TechCabal

PaidHR, the Nigerian HR-tech startup, has launched a wallet app that allows employees to access and spend their wages without needing to transfer them to a bank. The wallet app, which currently processes over ₦1.3 billion ($835,134) monthly, has sparked a knee-jerk reaction: “Yet another startup selling airtime.” PaidHR’s playbook isn’t new. The Nigerian startup mirrors global HR-tech players like Deel, Remote, and Rippling, which are quietly building financial rails through payroll—without the regulatory baggage of the fintech label. Read our weekend feature 👉 https://lnkd.in/dMMhBkwZ 

PayTic, a Morocco-based fintech that helps banks and fintechs automate their day-to-day operations, has raised $4.4 million to deepen its presence in the Middle East and Africa and expand its global distribution partnerships. AfricInvest led the funding round with participation from Accion Venture Lab and Mistral VC. Existing investors, including CDG Invest, BVC, Concrete VC, and ICP Ventures, participated in the latest round. The fresh funding brings PayTic’s total funding to $7.4 million. 🔗 Get more details 👉 https://lnkd.in/et4uTPyE

Umba, a Nairobi-headquartered digital bank with operations in Kenya and Nigeria, has raised a $5 million debt facility to grow its secured lending operations in Kenya, targeting vehicle financing and small and medium enterprises (SME) loans. The deal is structured as debt rather than equity (non-dilutive capital). The debt facility brings the company’s total funding to $20 million. Umba will use the fresh capital to expand products that are already revenue-generating, CEO Tiernan Kennedy told TechCabal. “This is revenue-generating capital, rather than runway-extending capital,” he said. 🔗 Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/da4B3rrh  

Zimbabwe’s public healthcare system struggles with inefficiencies. Traditional paper-based records and manual administrative workflows increase waiting times, potential for errors, and increase workload. Avalon Health’s AI-enabled platform helps doctors and clinics work more efficiently by handling tasks like scheduling appointments, managing patient records, processing billing, and turning doctors’ speech to ready-to-use documents. According to founder Panashe Madzudzo, health practitioners, once limited to seeing only 12–15 patients a day due to lengthy paperwork, are now able to efficiently care for up to 40 patients using its platform. Wait times have dropped from over 45 minutes to just 20 minutes, and clinics have seen a 25–40% increase in efficiency. 🔗 Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/dcWhW6FB

Telecom operators in Nigeria remain largely unaffected by the 14% tariff on Nigerian exports introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The reason is simple: the sector is import-driven, relying on equipment and infrastructure from China, the U.S., and parts of Europe. However, the broader economic ripple effects of this trade policy may still pose indirect challenges. Shifts in foreign exchange earnings, inflation, and consumer spending patterns could impact telecom operators’ ability to manage rising operational costs and maintain service affordability. 🔗 Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/d7x7Quyr   

While Nigeria has been cautiously warming up to crypto, it has flung the doors wide open for blockchain's governance potential—with payment startup Zone processing ₦1 trillion ($636M) in regulated blockchain transactions last year. CEO Obi Emetarom sees this "permissioned" approach as finance's natural evolution: combining AI front-ends with blockchain back-ends under regulatory oversight. 🔗 Click the link below for the full story  👉 https://lnkd.in/dkEjM3yR 

President Donald Trump’s 14% tariff on Nigerian exports could have unintended consequences for Nigeria’s banking sector. Although currently on hold for 90 days, the tariff could impact trade finance, a key source of revenue for banks. Major Nigerian banks, including First Bank, Access Bank, and Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), are heavily involved in trade finance, providing services, including credit, payment guarantees, and insurance, to both domestic and international importers and exporters. According to the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), trade activities generate almost 15% of total bank income. With trade volumes likely to dip as U.S. buyers pull back, banks that offer trade finance services could see their margins squeezed. 🔗 Click the link below to learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/d99DaxnP

FairMoney, the Nigerian consumer-focused lending fintech, grew its gross revenue by 62% to ₦121.9 billion in 2024, as it relied on customer deposits for lending operations. The company’s profit after tax rose to ₦5 billion from ₦780 million in 2023. For the first time since Fairmoney began accepting deposits in 2021, customer deposits funded more than 80% of its loan book driven by a sharp increase in deposits from ₦2.9 billion in 2021 to ₦72.9 billion in 2024. 🔗 Click the link below for more details.  👉 https://lnkd.in/dVqNJGh9