Flutterwave Expands Across Africa Amid IPO Talks

Hey Payments Fanatic!
Nearly a month ago, reports surfaced that Flutterwave, Africa’s highest-valued startup, was in talks for an IPO on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX). The $3 billion FinTech has since made several strategic moves, reinforcing its position as a key player in digital payments across the continent.
🇿🇲 The company recently secured a Payment System License in Zambia, expanding into a new country and receiving the allowance to facilitate cross-border transactions. This aims to help international businesses enter Zambia while enabling local companies to reach new markets.
🇳🇬 Back home in Nigeria, Flutterwave is deepening its footprint through partnerships. The startup teamed up with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to provide MSMEs with digital payment solutions, e-commerce tools, and financial access.
More recently, Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) integrated Flutterwave’s payment system, simplifying tax payments for businesses and individuals alike. As Olufunmilayo Olaniyi, Flutterwave’s SVP of Business Development, put it: “Working with the public sector is pivotal to shaping the future of digital payments in Nigeria.”
🇬🇭 Further west, in Ghana, Flutterwave has gained approval from the Bank of Ghana to offer inward remittance services, enabling a smoother flow of international payments into the country.
Shortly after, the FinTech partnered with Affinity Bank to integrate Pay With Bank Transfer, providing businesses with a secure and efficient way to receive payments. By leveraging virtual accounts, this solution enhances transaction transparency and accessibility, benefiting both enterprises and their customers in Ghana’s growing digital economy.
Flutterwave’s expansion across 30+ countries highlights the growing demand for digital financial solutions in Africa. While Revolut targets South Africa, most neobanks outside the continent are focusing on other regions. As global players take notice, the company’s role in revolutionizing digital payments across Africa is becoming harder to ignore.
If you’re interested in reading a bit about what’s been happening in Payments, keep scrolling!
Cheers,
INSIGHTS
📊 Understanding the merchant payment settlement process, by Ecommpay. Payment settlement is essential for cash flow. Understanding it helps manage finances and ensure smooth transactions. Let’s delve in:

PAYMENTS NEWS
🇳🇿 Payments platform Airwallex has put its first boots on the ground in New Zealand. The Australian FinTech unicorn has hired the Auckland-based Lowry Gladwell as its country lead and first local staffer. Gladwell will hire 10 other New Zealand staff before year’s end in business, sales, and operations roles.
🇺🇸 Affirm CEO: We’re a replacement for credit cards, not debit cards. Affirm CEO Max Levchin joins ‘Closing Bell Overtime’ to discuss competition with Klarna, which just partnered with Walmart, in a CNBC exclusive. Watch the full interview
🇳🇴 Enfuce welcomes Paralympic Gold Medallist, Birgit Skarstein, as CIO. In this newly created role, Birgit will bring her incredible story of resilience and experience defying limits to company training programmes, webinars, and speaker series to create industry awareness around topics close to her and Enfuce’s heart to jointly drive meaningful change.
🇬🇧 Paytech pioneer MuchBetter launches B2B account: an alternative to traditional banking for underserved and non-banked businesses. MBB’s offering is specifically designed for Licensed Gaming Entities and regulated industries facing banking access challenges or high costs with mainstream banks.
🇨🇦 Flinks teams up with Koxa to expand ERP banking for Canadian FIs. The partnership aims to “streamline” financial institutions’ direct, secure connections with large ERP platforms. The partnership will broaden ERP integration support for Flinks’ FI partners.
🇬🇧 Finrax and FXBO team up: Crypto meets Forex. This collaboration aims to deliver seamless, innovative solutions for brokers worldwide, combining Finrax’s expertise in crypto payments with FXBO’s powerful CRM capabilities. Continue reading
🇧🇷 Cumbuca closes accounts, CEO affirms company is ‘firm and strong’. The decision aims to allow the company to focus on building a "larger" vision. CEO Daniel Ruhman assured Cumbuca isn't shutting down and will soon launch new features, including "Jornada Sem Redirecionamento" and automatic Pix payments in June.
🇬🇧 Qlarifi successfully closes €1.6 million pre-seed round to revolutionise BNPL. The funding will be used to build out a best-in-class real time data infrastructure using modern technology and drive customer acquisition across key markets.
🇮🇹 KIKO Milano and Adyen: the future of beauty passes through innovation and effective payments. The companies partner with the aim of optimizing the payment experience of their customers, making the moment of purchase unique and meaningful.
🇮🇳 PayU acquires strategic stake in Mindgate Solutions. Through this strategic investment, the company intends to utilise Mindgate’s capabilities to scale digital payment advancement worldwide. Additionally, the deal includes PayU acquiring a 43.5% stake in Mindgate.
🇦🇪 Telr has been granted the Retail Payment Services License from the Central Bank of the UAE. Having met all regulatory conditions and requirements through a thorough approval process, this approval allows Telr to expand and revolutionize merchant acquiring and enhance payment aggregation solutions within the UAE.
Want your message in front of 100.000+ FinTech fanatics, founders, investors, and operators?
Shoot me a message on LinkedIn or send me an e-mail.

Comments ()