Visa has unveiled the fourth cohort of its Africa Fintech Accelerator program in 2025, spotlighting 22 early-stage startups poised to redefine financial services across the continent. This 12-week initiative, designed to nurture innovation and foster financial inclusion, showcases a diverse array of solutions addressing critical challenges in SME digitization, lending, cross-border payments, and beyond.
With startups hailing from 12 African nations, this cohort showcases Visa’s commitment to empowering local entrepreneurs to tackle both regional and global financial needs.
A diverse cohort driving Fintech innovation
The selected startups represent a vibrant cross-section of Africa’s fintech landscape, spanning 12 countries with Kenya (5 startups), Nigeria (4), Egypt (2), Morocco (2), and Zimbabwe (2) leading the pack, alongside single representatives from Ghana, Uganda, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Ivory Coast, and South Africa.
This geographical diversity reflects the program’s aim to address the unique economic and financial challenges faced by different African markets.
The startups tackle a broad spectrum of fintech themes, including:
- SME Digitization: Streamlining operations for small and medium enterprises through digital tools.
- Lending and Asset-Backed Financing: Unlocking capital for businesses and consumers using innovative models.
- Cross-Border Payments: Simplifying international transactions in Africa’s fragmented markets.
- Payroll and B2B Payments: Enhancing efficiency for businesses with bulk payment solutions.
- AI-Driven Transactions: Leveraging artificial intelligence to power smarter, faster financial services.
- Social Commerce: Enabling sellers to tap into influencer-driven marketing.
- Climate Insurance: Addressing agricultural risks through automated solutions.
- Neo-Banking: Offering modern banking alternatives with digital-first approaches.
List of startups selected for the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator Cohort 4
The 22 startups selected for Cohort 4 are at the forefront of fintech innovation, each bringing a unique solution to the table. Here’s a closer look at their offerings:
- BigDot.ai (Zimbabwe): Revolutionizing SME transactions with blockchain-based digital checkouts, reducing reliance on cash and enhancing security.
- ChatCash (Zimbabwe): An AI-powered platform that enables businesses to conduct sales and payments through messaging apps, making financial services more accessible.
- Credify Africa (Uganda): Bridging trade finance gaps by providing SMEs with access to capital, logistics, and payment solutions, fostering growth in underserved markets.
- Flend (Egypt): A non-bank financial solution offering tech-driven funding options tailored for SMEs, addressing the credit access challenge.
- Hsabati (Morocco): Collecting operational data to help SMEs secure bank financing, empowering businesses with actionable insights.
- IPT Africa (Mauritius): Facilitating same-day bulk and payroll payments with real-time foreign exchange visibility, streamlining corporate transactions.
- Lemonade Payments (Kenya): Providing white-label blockchain wallets that prioritize user data privacy, catering to the growing demand for secure digital payments.
- Maishapay (DRC): Offering payroll, digital payments, and POS services for B2B clients, driving efficiency in corporate financial operations.
- MNZL (Egypt): Unlocking financing through asset-backed lending, using home and auto equity to empower consumers.
- Motito (Ghana): An asset-financing marketplace with flexible payment plans, making high-value purchases more accessible.
- Muda (Kenya): A cross-border asset exchange and stablecoin liquidity platform, simplifying international transactions.
- mystocks.africa (Botswana): Enabling unified trading across African stock exchanges, democratizing investment opportunities.
- OKO Finance Ltd (Ivory Coast): Providing automated climate insurance to mitigate risks for agribusinesses, a critical need in climate-vulnerable regions.
- PressPayNg (Nigeria): Offering banking, financing, savings, and insurance solutions tailored for the education sector, addressing a niche but vital market.
- Sevi (Kenya): Streamlining B2B payments and stock financing for small retailers, boosting operational efficiency.
- Shiga Digital Inc (Nigeria): Developing decentralized finance (DeFi) tools customized for African users, promoting financial inclusion.
- ShopOkoa (Kenya): An AI-driven credit and payment platform for micro-enterprises, complete with savings and cashflow analytics.
- Startbutton (Nigeria): A merchant-of-record platform enabling compliant cross-border payments in multiple currencies.
- Twiva (Kenya): A social commerce platform that connects sellers with influencers to drive marketing and sales.
- Vittas (Nigeria): Delivering tailored finance and payment tools for healthcare providers, addressing sector-specific financial challenges.
- Woliz (Morocco): Transforming nano-stores into digital hubs with loyalty programs, payment solutions, and AI-driven operations.
- Zazu (South Africa): A neobank offering business accounts, expense tracking, invoicing, and bookkeeping, catering to the needs of modern entrepreneurs.
