South Africa’s banks are increasingly becoming the buyers when local fintechs reach the exit stage. Research covering 226 exits since 2009 shows lenders have shifted from building everything themselves to acquiring startups that found a better way to do it.

Visa has picked up one of Kenya’s most prominent mobile money executives. Former Airtel Money Kenya chief Anne Kinuthia-Otieno is joining the payments giant as its East Africa head after nearly five years at Airtel.

South African safety platform AURA has become the first emergency response platform authorised to embed Google Maps Platform navigation directly into its responder app

Quidax has expanded its stablecoin payment infrastructure to more than 21 countries and 14 currencies. Businesses can now use its rails across markets from Nigeria and Ghana to Kenya, South Africa, the UK and US.

Nigerian grocery delivery startup GoLemon is shutting down after failing to raise the additional funding needed to keep growing. The company stopped accepting orders in July, bringing another venture-backed delivery experiment to an end.

Vodacom processed nearly $548 billion in mobile money transactions over the past year. With fintech becoming an increasingly important growth engine for the telecom group, airtime is no longer the only thing keeping the phones busy.

Safaricom has put another $10.8 million into its Ethiopian operation, taking its total contribution above $1.2 billion. Its Ethiopia unit now has 14.7 million active customers and is racing to reach profitability by March 2027.

 National Bank of Egypt and Mastercard have launched a USD corporate debit card for businesses. Companies can use it for international payments and global commerce without having to rely solely on traditional cross-border payment processes.

Luno is cutting about 20% of its global workforce. The South African crypto exchange says the layoffs are part of a restructuring, with its home market among those affected.

 Nigerian financial services group Zedcrest has acquired cross-border payments startup Leatherback for an undisclosed amount. Zedcrest had already backed Leatherback’s $10M pre-seed round in 2021, and the startup will continue operating independently under its existing brand and management.

PraxiLabs, Up-Fuse and Kennah won a combined $45,000 from Visa’s She’s Next Egypt programme. PraxiLabs gets $20,000 for taking first place, with the programme also providing mentorship and training for women entrepreneurs.

Egyptian e-commerce startup Fincart has raised an oversubscribed $2.8 million seed round to expand its AI-powered merchant platform across Africa and the Middle East. Fincart connects online sellers with more than 40 courier companies while offering tools for shipping, customer engagement, and working capital.

GEC+Africa 2026 is happening in Cape Town on September 16-17 as thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and policymakers gather to explore the future of African innovation. More than 2,000 delegates from over 43 countries are expected to attend what organizers describe as the continent's largest entrepreneurship event. Register to attend.

GITEX Nigeria will make its debut from August 31 to September 3 across Abuja and Lagos, convening global tech companies, startups, investors, policymakers, and government leaders around Africa's largest digital economy. Get tickets here.

Borderless Experience 2026 convenes fintech founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem leaders in Lagos on August 21 for a deep dive into the future of cross-border payments, commerce, and financial infrastructure in Africa. Register your interest here.

VOVE ID has launched a programme to help African startups identify gaps in KYC, KYB, AML, and fraud controls before they slow fundraising, licensing, or market expansion. Applications for the first cohort close on August 20.

Founders Fund Africa has opened applications for its 2026 Creative Economy Accelerator, backing startups building across music, film and media, design, and creative tech. Selected founders will receive between $20,000 and $50,000 in funding, alongside hands-on support to help scale their businesses. Applications close August 28. 

Applications are now open for the iDICE Startup Bridge Growth Lab. It’s a 12-week accelerator for young Nigerian founders between the ages of 18 and 35 who are post-MVP and have some traction. The program offers upfront equity funding of $100,000 for selected participants, plus hands-on scaling support. Apply here by August 19th.