Payment infrastructure company Fincra has secured a Third-Party Payment Provider (TPPP) License in South Africa, in partnership with Nedbank.

This regulatory milestone strengthens Fincra’s footprint in Southern Africa and advances its mission to build seamless, borderless financial infrastructure across the continent.

With this license, Fincra is now authorized to process a wide range of payment services in South Africa, including credit and debit card payments, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) credits, Real-Time Clearing (RTC), and Rapid Payments.

This Morocco-based fintech aims to optimize various key processes within African financial institutions, in order to improve service quality for users.

PayTic is a B2B fintech solution developed by a Moroccan startup. It enables the automation of operational processes related to bank cards, a segment that remains largely fragmented in many African institutions. The Casablanca-based startup was founded in 2020 by Imad Boumahdi. Last April, it successfully closed a funding round worth USD 4 million.

“This significant investment is a powerful validation of PayTic’s mission and the transformative impact we are delivering. [...] Beyond the capital, this funding round brings invaluable strategic expertise, allowing us to accelerate our global expansion and reshape the future of payment operations,” said Imad Boumahdi.

Operating as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, PayTic delivers comprehensive automation directly through a web browser. Banks, card issuers, and fintechs can use it to better manage their debit and credit cards.

It acts as an intelligent assistant to perform tasks such as payment tracking, error resolution, performance analysis, and compliance. It integrates with existing systems and provides these various institutions with a real-time view of their operations, while reducing the risk of human error.

In a context where banks seek to increase efficiency while improving customer experience, PayTic’s goal is to automate what can be automated in order to refocus teams on higher-value tasks. This objective aligns with the broader dynamic of modernizing African financial services, driven by high-value local solutions.

By Adoni Conrad Quenum,

Editing by Feriol Bewa

In a context where African edtech tools still struggle to meet the specific educational needs of the continent’s students, this solution stands out for its local relevance and ease of use, even on low-powered machines.

Kenyan startup ElimuShop has launched Equation Explorer, an interactive application designed to transform the learning of mathematical equations, making it more accessible, engaging, and visual. The tool targets secondary school students, educators, and self-taught individuals keen to grasp the fundamentals of algebra.

Founded in 2017 by Lilian Nyaranga, ElimuShop describes itself as a social enterprise. "We are dedicated to creating innovative game-based resources that make learning mathematics and science engaging and fun for children," the startup stated. "Our interactive tools help young learners develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a passion for STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] subjects."

Equation Explorer provides an intuitive interface where users can manipulate, visualize, and solve equations step by step, observing the immediate impact of each operation on both sides of the equation. Emphasizing hands-on experimentation, the platform functions as a virtual mathematical laboratory where students learn by doing. The tool also incorporates an immediate feedback system that identifies and explains errors as they occur, thereby reinforcing the understanding of equivalence rules and problem-solving methodologies.

This innovative solution aligns with ElimuShop's broader mission to democratize access to high-quality digital educational content, with a strong focus on active and contextualized learning. With Equation Explorer, the often abstract process of solving equations becomes more concrete, more engaging, and ultimately more accessible to a wider audience.

In a significant endorsement, ElimuShop was selected in 2025, alongside eleven other startups, to join the third cohort of the prestigious Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.

By Adoni Conrad Quenum,

Editing by Feriol Bewa

She launched her company after encountering a specific problem related to her daughter's school transportation. Her professional background, marked by roles in the sales, logistics, and digital sectors, prepared her to design an appropriate solution.

Lucy Kimani (photo) is a Kenyan tech entrepreneur and co-founder of NoMa, a startup launched in 2023 that aims to transform school transportation in Kenya through an innovative digital solution.

NoMa offers a SaaS platform that enables schools and parents to track school bus routes in real time, thereby ensuring greater safety and efficiency in students’ daily commutes.

The idea was born from a personal experience. While her daughter was attending preschool, Lucy Kimani often found herself without information about the school bus's arrival. “Oftentimes she did not know where the bus was and if it was late, she had to wait helplessly without being sure if her child was safe or if the bus had encountered a problem on the route. How could she get more visibility of her child’s journey home? Thus the idea for NoMa was born. Out of a need to provide peace of mind to other parents like her,” explains the startup.

NoMa’s platform is based on advanced algorithms that optimize routes, reduce waiting times, and efficiently coordinate school transportation. By leveraging real-time data, the solution promises a more reliable, smooth, and secure experience for both students and parents.

Lucy Kimani graduated from Kenya Methodist University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in human resource management, sales, and marketing in 2012. She also holds a master’s degree in strategic management, obtained in 2018 from the United States International University in Africa (Nairobi, Kenya).

Her professional career began in 2003 at Kapa Oil Refineries, a manufacturer of fats and cooking oils, where she held a position in sales and marketing. Two years later, she joined Mooreland Consolidated Hotel as operations manager, before becoming a legal secretary in 2007 at the law firm Karingu & Company Advocates.

Between 2012 and 2019, she worked for Copia Kenya, an e-commerce startup, where she successively held roles as sales manager, head of recruitment, training and development, then head of business development. Between 2021 and 2022, she served as vice president of growth at Amitruck, a tech logistics startup.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji