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Here are the highlights of what happened in African Fintech this week;
A long-time chief executive handed over operations after seventeen years.
Digital assets became accessible through major mobile money networks.
A sanctioned Russian crypto network expanded operations across Africa.
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💸Fundraise and Exits
Lucky secured $23 million Series B to drive North African credit expansion.
Optasia received $330 million from Standard Bank to fuel fintech growth.
M-KOPA unlocked $22.5 million in credit for its South African operations.
TLG Capital invested $5 million in Shona Zambia for SME loans.
Paytic acquired AI platform Guppy to enhance its payment processing capabilities.
SMC DAO acquired Nigerian crypto startup Bread Africa to expand services.
💰 Venture Funds
🚀 Partnerships & Product Launches
Verto expanded business accounts for seamless payments from US to Africa.
VALR enabled crypto purchases via mobile money through an Onafriq partnership.
Visa and Zenith Bank launched a premium card for affluent customers.
Ethio telecom and Mastercard deepened their partnership for cross-border digital payments.
Zazu tapped Visa to launch online business accounts in Morocco.
👔 Leadership Lineup
Paga’s CEO handed over Nigerian operations to new leadership after seventeen years.
📰 News of the Week
A sanctioned Russian crypto network expanded operations across Africa.
The A7 network launched initiatives in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Togo to facilitate cross-border trade using its ruble-backed stablecoin, A7A5. Linked to the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, the platform serves as a strategic alternative to Western financial systems, reportedly settling nearly 19% of Russia's foreign trade while evading global oversight.
📑 Read of the week
Crypto regulation in Africa: What’s changing in 2026. (Read it here)
📖 Other News, Reads, and Media
Vodacom Tanzania invested $28 million to upgrade the M-Pesa platform.
Safaricom’s My OneApp faced login failures shortly after its official rollout.
NDPC investigated Remita and Sterling Bank regarding a reported data breach.
🪙 Stablecoin & Crypto Watch
🎥 Video Interviews/Discussions
PawaPay CEO Nikolai Barnwell discusses mobile money’s surge, driving 2.3 billion global accounts while reshaping Africa's digital finance future.
🦉 Tweet of the Week
Made in Tanzania 🇹🇿 with 💚
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