The Financial Times’ 2026 ranking of Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies features 30 high-growth African startups across multiple sectors, with Egypt’s Thndr topping the list for the first time. The FT ranking, produced in partnership with research company Statista, identified African companies with a minimal compound annual growth in revenues (CAGR) of 9.27% between 2021 and 2024, with selected companies generating at least $100,000 in revenue in 2021 and at least $1.5 million in 2024.
The 2026 ranking represents an expansion from 2025, which featured 15 startups. Kenya edged ahead of Nigeria in total company representation with 17 companies compared to Nigeria’s 16, while South Africa remained the most represented country overall with 52 companies on the full 130-company list. The featured companies span fintech, healthtech, logistics, e-commerce, clean energy, hospitality, and enterprise software, with fintech, IT, and software sectors accounting for nearly 40% of the companies featured.
Nigeria (9 Companies)
OmniRetail led the 2026 FT rankings. Launched in June 2019, OmniRetail is a B2B e-commerce platform operating in Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire that enables retailers to order fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) from manufacturers and distributors using mobile apps, with logistics and embedded financing. In April 2025, OmniRetail closed a $20 million Series A round and reported visibility into over 500,000 FMCG orders worth ₦250 billion ($182 million) monthly across 10,000 distributors and 100,000 retailers. The company’s revenue grew from $40.26 million in 2021 to $54.24 million in 2024.
Sabi, launched in 2021 by Anu Adedoyin Adasolum and Ademola Adesina, is a B2B digital commerce company helping informal retail merchants digitise operations, streamline inventory management, access logistics services, and connect with suppliers. The company evolved from an offshoot of Rensource, a power distribution venture for informal markets. In 2025, Sabi announced it will double down on its Technology Rails for African Commodities Exchange (TRACE) product, enabling management of mineral and agricultural commodities businesses. Revenue grew from $1.52 million in 2021 to $46.50 million in 2024.
Remedial Health, founded in 2021 by Samuel Okwuada and Victor Benjamin, is a healthtech startup digitising medicine movement across Nigeria’s pharmaceutical retail market. Its platform allows pharmacies to order verified drugs directly from manufacturers and manage inventory and procurement. In 2023, Remedial Health raised $12 million in Series A funding (a mix of debt and equity) to deepen services across Nigeria. Revenue grew from $0.84 million in 2021 to $12.53 million in 2024.
Haul247, founded in 2020 by Sehinde Afolayan, is a logistics and trucking marketplace digitising freight movement across Nigeria by connecting manufacturers and cargo owners with truck operators. In 2023, the startup raised $3 million in seed funding to expand its presence and develop technology. Revenue grew from $0.10 million in 2021 to $1.93 million in 2024.
Africhange, founded in 2020, is a remittance and cross-border payments startup helping Africans in the diaspora send money home at lower costs. The company operates across Nigeria, the UK, Canada, and Australia remittance corridors and has expanded into other international payment routes including cryptocurrency services. Revenue grew from $0.22 million in 2021 to $2.30 million in 2024.
Rank Capital, formerly known as Moni and YC-backed, is a Nigerian fintech offering community banking services. In 2025, the startup acquired AjoMoney (a group savings platform) and Zazzau Microfinance Bank (MFB) to offer expanded financial services. Rank Capital disclosed it had disbursed nearly $46.62 million in loans to over 20,000 businesses and achieved a 96% repayment rate in 2023. Revenue grew from $0.40 million in 2021 to $4.65 million in 2024.
Termii, launched in 2017 by Emmanuel Gbolade, Ayomide Awe, and Atinuke Idowu, enables African businesses to engage customers using SMS, voice, email, and other digital channels through its communication infrastructure. Returning to the ranking for a second consecutive year, Termii revealed in 2024 it had processed over 1 billion customer transactions across SMS, voice, and WhatsApp and facilitated wallet transactions totalling 11 billion. Revenue grew from $1.29 million in 2021 to $2.53 million in 2024.
Redtech, backed by Heirs Holdings, is a fintech providing payment solutions allowing businesses to collect, manage, and track financial transactions. The company processed over ₦12 trillion ($10 billion) in payment transactions in 2024 and launched its flagship payment platform, RedPay, in 2025. Revenue grew from $3.48 million in 2021 to $4.47 million in 2024.
FairMoney Microfinance Bank, founded in 2017, is a consumer-focused lending fintech that grew gross revenue by 62% in 2024 and offers transfers, savings, bill payments, debit cards, and loans. Revenue grew from $73.54 million in 2021 to $75.73 million in 2024.
South Africa (9 Companies)
TymeBank, the South African digital retail bank that rebranded to GoTyme Bank in February 2026, ranked 23rd in the 2026 list, up from 29th in 2025. In 2021, it announced a $109 million fundraising from investors and launched a new digital banking app in February 2026. In 2024, it announced plans to launch in Indonesia, making it its third Southeast Asian market after launching in the Philippines in October 2022 and Vietnam in January 2024. Revenue grew from $15.76 million in 2021 to $32.38 million in 2024.
GoBid, launched in 2020, is an online auction and e-commerce platform enabling businesses and consumers to buy and sell vehicles, industrial equipment, and other assets digitally. In 2025, WeBuyCars, a South African non-manufacturing automotive company, acquired a 49% stake in GoBid for R376.8 million ($22.7 million). Revenue grew from $7.84 million in 2021 to $32.38 million in 2024.
Sourcefin, founded in 2020 by Joshua Kadish, Avi Mishan, and Marom Mishan, offers tailored financing solutions and specialist supply chain support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The company helps businesses access short-term financing tied to receivables and supply chain operations. In 2024, Sourcefin raised $8.2 million to strengthen its SME support solutions. Revenue grew from $3.81 million in 2021 to $10.61 million in 2024.
Fasta, founded in 2017, is a South African fintech offering instant credit solutions for consumers making online and in-store purchases, repayable over up to 3 monthly instalments. The company enables shoppers to access short-term financing at checkout within the growing buy-now-pay-later market. In 2020, it partnered with Mastercard to launch FASTACard, a virtual card giving South Africans access to instant credit. Revenue grew from $4.22 million in 2021 to $10.50 million in 2024.
Future Forex, founded in 2020 by Harry Scherzer and Josh Kotlowitz, is a fintech company providing cross-border payment and foreign exchange services for individuals and businesses. It also provides forex processing systems, crypto asset arbitrage, and trading services. According to figures from the company’s website, it has conducted 245,540 successful transfers and processed up to R73 billion (4.4 billion). Revenue grew from $0.66 million in 2021 to $7.77 million in 2024.
PayMeNow, founded in 2019, gives low-income workers access to a portion of earned wages before payday. It partners with employers to offer workers short-term financial flexibility and reduce reliance on expensive credit products. Revenue grew from $1.23 million in 2021 to $7.28 million in 2024.
WiSolar, launched in 2016 by Tonye Irims, is a greentech startup allowing customers to purchase solar equipment and power on demand using a mobile app. In 2022, it launched WiGo, a prepaid solar electricity app enabling users to buy prepaid solar electricity tokens, recharge remotely, view electricity top-up history, and view solar performance for Nigeria and South Africa. Revenue grew from $1.32 million in 2021 to $5.77 million in 2024.
AURA, founded in 2017, enables people in emergencies to connect to emergency response through mobile apps and panic buttons with the nearest vetted medical responders and security experts. AURA operates in South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and partners with Uber, First National Bank (FNB), Samsung, and traditional security and ambulance companies. In 2025, it raised $14.6 million in Series B funding to drive US expansion. Revenue grew from $2.48 million in 2021 to $6.66 million in 2024.
Drive.co.za is an automotive marketplace helping consumers compare, buy, rent, and finance vehicles online. The company combines car listings, financing tools, and digital purchasing services into a single platform and offers long-term car rental and car subscriptions with one monthly payment including insurance, maintenance, services, and tyres. Revenue grew from $2.47 million in 2021 to $6.22 million in 2024.
Omnisient, founded in 2019, is a financial services and insurance startup allowing companies to share and analyse consumer data using privacy-enhancing technologies to generate insights. In November 2022, Omnisient raised an undisclosed expansion round from investors including retail chain group Shoprite and Buffet Investments. Revenue grew from $0.77 million in 2021 to $2.34 million in 2024.
Kenya (4 Companies)
M-KOPA is a digital asset financing platform allowing customers to acquire smartphones and solar kits through pay-as-you-go models. Operational in Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, and Ghana, M-KOPA turned its first profit in 2024, recording a profit of KES 1.2 billion ($9.2 million), up from a loss of KES 3.2 billion ($24.7 million) in 2023. Founded in 2011 by former Vodafone executives Nick Hughes and Jesse Moore, the company focuses on smartphone financing and partners with manufacturers like Samsung and Nokia. In 2025, it crossed $1.6 billion (KES 207 billion) in credit given to Kenyan customers. Revenue grew from $142.90 million in 2021 to $417.79 million in 2024.
Sun King, founded in 2008, is an off-grid solar company designing and distributing solar kits and appliances to off-grid households and small businesses. In 2025, the company opened its first large-scale manufacturing plant in Nairobi and reported delivering over 330,000 solar kits across Africa monthly. In Nigeria, it launched a pay-as-you-go (PayGo) instalment payment model for smartphones, extending the model it applied to solar home systems. Revenue grew from $183.97 million in 2021 to $370.44 million in 2024.
Turaco is a Kenyan insurtech company founded in 2018 providing affordable health and life insurance to low-income individuals. In 2022, it secured a $10 million Series A equity round to provide users with less than $2 premiums. In 2025, Turaco partnered with M-KOPA to embed microinsurance into the asset financing platform’s smartphone offerings. Revenue grew from $1.47 million in 2021 to $7.46 million in 2024.
Egypt (2 Companies)
Thndr topped the FT 2026 rankings, making it Egypt’s first time leading the list. Founded in 2020, Thndr is a digital investment platform offering financial products including stocks, gold, mutual funds, and savings, along with educational tools and flexible funding options for individuals. In 2025, the company noted it accounted for 82% of new investors on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) and had 11% of Egypt’s total retail market share by trading volume. Revenue grew from $0.12 million in 2021 to $8.02 million in 2024.
Mylerz is a last-mile delivery and fulfilment innovation company founded in 2019 by Samer Gharaibeh. The company currently operates in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria and plans to expand into East and West Africa. In 2022, Mylerz closed a $9.6 million funding round led by Lorax Capital Partners to scale operations in Egypt and North Africa. Revenue grew from $2.59 million in 2021 to $10.94 million in 2024.
Ghana (1 Company)
Regulus is a fintech platform enabling cross-border payment, investment access, and foreign exchange brokerage across emerging markets. Founded in November 2019, Regulus operates across Ghana, Nigeria, and Mauritius through regulated entities and partnerships and is developing a crowdfunding platform for capital formation. Revenue grew from $0.23 million in 2021 to $2.34 million in 2024.
Uganda (2 Companies)
Numida, founded by Mina Shahid, Catherine Denis, and Ben Best in 2017, is a YC-backed digital lender offering unsecured business loans through a mobile app, enabling micro-businesses to access working capital. The company reported providing more than $20 million in working capital to 27,000 micro and small businesses. In 2022, it raised $12.3 million in an equity and debt funding round to consolidate its Uganda presence. Revenue grew from $0.65 million in 2021 to $6.37 million in 2024.
Agro Supply, founded in 2017 by Joseph Ogwal, operates a mobile savings platform enabling farmers to save and invest in seeds and equipment using a USSD code. This platform enables farmers to purchase agricultural inputs in small quantities when ready to plant. In 2023, it secured $100,000 of equity and an additional $100,000 venture-building support from Catalyst Fund. Revenue grew from $1.50 million in 2021 to $4.08 million in 2024.
Côte d’Ivoire (1 Company)
Lapaire, founded in 2018 by Jérôme Lapaire, provides stylish eyeglasses and uses technology to optimise customer acquisition, inventory, and supply chain management operations. In 2024, the eyewear startup raised $3 million to drive expansion across the continent. Revenue grew from $1.85 million in 2021 to $5.47 million in 2024.
Mauritius (1 Company)
Breedj, founded in 2021, is an AI-powered global talent marketplace helping companies hire, manage, and pay remote talent while enabling African professionals to access international opportunities. Breedj positions itself between freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr and enterprise employer of records (EOR) platforms such as Deel, Papaya, and Rippling to provide talent sourcing, compliance, and payroll. Revenue grew from $4.63 million in 2021 to $9.07 million in 2024.
Tunisia (1 Company)
MS Solutions, founded in 2013, provides end-to-end payment solutions for secure, seamless processing including initiation and settlement, enhancing transaction efficiency and security. The company serves multiple stakeholders including banks, fintechs, digital banks, and retailers. Revenue grew from $18.4 million in 2021 to $23.4 million in 2024.
