Three African Fintech Companies Make the Forbes Fintech 50 List

Three African-linked fintech companies; Esusu, NALA and Tala, have been named on the prestigious Forbes Fintech 50 list for 2026. The Forbes Fintech 50 recognises the most innovative private fintech companies in the world. It highlights firms transforming digital payments, remittances, lending, embedded finance, and financial inclusion.

Esusu was co-founded by Nigerian-American entrepreneur Abbey Wemimo. The company was built around a straightforward observation: millions of tenants pay rent on time every month, yet those payments rarely count towards their credit scores.

In the United States, credit scores determine access to mortgages, car finance and affordable loans. Without a credit history, people are effectively locked out of the financial system.

Esusu created a platform that reports on-time rent payments to major credit bureaus. That simple shift allowed renters to build credit without taking on additional debt.

Over the years, Esusu scaled rapidly by partnering directly with property managers rather than relying solely on individual customers. That distribution strategy enabled it to integrate into thousands of residential buildings across the country.

Today, Esusu serves more than 2.5 million renters. It has helped generate billions of dollars’ worth of rental data reporting and has contributed to measurable increases in users’ credit scores. The company has raised over $130 million in venture funding and reached a valuation above $1 billion, making it a unicorn.

Those figures translate into tangible outcomes. A higher credit score can mean lower interest rates, approval for a first mortgage or access to affordable financing. For millions of renters, Esusu has converted routine monthly payments into long-term financial leverage.

Forbes evaluates companies based on growth, scale and impact. Serving millions while maintaining investor confidence and sustained expansion positioned Esusu strongly for the Fintech 50 list.

NALA was founded by Tanzanian entrepreneur Benjamin Fernandes. It began as a local payments application in Tanzania, aiming to simplify domestic transactions. However, the company soon recognised a larger opportunity in cross-border remittances.

Remittances into African countries total tens of billions of pounds annually. Yet sending money home is often expensive, with transaction fees cutting into the funds families rely on.

NALA pivoted towards international money transfers, focusing on diaspora corridors such as the United Kingdom and the United States. The company built infrastructure that allowed users to send money digitally with greater transparency and lower fees.

That pivot proved decisive because NALA now serves over 500,000 customers globally and processes hundreds of millions of dollars in annual transaction volume. It has raised more than $50 million in funding and, notably, has reached profitability, an achievement not all fintech companies can claim.

What do those figures mean in practical terms? If a customer sends £300 per month and saves even a few percentage points in fees, that adds up to hundreds of pounds annually. Across hundreds of thousands of users, the cumulative economic effect becomes substantial.

Forbes looks for companies that combine growth with operational discipline. NALA’s expansion across borders, coupled with sustainable revenue generation, demonstrated precisely that.

Tala was founded by Shivani Siroya with a focus on expanding credit access in emerging markets. The company entered Kenya early, at a time when smartphone adoption was rising but formal banking access remained limited.

Traditional banks require collateral and formal credit histories. Many individuals in emerging markets have neither. Tala built alternative credit scoring models using mobile data and behavioural signals to assess risk.

That innovation allowed Tala to extend small loans quickly through a mobile application.

Since its launch, Tala has served more than 8 million customers across markets including Kenya, India, Mexico and the Philippines. It has disbursed over $4 billion in loans and raised more than $350 million in venture capital.

The scale is significant. Four billion dollars in loans represent millions of transactions supporting small traders, micro-entrepreneurs and households managing short-term financial gaps.

Of course, digital lending comes with risks. Sustainability depends on repayment rates and risk modelling accuracy. Tala’s ability to operate for years while expanding internationally suggests that its underwriting systems are robust.

Forbes considers longevity, capital efficiency and impact. Tala’s global footprint and loan volume reflect both scale and operational resilience.

To be selected for the Fintech 50, companies must demonstrate:

• Substantial revenue growth

• Strong customer adoption

• Market influence

• Clear competitive differentiation

• Sustainable financial models

Collectively, these three companies serve more than 11 million customers, have processed or disbursed billions in financial transactions, and have raised nearly half a billion dollars in capital combined.

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Behind every headline figure are real outcomes: a renter qualifying for a mortgage, a family receiving more of their remittance, a small trader securing working capital. That combination of scale, sustainability and social impact explains how these companies earned a place on the Forbes Fintech 50 list.