Global digital payments Visa is calling on fintech innovators across Africa to apply for Cohort 6 of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator. Applications are currently open, with a strict deadline set for 17 May 2026.
The launch of the new cohort follows the successful Cohort 5 Demo Day, recently held during the GITEX Africa tech event in Marrakech, Morocco. The demo day shone a spotlight on 18 high-growth fintech startups hailing from 10 different African countries. According to Visa, the latest cohort reflects the dynamism and diversity of Africa’s fintech sector, with participating startups building solutions that address a wide range of commerce and financial services needs across 28 distinct markets.
A major milestone for African fintech
Alongside the new cohort announcement, Visa revealed that the accelerator program has now officially supported 104 startups across its first five cohorts. Notably, these participating companies represent a combined valuation of $1.4billion.
Through an intensive three-month program, fintech founders receive tailored mentorship, strategic guidance, commercial engagement opportunities, and crucial access to Visa’s extensive global network. This support is designed to help businesses rapidly scale, strengthen their core product offerings, and unlock new growth pathways.
Deepening ecosystem collaboration
Beyond initial startup acceleration, the program places a heavy emphasis on fostering meaningful, long-term collaboration between alumni, strategic partners, and Visa itself. Providing access to new business opportunities and scalable support has already yielded several major partnerships among the accelerator’s alumni network:
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Zazu (Cohort 4) and Chari (Cohort 1) are actively collaborating in Morocco to support a new neobank offering for SMEs, utilizing Chari’s Visa-enabled issuance capabilities.
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Credable (Cohort 3), a fintech infrastructure business currently live in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, and Zambia, is partnering with Visa partner Onafriq to develop innovative digital credit propositions powered by the Visa Flexible Credential.
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Kredete (Cohort 3) has launched a stablecoin-linked card across select African markets and is now targeting broader expansion into the GCC (including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman) following positive early traction.
Godfrey Sullivan, head of product and solutions for CEMEA at Visa -
MoneyHash (Cohort 3) has signed a multi-year partnership to enable Visa’s Cybersource across its platform, supporting payment acceptance and broader commerce enablement for merchants throughout the MENA region.
The power of partnership
Godfrey Sullivan, senior vice president and head of product and solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa, emphasized the critical importance of these growing networks.
“What makes Africa’s fintech story so powerful is the growing spirit of partnership across founders, enablers, and industry leaders,” Sullivan stated. “As the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator surpasses 100 startups supported, we are seeing firsthand how collaboration can help drive scale, expand financial access, and shape the future of digital commerce across the continent.”
