Africa news and trends

Mastercard and Flowcart Power East Africa Social Commerce

September 07, 2026
Mastercard
Flutterwave Acquires Mono to Boost Open Banking Offerings
Partnerships // January 05, 2026

Africa-focused payments technology company Flutterwave has acquired open banking infrastructure provider Mono. “The transaction deepens Flutterwave’s long-term commitment to building a connected, interoperable financial system for Africa and positions open banking as a core pillar in the evolution of alternative payment methods across the region,” the company said...

Yellow Card CEO Sees Africa Boosting Global Stablecoin Adoption
Cryptocurrency // November 18, 2025

Yellow Card’s CEO says African countries are among the world’s top stablecoin adopters. Speaking at the inaugural Bloomberg Africa Business Summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday (Nov. 18), Chris Maurice said this shift is happening as international trade pivots away from the American dollar. “The user experience of...

Mastercard and Smile ID to Offer Digital Identity Solutions Across Africa
Digital Identity // September 26, 2025

Mastercard and Smile ID plan to accelerate the rollout of secure digital identity solutions across Africa to enable enterprises to onboard new customers faster. The companies have extended their commercial partnership and will offer solutions that combine Mastercard’s global insights and Identity technology with Smile...

PayPal Makes $100 Million Bet on Middle East/Africa Digital Commerce
Investments // September 24, 2025

PayPal is investing $100 million to support digital commerce in the Middle East and Africa. The investment is to be deployed via minority investments, acquisitions, PayPal Ventures funding and people/technology deployments. The goal is to help local businesses scale, open new opportunities for innovators, and “bring...

Interviews & Exclusives
Liquidity Management Key to Taming FX Volatility in Emerging Markets

November 20, 2023
Compared to the global standard of five to six hubs, moving money between Nigeria and China or Singapore can require navigating through up to 16 hubs before the payment reaches the last mile, said Jess Anuna, founder and CEO of Klasha, a global cross-border payments company. This example illustrates the persistently sluggish, costly and fragmented […]

How Digital Innovation Is Unifying Africa’s Fragmented Payments Landscape

July 06, 2023
In 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was time to simplify money movement and make sending money to someone as easy as sending a photo. However, what that statement,...

Digital Escrow Helps Africa’s SMBs Bridge Trade Trust Deficit

May 10, 2023
An estimated $5 billion is lost annually in intra-African trade. And apart from the high trade costs associated with operating in a highly fragmented region, Terence Naidu, founder and CEO...

Africa’s Startup Future Requires VCs to Sell Investors on Potential

March 27, 2023
As the global banking and financial services sector take stock after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), there are many lessons to be learned, said Maurizio Caio, founder and...

Quick Reads
Mastercard and Flowcart Power East Africa Social Commerce

September 07, 2026
Mastercard launched a partnership with Kenya-based social commerce company Flowcart, according to a Monday (Sept. 7) news release. The collaboration centers on embedding “secure, seamless card payments directly within social and conversational commerce journeys,” the release said. “Social commerce is redefining how consumers discover and engage with brands,” Shehryar Ali, senior vice president and country […]

Flutterwave Acquires Mono to Boost Open Banking Offerings

January 05, 2026
Africa-focused payments technology company Flutterwave has acquired open banking infrastructure provider Mono. “The transaction deepens Flutterwave’s long-term commitment to building a connected, interoperable financial system for Africa and positions open banking as a...

Yellow Card CEO Sees Africa Boosting Global Stablecoin Adoption

November 18, 2025
Yellow Card’s CEO says African countries are among the world’s top stablecoin adopters. Speaking at the inaugural Bloomberg Africa Business Summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday (Nov. 18), Chris Maurice said this shift...

Mastercard and Smile ID to Offer Digital Identity Solutions Across Africa

September 26, 2025
Mastercard and Smile ID plan to accelerate the rollout of secure digital identity solutions across Africa to enable enterprises to onboard new customers faster. The companies have extended their commercial...