South African Fintech Startups To Observe In 2025

South Africa’s fintech home is doubtless one of the vital developed in Africa. It makes up nearly 40% of the continent’s full fintech earnings. In 2023, Disrupt Africa counted over 140 fintech startups inside the nation. Spherical 30% South Africa’s fintech startups give consideration to funds and money transfers, exhibiting merely how so much demand there’s for fast, easy strategies to maneuver money.

Big names like TymeBank, Paymenow, Omniscient, Sew, and Yoco, amongst others, are already on world watchlists. Nonetheless previous the huge avid gamers, just a few of essentially the most attention-grabbing strikes in South Africa’s fintech home correct now are often not chasing billion-dollar valuations merely however. 

On this curated itemizing, 4 fintech startups stood out not just for their funding nonetheless for the markets they serve: schools, journey, informal retailers, and small firms all through South Africa. This generally is a spotlight on startups tackling a specific price ache stage, worth sustaining a tally of in 2025.

Tata-iMali

Tata-iMali is setting up a low-cost blockchain pockets and point-of-sale system for South African retailers, much like spaza retailers, avenue retailers, and small firms that uncover standard card machines too pricey or troublesome. Tata-iMali platform operates using ZARP, a Rand-backed stablecoin, which permits on the spot price settlement. 

Based mostly in 2023 by Gregory Andrews (CEO) and Donel Chihoma, Tata-iMali has already caught the attention of world and native backers. Tata-iMali’s full fundraising of about $200,000 (R3.61million) was completed in July 2025, with Stefan Thomas (former CTO of Ripple) making up the vast majority of the spherical with $150,000 (R2.69 million).

TurnStay

TurnStay, a journey fintech, helps African resorts, guesthouses, and journey firms receives a fee, notably by worldwide prospects. It saves these firms money by lowering price and reserving expenses, and lets prospects pay using acquainted methods of their residence overseas cash. TurnStay moreover helps cut back failed funds and can get journey firms additional direct bookings, in order that they don’t lose earnings to extreme expenses from world reserving web sites. 

Based mostly in 2021 by Alon Stern (beforehand co-founder of Slide Financial) and James Hedley (co-founder of Quicket), Turnstay claims it shrinks the worth of worldwide funds by as a lot as 70% for journey firms

The platform has processed over R50 million (about $2.7 million) in transaction price since inception. In August 2025, it raised $2 million (R34 million) in a seed spherical led by First Circle Capital, with participation from primary US and African VCs along with  TLCom Capital, Enza Capital, Incisive Ventures, CVVC, and Equitable Ventures. 

Sticitt

Sticitt, a cashless funds and financial literacy platform, helps schools and completely different organisations, like golf gear or scholar our our bodies, to acquire and deal with funds. Sticitt provides a simple app and system that allows dad and mother, learners, or members to pay for points like college expenses, uniforms, or events on-line or by means of card. It moreover helps schools observe who has paid, ship reminders, and keep clear info, making financial administration so much simpler and safer for everyone involved.

Based mostly in 2018 by Dennis Wevell, Mitch Dart, and Theo Kitshoff, Sticitt is dwell in 841 schools and serves over 75,700 prospects, and has facilitated transactions exceeding ZAR 6.3 billion (over $340 million). In July 2025, it raised an undisclosed Sequence A spherical led by Knife Capital.

UsPlus

UsPlus helps small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) get quick entry to credit score rating. UsPlus offers firms cash up entrance by searching for their unpaid invoices or purchase orders.  As an alternative of prepared weeks or months for purchasers to pay, a enterprise can get most of that money immediately.

When an SME has completed work or delivered objects nonetheless hasn’t however been paid, UsPlus will “buy” that invoice at a discount (a course of often known as invoice discounting or factoring). The enterprise will get cash instantly, and UsPlus collects the associated fee from the distinctive purchaser when it’s due. This provides quick working capital to SMEs, allowing them to pay suppliers, workers, or spend cash on progress with out taking over a traditional monetary establishment mortgage. UsPlus moreover does this for purchase orders and contracts, not merely invoices

Based mostly in 2015 by Leonidas (Leon) Kirkinis, UsPlus has superior higher than $130 million (over R2.7 billion) to South African SMEs using this model, serving to over 700 firms and supporting lots of of jobs.

In January 2025, UsPlus secured $2 million (about R38 million) in funding from the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund. This funding was structured as junior convertible debentures and is supposed to extend UsPlus’s working capital choices for SMEs all through South Africa.

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