Payola

Payola: Building Africa’s Digital Payment Future

The Problem:

• Africa’s economy runs on informal cash markets, especially at cross-border trade points:

• Cash dominates, creating inefficiencies and risks.

• Informal systems leave billions untracked.

• Western payment rails dominate international trade, reducing Africa’s financial independence.

Example: At the Kasumbalesa border (Lubumbashi, DRC – Zambia), it’s estimated that over $1 billion is traded informally every year. Without digital systems, this money flows outside the formal economy—untracked, untaxed, and unreliable.

Our Solution

Payola is a fintech platform designed for Africa’s realities. We digitize informal cash transactions, making payments secure, trackable, and accessible.

With Payola, communities gain:

 ✅ Secure digital alternatives to risky cash

 ✅ Access to formal financial systems & credit

 ✅ Inclusion in Africa’s digital economy

With Payola, businesses & investors gain:

 ✅ Access to Africa’s fastest-growing fintech market

 ✅ Visibility into trade flows previously invisible

 ✅ A scalable infrastructure to capture billions in untapped value

Border Trade: The “Gold” of Data

By digitizing cross-border trade flows like Kasumbalesa, Payola unlocks:

• Massive transaction volumes that move daily across African borders.

• Real-time data on trade patterns, helping businesses, governments, and investors understand the true economic activity of the continent.

• A foundation for credit systems, lending, and trade finance based on reliable transaction history.

• This data is gold—it fuels not only Payola’s growth but also Africa’s economic visibility.

Proven Model, African Focus

• Like PayPal, Stripe, or Alipay, Payola builds a trusted payments ecosystem.

• Unlike them, we’re built for Africa’s informal + cash-driven markets.

• Mobile-first, offline-capable, and cross-border ready.

Aligned With Africa’s Future

• Payola supports the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA:

• Building a Pan-African payment system that reduces dependency on the West.

• Driving financial inclusion for millions left out of the banking system.

• Digitizing trade to unlock Africa’s real economic power.

Market Opportunity

• Africa’s fintech sector is the fastest-growing in the world.

• Over $1 trillion moves across Africa’s informal economy annually.

• The Kasumbalesa border is just one of hundreds of such points across the continent.

• Digital payments in Africa projected to exceed $150B+ by 2025.

Traction & Model

• Early pilots with merchants and local trading groups.

• Hybrid model: cash-in/out agents + digital wallets.

• Roadmap includes peer-to-peer, business payments, and cross-border transactions.

The Ask

• We are raising Seed Capital to:

• Scale our infrastructure across borders like Kasumbalesa.

• Partner with banks, telcos, and governments to integrate with trade systems.

• Build data intelligence tools for real-time economic insights.

• Position Payola as the backbone of Africa’s independent financial ecosystem.

Join Us

Payola is not just a fintech—it’s Africa’s chance at economic independence.

 By digitizing informal trade flows worth billions, we turn hidden cash into visible value, and data into gold for Africa’s growth.