Nigerian fintech companies- Opay, Moniepoint and PiggyVest- earned places on the prestigious CNBC-Statista Global Top 250 Fintech Companies of 2025 list. Joining them are other African innovators like PalmPay, M-KOPA, Interswitch, Fawry (Egypt), PayMob (Egypt) and Yoco (South Africa). In total, nine African fintechs made the elite list, signalling the continent’s emergence on the global fintech stage.
How Nigeria Leads Africa’s Fintech Wave
Nigeria continues to dominate African fintech. The country accounts for 28% of continental fintech firms and 36% of fintech funding from 2020 through mid-2024, with over 430 active startups as of February 2025. Among the Nigerian champions, Moniepoint became a unicorn in October 2024, processing over $22 billion in payment volume monthly for 10 million users. It recently secured $110 million in Series C funding from Google’s Africa Investment Fund.
Opay operates in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, handling payments, lending and insurance with a $2.75 billion valuation backed by SoftBank and Sequoia.
PiggyVest shines in the wealth technology segment as the only African standout, managing ₦2.6 trillion in customer savings in H1 2025 and approaching seven million users.
What This Means For The Global Fintech Space
CNBC and Statista selected 250 winners out of over 2,000 eligible fintechs worldwide based on KPIs ranging from transaction volume to innovation and growth. These nine African companies earned recognition not just for scale but also for their smart solutions tailored to local needs while scaling across borders and verticals.
Inclusion in the list sends a clear message: African fintechs now compete with global leaders in payments, neobanking, wealth tech and asset financing.
Nigeria’s Ecosystem: Growth And Impact
Nigeria’s vibrant fintech scene reflects a broader shift. With strong regulation by the Central Bank and growing investor interest, the country now hosts more fintechs than any other African nation. Standouts like Moniepoint, Opay and PiggyVest show that local solutions can scaleup and win global trust.
Moniepoint even gained recognition on TIME’s 2025 Most Influential Companies list, highlighting its major impact.
These recognitions are wore than awards. Fintechs like PiggyVest, Opay and Moniepoint now enter discussions around capital markets, IPO readiness and cross-border expansion.
Investors and VCs will likely pay more attention to African ventures achieving global benchmarks. We may soon see more unicorns, deeper tech solutions and broader market penetration across Africa and globally.
Conclusion
OPay, Moniepoint, PiggyVest and six other African fintechs earned spots in the CNBC-Statista Global Top 250 Fintechs of 2025, highlighting Africa’s rise in global fintech innovation. Backed by strong transactions, user growth and tech-first models, these firms position the continent as a serious player in shaping digital finance.
This recognition cements Africa’s statusbut it also challenges fintechs to continue scaling, innovating and breaking new ground in global markets.
