Visa Opens Applications for Africa Fintech Accelerator Cohort 6
Visa has opened applications for Cohort 6 of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator, inviting Africa-based fintech startups to apply before May 17, 2026. The announcement comes as the company continues to expand its startup support programme across the continent and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The new application window follows the Cohort 5 Demo Day, held during GITEX Africa in Marrakech, where 18 high-growth fintech startups from 10 African countries presented their progress after completing the accelerator’s three-month programme. According to Visa, the latest cohort underscores the growing momentum of fintech activity across 28 markets.
Since its launch, the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator has supported 104 startups across five cohorts. Visa said the programme’s combined reported valuation has reached US$1.4 billion, reflecting the scale of companies that have participated so far.
Programme Support and Regional Reach
The accelerator is designed to help early-stage and growth-stage fintech companies strengthen their products and expand commercially. Visa said participants benefit from mentorship, opportunities for commercial engagement, and access to its global network. These resources are intended to support product development and help startups scale more efficiently.
Visa also highlighted examples of collaboration emerging from earlier cohorts. In Morocco, Zazu, a Cohort 4 participant, is working with Chari, a Cohort 1 startup, on a neobank offering for small and medium-sized enterprises. The initiative is using issuance capabilities developed with Visa’s support.
Elsewhere, Credable from Cohort 3 is partnering with Onafriq to develop digital credit propositions using Visa Flexible Credential. The effort spans Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia. Kredete, also from Cohort 3, is expanding its stablecoin-linked card payments business and is currently live in Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger and Nigeria, with plans to expand into the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and additional African markets.
MoneyHash, another Cohort 3 company, has signed a multi-year partnership to enable Visa’s Cybersource across its platform, supporting payment acceptance for merchants across the MENA region.
Leadership Perspective
Commenting on the progress of the accelerator, Godfrey Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Head of Product and Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa, said the initiative reflects a broader trend of collaboration in Africa’s fintech ecosystem.
“What makes Africa’s fintech story so powerful is the growing spirit of partnership across founders, enablers, and industry leaders,” Sullivan said. “As the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator surpasses 100 startups supported, we are seeing how collaboration can help drive scale, expand financial access, and shape the future of digital commerce across the continent.”
Industry Analysis
The expansion of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator to a sixth cohort signals continued investor and ecosystem interest in African fintech innovation. By combining mentorship, technical support and commercial access, the programme is helping startups move beyond early development and into partnerships that can support regional expansion.
The reported cross-border activity among cohort participants also points to a maturing fintech landscape, where collaboration between startups, payment providers and infrastructure firms is becoming increasingly important. For the broader market, this suggests that future growth may depend not only on funding, but also on interoperability, strategic alliances and the ability to scale solutions across multiple countries.
Featured image credit: Visa press release
