by Rohit Dayanand -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Agritech and Fintech Providers in East and Southern Africa: A Landscape Assessment;” published by IFAD, SAFIN

The authors of this paper address: (1) the environment that financial institutions in East and Southern Africa (ESA) face when lending to agricultural micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and (2) how this lending can be increased via agricultural technology (agritech) and financial technology (fintech) firms. The challenges include

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS); November 2-3, 2023; Lusaka, Zambia

Twice a year, this event convenes to promote collaboration on entrepreneurship as well as issues and opportunities regarding financial technology (fintech) in Africa. Following a pre-event dinner on November 1, the first day will include a

by Zach Deluca -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFS Africa Acquiring Baxi to Expand Digital Payment Network for SMEs into Nigeria

Mobile Financial Solutions (MFS) Africa, a digital payments network based in South Africa, recently announced it will acquire Baxi, a platform facilitating online payments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in underserved communities in Nigeria. Verdant Capital, a corporate finance firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions,

by Tejas Gumudavelly -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Pngme, Data Processor for Lenders in Africa, Raises $3m in Seed Equity Round Led by EchoVC, Lateral Capital, Radical Ventures, Raptor Group

Pngme, a US-based financial data firm focused on African markets, recently announced it has closed its seed fundraising round at a volume of USD 3 million. Pngme offers an application program interface (API) that allows financial institutions to access and analyze

by Simrun Kothari -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Fintech Summit; November 9-12, 2020; Virtual; NEW FORMAT AND DATES

Originally scheduled to take place during October in the US city of Washington, DC, this event was converted to a digital format. The summit will include sessions on blockchain, revenue models for financial technology (fintech), “InsurTech [Insurance Technology] in Africa,” and “Digital Identity and Financial Inclusion.” There will also be: (1) a pitch competition serving as a regional final for the StartUp World Cup, a contest with a grand prize of USD 1 million; and (2) an Alpha Expo, “an opportunity for

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Nigerian Fintech Firm OPay Raises $120m in Equity Funding for Digital Payments, Ride Hailing, Food Delivery

OPay, a Nigerian mobile platform for making payments, arranging car rides and ordering deliveries from restaurants, recently raised USD 120 million in equity from 10 investors to scale up in Nigeria and expand to countries such as Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. OPay’s transportation arm, ORide, facilitates up to

by Anuhya Tadepalli -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Fintech Summit; November 8-9, 2018; Lagos, Nigeria

The Africa Fintech Summit Lagos will include sessions such as: (1) Regulatory Frameworks to Facilitate Innovation; (2) Banks and Fintechs – Models for Partnership; (3) The Outlook for Open Banking in Nigeria; and (4) Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, there is a half-day workshop on blockchain and the