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NALA

Category: AI in Fintech

A fintech company building a cross-border payments platform, often dubbed the 'Revolut for Africa', for both consumer remittances and B2B transactions. NALA was founded in 2018. The company is led by Benjamin Fernandes. Based in London, England. Team size: 51-200. Total funding raised: $50.1M. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include Y Combinator, Accel, Amplo, Acrew Capital, DST Global Partners, Norrsken22.

Founded
2018
Headquarters
London, England
Team size
51-200
Total funding
$50.1M

Value proposition

To provide fast, secure, reliable, and low-cost payment services for individuals and businesses, including the unique capability for users to make transactions without an internet connection.

Products and solutions

NALA App: A mobile application for international money transfers and payments., Rafiki: A B2B payment platform designed to facilitate business payments to Africa.

Unique value

NALA's key differentiator is its ability to facilitate mobile money transactions offline, without an internet connection, addressing a major infrastructure challenge in many African markets. They are also building their own payment rails to improve reliability and reduce costs.

Target customer

Individuals from the African diaspora in the UK, US, and EU sending money to Africa and Asia, as well as businesses making payments to the continent.

Industries served

Financial Services, Fintech, Remittance

Technology advantage

By building its own payment infrastructure (Rafiki), NALA reduces its reliance on third-party aggregators, leading to more reliable payouts, lower user charges, and better scalability. The offline capability provides a significant advantage in reaching users with limited internet access.

How they differentiate

NALA differentiates itself by prioritizing rate transparency, even displaying competitors' rates to users. They have also focused on creating a hassle-free, offline mobile money payment platform, which is a significant advantage in regions with limited internet connectivity.

Main competitors

Chipper Cash, Flutterwave, Cellulant

Key partnerships

Pesapal, NCBA Bank

Notable customers

TransferGo

Major milestones

Secured a $40M Series A funding round in July 2024., Expanded its services to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana., Launched a B2B payments platform named Rafiki., Obtained a payment systems license from the Bank of Tanzania in March 2023., Became the first African startup to integrate Google Pay for payments from the US and UK to Africa., Featured in the Forbes Fintech 50 list.

Growth metrics

Over the past year, NALA has seen a tenfold increase in revenue and a 34x growth in transaction volume. The company has also reached profitability and is cash flow positive.

Market positioning

NALA is positioning itself as the 'Revolut for Africa,' aiming to provide a comprehensive suite of financial services for the African diaspora. They are not just a remittance company but are building a broad financial platform.

Geographic focus

NALA's primary geographic focus is on facilitating payments to Africa from the UK, US, and EU. They have a strong presence in several African countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana, and are expanding into Asia.

Patents and IP

Information on patents or specific IP is not publicly available.

About Benjamin Fernandes

Founder & CEO at NALA, previously worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The World Bank. He was also a National TV Host in Tanzania and holds an MBA from Stanford.

Official website: