We have prepared context and insights about this week’s leading news. The stories are:
- dLocal to acquire AZA Finance in $150 million deal
- Fincra bags Tanzanian licence as it expands East African presence
- South Africa seizes Starlink kits
dLocal to acquire AZA Finance in $150 million deal
dLocal is making its biggest play outside Latin America, and it’s going hard on Africa.
The Uruguay-based payments giant is acquiring AZA Finance for around $150 million, just months after they started working together. Pending regulatory approval, the deal gives dLocal serious muscle in cross-border payments, stablecoin coverage, and FX liquidity, thanks to AZA’s deep treasury operations and a team that’s been trading across African markets for over a decade.
AZA brings the local know-how dLocal needs to scale up fast in key markets like Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, where crypto-powered remittances are booming.
Zoom out: This is dLocal’s largest deal since it acquired PrimeiroPay in 2021, and its first major move outside Latin America. Africa already accounts for 20% of dLocal’s business, and 9 of its top 10 clients are active on the continent.
The acquisition also adds to a wave of fintech M&A across the continent. In January, Nigerian fintech LemFi acquired Irish currency exchange Bureau Buttercrane, while South Africa’s Stitch purchased payments provider ExiPay.
Fincra bags Tanzanian licence as it expands East African presence
Following its licensing in Nigeria and South Africa, Fincra just added Tanzania to its growing African map. The pan-African payments infrastructure startup has secured a Payment System Provider licence from the Bank of Tanzania, enabling it to offer compliant, cross-border payment services to businesses operating in East Africa.
It’s part of a bigger play. Fincra has quietly been acquiring licenses across Africa—from Nigeria (International Money Transfer Operator and Payment Service Solution Provider) to South Africa (Third Party Payments Provider)—and Tanzania is its latest destination.
Tanzania makes sense, too. With over 37 million mobile money users and reforms aimed at modernising payment systems, it’s shaping up to be East Africa’s fintech playground. The Bank of Tanzania reports that mobile transactions increased by 26.7% in 2024 alone.
Read Ben and Justina’s explanation of Fincra’s licence
South Africa seizes Starlink kits
In the latest episode of this South Africa/ Starlink blockbuster. The country’s telecoms regulator, ICASA, has begun seizing Starlink kits from local resellers as part of a crackdown on unauthorised use. The move targets companies that reportedly sourced kits from Mozambique and sold them to users seeking to evade South Africa’s red tape.
Critics argue the crackdown widens the digital divide instead of closing it. In response, South Africa’s Communications Ministry is now considering reforms to accommodate foreign operators like Starlink, without contravening the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rules. Minister Solly Malatsi insists this isn’t Musk-specific love. “No special treatment,” he says—just a broader rethink of how to attract investment and keep transformation goals intact.
Meanwhile, Starlink has started cutting off roaming users in South Africa, telling them to either cancel or connect from an authorised country.
By the Numbers
6%
Africa’s smartphone shipments rose 6% YoY in Q1 2025 to 19.4M units, per Canalys (now part of Omdia). Egypt led with 34% growth, followed by South Africa with 14%, while Nigeria’s market shrank by 7% and Kenya’s edged up by 1%.
