What they do:
Challenger Bank for consumers in French speaking Africa.
Quick facts:
HQ: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Top Banking & Lending Startups in Africa
This list has 21 startups and was last updated on Oct 15, 2026. Biggest hubs: Lagos (9), San Francisco (3), and Nairobi (3). Largest teams: Djamo, Numida, and Aella.
21 startups
What they do:
Working capital for African micro businesses
Quick facts:
HQ: Kampala, Uganda
What they do:
Diversified credit infrastructure powering payments across Africa.
Quick facts:
What they do:
CredPal is a buy now pay later company in Africa that allows…
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What they do:
Cryptocurrency infrastructure for Africa.
Quick facts:
HQ: London, United Kingdom
What they do:
coinbase for derivatives
Quick facts:
HQ: London, United Kingdom
What they do:
Group Financing for small businesses across Africa.
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What they do:
B2B marketplace for Auto Dealers in Africa
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What they do:
Banking services for remote workers and digital nomads
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Loans to Nigeria's SMEs in under 3 hours
Quick facts:
What they do:
All in one finance platform for borderless businesses in Africa
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HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
What they do:
Corporate Expense cards and Spend management for businesses in Africa
Quick facts:
What they do:
Embedded finance platform for African businesses
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What they do:
Digital banking platform for the 30 million smartphone users in DRC.
Quick facts:
HQ: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
What they do:
Investing in innovation
Quick facts:
HQ: San Francisco, CA, United States
CrowdForce
Acquired
What they do:
Crowdforce is an app that allows any local merchant in Africa,…
Quick facts:
HQ: Abuja, Nigeria
Mono
Acquired
What they do:
Plaid for Africa, but better.
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Fingo Africa
Acquired
What they do:
A neobank for Africa's 500 million youth
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Pivo Technology Inc
Shut down
What they do:
Digital Bank for Freight Carriers in Africa.
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Bridgecard
Shut down
What they do:
Card issuer for Africa
Quick facts:
Saida
Shut down
What they do:
A bank account that lets you easily separate, spend and track money
Quick facts:
Questions and answers
How many startups are on this list?
There are 21 startups on this list, last updated on Oct 15, 2026.
Which of them are hiring?
None of them shows open roles right now.
Which of them have the largest teams?
By team size: Djamo (250 employees), Numida (115 employees), and Aella (60 employees).
Where are they based?
The biggest hubs are Lagos (9), San Francisco (3), and Nairobi (3).