a Francophone Africa’s first unicorn, once known for mobile money, just secured a banking license and invested $35 Million into it. Should we be getting ready to see M-Pesa and others make the same move?
📑 Read of the week
Permissionless Building in Fintech. (Abdul, CEO at Mono)
📖 Other News, Reads, and Media
Access Holdings’s fintech subsidiary, Hydrogen, grew its profit by 305.88% in the first half of 2025.
🪙 Stablecoin Watch
News;
Flutterwave partneredwith Polygon blockchain to power stablecoin cross-border payments.
The stablecoin Fintech Yellow Card discontinued retail services to focus on businesses.
Insights & Resources;
Beyond The Dollar The Role Of Stablecoins In Africa. (Stabull)
🎥 VIDEO INTERVIEWS/DISCUSSIONS
From Losing $1.5 Million Overnight To Raising Millions. The Brutal Reality Of Fundraising With Chika & Eche, Co-founders of Afropolitan.
🦉 Tweet of the Week
One of my biggest regrets in the startup space was Thepeer ( @thepeerHQ ). Sometimes I still blame myself for this. I started this company with Michael Okoh ( @ichtrojan ), I made Chike ( @chykeofafrica ) the CEO.
I brought in the major partners.
I left the company when we… https://t.co/gLVYH1XSbn— Name cannot be blank (@hackSultan) October 30, 2025
Made in Tanzania 🇹🇿 with 💚
