The Nigeria YC Mafia

Hi Fintech friends 👋,

Here are the highlights of what happened in African Fintech this week;

  • Africa’s most valuable fintech acquired its fellow YC-backed fintech.

  • African startup funding reached a new milestone.

  • A Nigerian savings and investment platform paid out $872 million.

  • A Nigeria-based investor joined Kuda as a Non-Executive Director.

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💸Fundraise and Exits

  • Flutterwave acquired Mono for $30 Million in an all-stock deal.

  • Tradepal raised $50K to redefine compliance for VASPs in Nigeria.

💰 Venture Funds

  • Start-ups in Africa raised more funding in 2025 than they had back in 2023.

🚀 Partnerships & Product Launches

  • Monoplanned to launch a treasury management platform following Flutterwave acquisition.

  • Kenya’s central bank licensed 42 new digital lenders in Kenya.

👔 Leadership Lineup

  • Nigeria based investor, Dr.Ola Brown, joinedKuda as Non-Executive Director.

📰 News of the Week

  • PiggyVestreported $872 Million in payouts and over 6 Million users in 2025.

Since launching in 2016, PiggyVest has now paid out more than $2  Billion to users, reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s leading digital savings platforms. While it initially built its reputation around individual savings, the company has gradually expanded its scope in recent years.

👀 Eye Openers

  • “First-mover advantage is a myth”

📑 Read of the week

  • What’s next for African fintech? 5 fintech leaders share their expectations for 2026. (Techpoint)

  • 10 predictions for digital payments in 2025. (Adedeji Olowe)

📖 Other News, Reads, and Media

  • Nigeria planned to use banks and fintechs to recover tax debt.

🪙 Stablecoin Watch

  • How Kenya’s Investa Farm used stablecoins to finance smallholder farmers.

🎥 VIDEO INTERVIEWS/DISCUSSIONS

  • The "Supply Chain Finance" Myth: Why Retailers Really Need Capital.

🦉 Tweet of the Week

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Who is building prediction markets with an African edge?

Africans already bet. Politics. Sports. FX. Crypto. Elections. Rainfall. Anything uncertain.

I’ve thought about building this multiple times, but I have zero bandwidth. If you’re doing it seriously, I want to see it.— STONΞ (@StoneAtwine) January 4, 2026

Made in Tanzania 🇹🇿 with 💚

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