CDP Institute

One of the most recent innovations in the Mexican fintech industry comes from Axify, a startup introducing a “buy now, pay later” model, a formula revolutionizing the world of digital payments. Axify’s main appeal is its prepaid system that allows users to purchase goods or services now and pay for them in installments, without accumulating debt or worrying about high interest rates. To date, the Axify platform has integrated with a network of 44,000 convenience stores in Mexico.

The Brazilian startup Vaas, dedicated to developing technologies against financial fraud, raised BRL$10 million (~USD$2 million) in a pre-seed round led by ABSeed. The startup, still in a proof-of-concept phase with significant companies, plans to launch its blockchain transaction tracking platform next month. The solution will track transactions through Pix, but the plan is to develop anti-fraud tools for this type of payment, which has been a primary target of scammers.

Almouneer, an Egyptian health tech company on a mission to revolutionize healthcare for individuals grappling with diabetes and obesity, has secured USD$3.6 million in funding. Dubai-based Global Ventures led the seed round. Other international investors, including Proparco and Digital Africa via the Bridge Fund, Wrightwood Investments — the family office of Diane & Henry Engelhardt from the U.K. and other prominent international funds participated.

BluePeak Private Capital, an alternative asset manager firm supporting the growth of scalable businesses in Africa through privately-negotiated and structured debt-like instruments, has reached a final close of USD$156 million for its inaugural private capital fund, BluePeak Private Capital Fund SCSp. With a presence in Tunis, Nairobi, and London, BluePeak Private Capital is an alternative asset management firm established in 2019.

South African startup SpekTech is utilising technologies such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI) and remote sensing to help scale land restoration and climate impact initiatives. Founded by Ephraim Moss and Michalya Schonwald Moss in 2022, SpekTech wants to do its bit to address the climate crisis from Africa, and overcome challenges such as funding gaps, limited climate data, ineffective reporting and verification mechanisms and smallholder inclusion in the climate impact market.

Microsoft is about to spend big on Australia, investing US$3.2 billion to expand AI and cloud computing capabilities there 250%. The company also plans to expand its number of data centres from 20 to 29. This comes copywrite lawyers and human rights organizations have been trying to put protections in place around AI use.

Shoppable TV enables viewers to use their connected TV screen to buy products directly off the TV. The pause, browse and buy capability takes advantage of brand integrations of products shown in television shows and allows viewers to buy what they see.

Asia’s digital economies are continuing to post impressive gains, with cross-border initiatives and tools offering businesses new avenues to unlock unprecedented growth despite economic difficulties, according to a new report titled “How Asia Buys and Pays 2023: Tapping into Asia’s Regional Commerce Opportunities” by market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

GoTo Financial, GoTo’s financial technology business unit, and Bank Jago, an Indonesia-listed technology-based bank, have launched GoPay Tabungan by Jago, a bank account for daily transactions that can be accessed directly via the GoPay and Gojek applications.

Nexu, the Mexican fintech that offers a financing platform for people looking to buy a car, has secured a Series B investment round of USD$20 million. This capital injection will be used to empower the startup. This Mexican fintech works directly with automotive dealerships to offer financing at the point of sale, which increases conversion rates and access to buyers who have not been considered or approved previously.

FinMaq’s unique approach focuses on providing funding for productive assets to individuals and SMEs in Colombia. Their primary mission is to promote financial inclusion and create a substantial social impact. They stand out for their efficiency; they can pre-approve and approve loans in under ten minutes and disburse funds in two days. By the end of the year, they plan to boost their team to 45 members, and by December, they aim to extend their services beyond Colombian borders, specifically targeting Chile and Peru.

Ghanaian startup PAL is an e-money payment infrastructure and liquidity provider acting as an off-ramp for global enterprises and African businesses wanting to innovate cost-effectively within the Francophone Africa market.