Africa’s Bank-Fintech M&A Wave: Banks Are Now Buying What They Couldn’t Build
UphivaBETAR
Two deals in the same week told the same story: Africa’s banks are buying fintechs they couldn’t build. The M&A window is open — and it’s flowing both ways.
Month: March 2026
493 posts
MTN War Chest Q2 2026: 90 Days In, the Acquisition Pipeline Has Changed
MTN entered Q2 2026 with a stated R10 billion war chest and a clear mandate to acquire. Ninety days in, the pipeline has shifted — from infrastructure to fintech, from announced to executed.
Africa’s Deep Tech Boom Is Built on a Fragile Research Foundation
Africa’s deep tech startups are building on a research base that is chronically underfunded and understaffed. BETAR maps the researcher pipeline gap and what it means for the continent’s long-term AI competitiveness.
South Africa JETP: America Exited, Germany Doubled Down, and the Money Is Still Not Moving
The US exited South Africa’s $8.5B JETP deal. Germany doubled its commitment. 18 months in, disbursement lags badly. BETAR examines what is actually stalling the money and whether the architecture can survive political upheaval.
Africa’s Student Financing Crisis: NSFAS, NELFUND, and KALF Are All Breaking Simultaneously
South Africa’s NSFAS is under administration. Nigeria’s NELFUND is untested. Kenya’s KALF is mid-transition. The scaffolding that was supposed to carry first-generation students into professional life is creaking simultaneously.
Ghana’s 5G Reset: How the NGIC Experiment Failed and What Comes Next
Ghana’s NGIC 5G exclusivity experiment collapsed under deployment failures and commercial disputes. BETAR maps what went wrong, what comes next, and who is best positioned in the reset auction.
Africa Has the Battery Minerals. Morocco Has the Gigafactory. Here Is the Gap.
Africa holds the majority of the world’s battery-critical minerals but does almost no battery manufacturing. Morocco’s Gotion gigafactory is the first serious attempt to close that gap — but the value chain challenge is more complex than it appears.
South Africa’s R688M Google Settlement: Africa’s First Enforceable Big Tech Payment to Media Publishers
South Africa’s MDPMI negotiated a R688M Google payment to local media publishers — the first legally enforceable Big Tech media compensation deal in Africa. BETAR examines the precedent it sets.
Persistent’s $52M First Close: The Africa Climate VC Fund Backing Founders Nobody Else Will
Persistent Energy Capital closed $52M for its Africa Climate Ventures fund — backing early-stage climate founders that larger VCs won’t touch. BETAR examines the thesis and the portfolio logic.
The $3.4 Trillion Construction Opportunity and the Architecture Economy Nobody Is Measuring
AfDB estimates a $3.4 trillion construction opportunity in Africa by 2050. Behind every square metre is a professional design economy — architectural fees, urban planning contracts — that is world-class in talent but underpriced in fees.
