Standard Chartered Kenya’s workforce has dropped below 1,000 employees for the first time in over a decade, as the company automates more of its operations. Branches have also thinned out, falling from 42 in 2016 to fewer than 25 last year. Interestingly, staff costs still rose, suggesting the bank is trading quantity for specialised talent in tech, risk, and wealth management.

South African payments startup Stitch is adding buy-now-pay-later to its growing commerce suite. The company, which already powers payments for brands like Takealot, MTN, and Vodacom, says merchants including Lego and The North Face are already using its BNPL product. Customers can split purchases into two to six installments, while merchants still get paid within 24 hours. Stitch says the feature is fully embedded into merchant websites rather than outsourced to third-party apps.

Coinbase is partnering with Egyptian-founded startup Kemet to expand access to crypto derivatives for institutional traders, while also backing the company through Coinbase Ventures. Kemet’s software combines order execution, portfolio management, and risk tracking into a single system, replacing the patchwork tools institutions usually rely on.

OmniRetail wants to become the operating system for Africa’s informal retail economy. The B2B commerce startup launched OmniOne, a platform designed to help FMCG manufacturers manage distribution, payments, financing, and inventory visibility from a single dashboard. This expands OmniRetail beyond ordering and fulfilment into embedded finance and data infrastructure, as manufacturers across Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire still rely heavily on fragmented distributor networks and manual processes.

PaidHR has partnered with Zitra to let businesses access payroll funding directly inside its platform. The partnership aims to help companies pay staff on time even when cash flow gets shaky. Instead of scrambling for short-term loans elsewhere, employers can request financing without leaving their payroll dashboard.

OPay could be gearing up for a Wall Street debut. Bloomberg reports the Nigerian fintech is targeting a US IPO later this year at a valuation of about $4 billion, with Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and JPMorgan attached to the deal. If it happens, OPay would join a very short list of Africa-focused tech companies to list in the US, and investors will likely be watching closely after the bumpy public market rides of Jumia and Swvl.

Yoco is bringing in European fintech veteran Carsten Höltkemeyer as CEO, ending a nine-month stretch where co-founders Bradley Wattrus and Lungisa Matshoba ran the company together after Katlego Maphai stepped down. Höltkemeyer previously led embedded finance firm Solaris through a turnaround and spent a decade running Barclaycard Germany. The leadership change arrives as Yoco pushes beyond card machines into software, lending, and AI-powered business tools for SMEs.

Paga is making its first major crypto push through a partnership with Sui, making a play for digital assets as a fix for some of Africa’s toughest financial friction points. The collaboration spans stablecoin-powered dollar accounts, crypto on-ramps, tokenised real-world assets, and cross-border payment rails. CEO Tayo Oviosu frames the move as a response to currency instability and costly international transfers across the continent.

Nigerian impact investor Sabou Capital has secured backing from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund to finance overlooked SMEs across West Africa. The fund plans to write cheques between $300,000 and $2 million into businesses spanning logistics, climate tech, healthcare, and agriculture, especially in secondary cities that mainstream investors tend to ignore.

Village Capital is doubling down on Ghana with fresh funding for two startups tackling everyday infrastructure problems. The nonprofit investor deployed $350,000 from its Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility into Rivia Clinics, a healthcare startup, and VDL Fulfilment, an e-commerce logistics company.

Namibia-based Bellatrix Investment Managers has launched the $10 million Ndjaba Seed Fund to back as many as 50 early-stage startups across Southern Africa. The fund will invest in sectors including fintech, agritech, healthtech, clean energy, e-commerce, and enterprise software, with cheque sizes ranging from $25,000 to $500,000.

The Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference (KBCC) returns for its 4th edition on May 14–15, 2026 in Nairobi, bringing together over 1,500 regulators, fintechs, developers, and investors at the A.S.K Dome. What started as a niche blockchain meetup has grown into East Africa’s most influential crypto convening. This year’s focus is: stablecoins, payments, and the next phase of Africa’s digital economy. Get tickets here.

The Global AI Congress Africa (GAICA) takes place from May 11–13, 2026 in Sousse, Tunisia, positioning itself as the continent’s largest AI, business, and startup event. Hosted at Novation City, the summit convenes 130+ speakers, 200+ startups, and 110+ exhibitors from across Africa and global tech ecosystems. More details here.

Nigeria’s Idea Hatch (iHatch) is opening applications for its 2026 Cohort 5 incubation programme, targeting early-stage founders ready to move from idea to execution. The 4-month programme supports startups building MVPs, validating products, and preparing for funding, while also strengthening local innovation hubs across all 36 states and the FCT. Check here for more information.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), ADFI, and LHoFT are backing fintech founders through the 2026 CATAPULT: Inclusion Africa programme. It’s a one-week bootcamp in Côte d’Ivoire with another in Luxembourg, connecting startups directly to regulators, financial institutions, and impact investors. The programme offers mentoring, visibility, and a pitch stage at IF2026, with all costs covered and no equity taken. Applications close 10 May 2026.

Acumen, with the Mastercard Foundation, is recruiting for its 2026 Green RISE West Africa Fellowship, a fully funded programme for climate-focused entrepreneurs building green solutions that tackle poverty and create jobs for women and youth under 35. Get more details here.

UNICEF is opening applications for its 2026 StartUp Lab Accelerator in Ghana, targeting founders building solutions to tackle child labour and trafficking. The program is inviting startups to plug into government frameworks and improve how risks are identified, tracked, and addressed. Selected teams will co-develop tools with public and private partners, then pilot them in real-world settings.

Code for Africa is recruiting technologists for its 2026 AI for Good Fellowship, offering a $500/month stipend to build tools that support human rights defenders across Africa. Over four months, fellows will work with civil society groups to design and deploy AI solutions.

Google has opened applications for the 2026 Hustle Academy, a free training program helping African SMEs scale using digital tools and AI. The format has been streamlined into 60-minute expert webinars followed by 1-day bootcamps designed to be practical, fast, and easy to attend. Find out more here.

UNICEF is offering up to $100,000 in equity-free funding through its 2026 Venture Fund, targeting startups building climate-tech solutions that improve children’s health. The focus is on open-source, frontier technologies like AI and blockchain designed for low-resource and emergency settings. Get more details.

THRIVE is launching its 2026 Global Impact Challenge, offering up to $1 million in investment to agrifood startups tackling everything from regenerative agriculture to food security and AI-driven farming systems. Finalists will pitch live at the THRIVE Global Impact Summit in Silicon Valley. Register here.