‘Go Digital orCapsize’: The New Rule for African Finance
For years, “going digital” in African finance sounded like ambition. It meant launching an app. Attracting venture capital. Talking about disruption. In 2026, it means something simpler and far more structural: building for a market that is already digital. Across the continent, finance is no longer becoming digital. It already is. According to the GSMA State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over 70% of global mobile money transaction value. That statistic alone tells a bigger story: digital finance is no longer experimental. It is systemic. If you operate in this ecosystem, as a bank, fintech, investor, or founder, you are not building “digital products.” You are building financial infrastructure. And infrastructure cannot afford fragility. The M-Pesa Standard Africa has already shown the world…

