Visa invites local start-ups for growth programme
Mbongeni Mguni | Wednesday August 6, 2025 09:28
The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator offers Africa-focused start-ups mentorship, tailored training, networking, and access to funding and resources, helping them advance in the fintech sector, officials said.
They said the initiative is part of Visa’s commitment to advancing Africa’s digital economy, and the company’s pledge of P13.5 billion by 2027 to transform the payments ecosystem.
“Applications are open for Cohort 5 of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator, a 12-week intensive programme designed to help startups fast-track their growth and impact,” officials said in a statement on Monday. “Fintechs with a Minimum Viable Product or a market-ready solution based in Africa are invited to apply before August 15.”
The payments giant has also announced 22 start-ups in its Cohort 4, spanning 12 countries on the continent. The successful applicant from Botswana is Mystocks.africa a start-up that simplifies investing across African stock markets by providing a unified platform for trading all African stocks.
The shortlist of 22 is dominated by Nigerian and Kenyan start-ups but also features several from North-Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and others.
“These start-ups aim is to tackle challenges in Africa's fintech sector and promote financial inclusion and digital growth,” Visa officials state. “They provide solutions in Small and Medium Business digitisation, lending, cross-border payments, payroll, business-to-business (B2B) payments, AI-powered payments, social commerce, climate insurance, and neo-banking.”
Since its inception in 2023, the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator programme has supported 64 fintechs across three cohorts, with an estimated cumulative portfolio value of P14.84 billion. In the first three cohorts, participation has spanned 17 countries with operational footprint in 31.
Nearly two-thirds of the start-ups included women in their leadership teams. Collectively, these fintechs have added more than P40.5 million in revenue during the course of the training, and alumni have subsequently raised more than P742.5 million following completion of the programme, officials said.
“Visa remains dedicated to driving innovation and expanding access and inclusion across Africa’s financial landscape. “As digital transformation continues to gain momentum across the continent, we’re excited to open applications for Cohort 5 of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator — reflecting our ongoing commitment to empowering emerging start-ups and their groundbreaking solutions. “We’re equally proud to spotlight the innovators in Cohort 4, whose wide-ranging projects promise to bring real value to individuals, small businesses, and merchants alike,” said Salome Makau, Visa Country Manager of Southern Africa.
Visa is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating more than 215 billion payment transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year.