Unicorns · Deals · Exits · Regulatory
African tech unicorn tracker, major funding rounds, notable exits, and regulatory milestones curated from Partech, Briter Bridges, and public press reporting.
Tech Unicorns
8
companies valued $1B+
Major Deals Tracked
6
curated 2023–2025
Exits & Milestones
4
curated 2022–2025
Regulatory Events
5
policy & frameworks
8 companies that have achieved $1B+ private valuations. Last updated May 2026.
Flutterwave
Nigeria · Fintech
$3B
last disclosed valuation
OPay
Nigeria · Fintech / Super App
$2B
last disclosed valuation
Chipper Cash
Uganda · Fintech
$2B
last disclosed valuation
When each company first crossed the $1B valuation threshold.
TymeBank becomes Africa's newest fintech unicorn
South African digital bank TymeBank raises $250M in a Series D round, achieving a $1.5B valuation. Led by Nubank and existing investors.
Significant exits and strategic acquisitions in the African tech ecosystem.
Cellulant acquired by Apis Partners
Pan-African payments company Cellulant — operating in 18 countries — is acquired by specialist fintech PE investor Apis Partners in a landmark African fintech exit.
Founding-year distribution for ATM-tracked companies. Note: reflects ATM research coverage, not total market formation.
Records with year
215
2015-2026
Peak cohort
2016
28 companies
Latest year shown
2026
2 companies
Wave
Senegal · Mobile Money
$1.7B
last disclosed valuation
Andela
Nigeria · HR Tech
$1.5B
last disclosed valuation
TymeBank
South Africa · Fintech / Neobank
$1.5B
last disclosed valuation
MNT-Halan
Egypt · Fintech / Lending
$1B
last disclosed valuation
Interswitch
Nigeria · Fintech / Payments
$1B
last disclosed valuation
MNT-Halan joins Africa's unicorn club
Egyptian fintech and consumer lending platform MNT-Halan achieves $1B valuation following $400M Series B raise.
Significant funding rounds $10M+ tracked across Africa in 2024–2025.
Moniepoint raises $110M Series C
Nigerian business banking platform Moniepoint closes a $110M Series C round led by Development Partners International (DPI), expanding its MSME-focused financial services.
Moove closes $100M Series B extension
Mobility fintech Moove, which provides vehicle financing for gig-economy drivers across Africa and Asia, closes $100M to accelerate market expansion.
Sun King secures $130M to scale off-grid solar
Off-grid solar and energy access company Sun King closes $130M in growth financing to expand clean energy access to underserved households across sub-Saharan Africa.
Wasoko and MaxAB complete pan-African merger
B2B e-commerce platform Wasoko (East Africa) and MaxAB (Egypt/North Africa) merge to form a $625M+ combined entity — the largest pan-African B2B commerce play to date.
Cassava Technologies raises $50M for pan-African infrastructure
Cassava Technologies closes $50M growth round to expand cloud, cybersecurity, and connectivity services across 20+ African countries.
Healthlane.Africa Series A closes
Nigerian telemedicine and health management platform Healthlane.Africa raises a Series A to digitise primary care access across Nigeria and West Africa.
Tugende secures strategic acquisition investment
East African mobility and MSME finance company Tugende closes strategic investor round ahead of planned regional expansion into Tanzania and Rwanda.
Key policy developments shaping where and how African tech companies can operate.
Nigeria SEC issues Digital Assets Rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria formalises the framework for digital asset trading and custodianship, providing regulatory clarity for crypto and DeFi companies operating in the country.
South Africa launches crypto licensing regime
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) begins issuing licences to crypto asset service providers, making South Africa one of the first African countries with a functioning crypto regulatory framework.
Rwanda FinTech Policy 2024 enacted
Rwanda's National Bank approves its updated FinTech Policy to support regulatory sandboxes, open banking, and digital payment infrastructure, accelerating Kigali as a leading African fintech hub.
Egypt Central Bank advances open banking framework
The Central Bank of Egypt launches its Open Banking Strategy 2024, mandating API sharing between banks and licensed fintechs — opening Egypt's large banked population to fintech innovation.
Kenya Data Protection enforcement begins
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner begins formal enforcement under Kenya's Data Protection Act, requiring all companies handling Kenyan user data to register and comply with GDPR-aligned rules.
This curve reflects when companies in the ATM dataset were founded — not total African startup formation. It is influenced by when we researched each market.