Fintech Experts in Francophone Africa - Consolidation & Regulation

Fintech Espresso #21 is out ☕ Consolidation, not creation, is African fintech's story this fortnight: capital, capability and regulation are being absorbed into fewer hands. 🟢 Ventures Platform Fundl founder Kola A. closed an oversubscribed $84M Fund II, nearly double the size of Fund I — early-stage capital is consolidating into fewer, larger allocators. [Grindstone] launched a R500M fund targeting the gap between seed and Series A, turning a funding gap into its own asset class. 🟡 Paystack folded Allawee (now part of Paystack)'s technology into its own infrastructure instead of keeping the brand — capability is being absorbed, not built from scratch. Creditchek acquired Algosystems invest to add core-banking software to its fintech layer, moving upstream into the software banks run on. 🔴 SEC Nigeria proposed rules that follow the customer, not the company — a foreign platform now enters the regulatory perimeter simply by having Nigerian users. FRA Egypt authorised four firms spanning microfinance, mortgages, funds and private-equity platforms — digital licensing now spreads across verticals instead of staying fintech-only. My take: early-stage capital keeps gathering into fewer, larger allocators. Companies increasingly buy the capability instead of building it. Regulators keep widening their perimeter instead of narrowing categories. Is your business still confined to the category you were licensed under? We are looking for experts and contributors in fintech, payments, financial inclusion and regulation across francophone Africa. Add your profile to the skills mapping: https://lnkd.in/e9E7FmY3 #FintechEspresso #AfricaFintech #DigitalFinance #FintechRegulation #PaymentInfrastructure