Mark Mwaniki | Your Money Shouldn’t Have to Travel via New York to Reach Kampala

The first half of 2026 has made one thing clear: African fintech has entered its consolidation era.

The acquisition of Mono by Flutterwave, alongside other strategic deals across the continent, signals a decisive shift from companies building standalone payment products to creating integrated financial ecosystems. Open banking, payments, identity, credit and treasury are increasingly converging into unified platforms.

For enterprise businesses operating across Africa, this is undoubtedly an important development. Larger platforms promise greater convenience through a single provider.

But for CFOs and corporate treasurers managing complex cross-border operations, the question remains unchanged:

Can this platform move money across multiple markets quickly, compliantly and reliably?

Because, when you’re responsible for payroll across five countries, supplier settlements in multiple currencies or managing foreign exchange exposure, breadth of products matter far less than certainty of execution.

That is where the conversation shifts.

The future of African payments is undoubtedly becoming more integrated and that is a positive development for the continent’s financial ecosystem. New banking licences, open banking capabilities and broader product suites will expand what businesses can access through a single platform.

Yet, infrastructure announcements and the daily realities of corporate treasury are not always the same thing.

The immediate challenge is whether money arrives where it needs to be, when it needs to be, at the rate that was quoted and in full compliance with the regulations governing every market involved.

For enterprises, this is precisely where differentiation will occur. The winners will not necessarily be those with the broadest product suites, but those that can consistently deliver certainty in cross-border treasury and payments. That is the challenge Verto has chosen to solve.

Cross-border treasury is fundamentally different from payments.

It requires deep regulatory expertise across multiple jurisdictions, sophisticated liquidity management, resilient banking relationships and settlement infrastructure purpose-built for high-value, multi-market transactions. It also requires understanding the operational realities that finance teams face every day: navigating changing regulations, managing foreign exchange exposure, maintaining liquidity across markets and ensuring suppliers, partners and employees are paid accurately and on time.

This is why enterprises increasingly evaluate payment partners differently from consumers or merchants. Convenience matters, but confidence and reliability matters more.

Today, a company like Verto supports businesses processing more than US$25 billion in annual payment volume across emerging markets. Our regulatory footprint spans Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, enabling businesses to access cross-border treasury infrastructure designed specifically for enterprise operations rather than adapted from consumer payment models.

This distinction becomes even more significant as East Africa continues to strengthen its position as one of Africa’s fastest-growing trade corridors. Kenya, in particular, is emerging as a regional financial gateway, connecting businesses to markets across the continent and beyond. As regional commerce expands, enterprises require infrastructure that combines local regulatory understanding with truly global settlement capability.

The future of African fintech will not just be based on who offers the most products. Instead, it will be defined by who enables businesses to move capital with the greatest confidence.

Can funds move where they need to go, when they need to get there, with complete transparency, regulatory certainty and minimal operational friction?

Those are the questions that matter in every boardroom.

And they are the questions that continue to shape how Verto builds the future of enterprise cross-border treasury.

Mark Mwaniki is the Country Director for Kenya at Verto.

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