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Moving Past the ‘Infrastructure of Hope’: Why Investors, Policymakers and Entrepreneurs Must Build a Modern E-Commerce Ecosystem in Southeast Asia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all businesses in Southeast Asia, and millions of these entrepreneurs have migrated their hustle online. Yet according to Macy Castillo at Enstack, due to a lack of access to reliable payment options and other tools, they are attempting to build modern e-commerce businesses on a foundation of informal agreements and personal trust: an “infrastructure of hope” that leaves them exposed to payment fraud and locked out of formal finance. She argues that this is the central challenge for economic inclusion in Southeast Asia today, and explores Enstack's solution.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Japanese VCs Launch USD $20 Million Early-Stage Startup Fund for Africa & MENA
The fund will invest in four key sectors: finance, mobility, distribution, and sustainability. Furthermore, it will focus on areas such as mobile payments, microlending, digital retail, logistics, and agri-tech.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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East Asia Brings Boom to African Fintech Unicorn Flutterwave
The company’s international growth this year has also included securing 20 new licenses in the United States for its remittance app, Send.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Payments Platform HoneyCoin Secures $4.9 Million Funding
Licensed in jurisdictions including the US, Canada, the EU and key African markets, it integrates directly with banks and telecom operators.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa’s Street Wallet Raises $350K to Bring Cashless Payments to Informal Economy
Founded by Kosta Scholiadis in 2021, Street Wallet is a mobile payment solution built for informal traders and service providers in South Africa.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Visa Opens First African Data Centre in Johannesburg to Strengthen Fintech Infrastructure
The funding will be allocated towards building digital infrastructure, supporting local fintech firms, and providing training programs to enhance capacity across the sector.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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HAVAÍC Reaches $25 Million Second Close for African Tech Fund
The fund, targeting a final close of $50 million, focuses on early-stage, post-revenue technology startups born in Africa with global potential.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Akurateco and Enza Join Forces to Revolutionize Digital Payments Across Africa
Akurateco and enza join forces to accelerate digital payment innovation and financial inclusion across Africa with cutting-edge white-label technology.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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