African payments company, NALA has secured up to US$50 million in non-dilutive credit financing to accelerate its international expansion, deepen product development and support the launch of its next-generation neobank platform.
The financing facility comes from Liquidity, a global private credit and technology investment firm, through Mars Growth Capital, a joint venture between Liquidity and Japan’s MUFG Bank Ltd. The agreement provides an initial US$25 million facility with an option to scale the funding to at least US$50 million as the company grows.
The latest financing marks a significant milestone for NALA as it seeks to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive global remittance and payments market while expanding its stablecoin-powered financial infrastructure.
Founded by Tanzanian entrepreneur Benjamin Fernandes, NALA has emerged as one of Africa’s fastest-growing fintech companies by providing cross-border payment services that connect African diaspora communities with families and businesses across the continent.
What You Need to Know
The company’s money transfer platform allows customers in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States to send money to several African markets including Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana.
As demand for affordable and reliable remittance services continues to rise, NALA has focused on reducing transfer costs and improving transaction speeds through technology-driven payment infrastructure.
The company expanded significantly in 2023 when it launched operations across the European Union, adding 19 new sending markets and broadening its reach among African communities living abroad. The expansion strengthened NALA’s ambition of creating a seamless financial bridge between Africans on the continent and those living overseas.
The latest debt financing follows a successful US$40 million funding round secured by the company last year, highlighting growing investor confidence in its long-term strategy and business model.
Stablecoins at the Centre of Growth Strategy
A key part of NALA’s expansion strategy is the development of a global payments infrastructure powered by stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value by being linked to traditional assets such as the US dollar.
The company believes stablecoin technology can significantly improve the efficiency of international payments by reducing settlement times and lowering transaction costs compared with traditional banking systems.
The newly secured funding will provide additional working capital needed to pre-fund customer accounts, a critical requirement for processing cross-border transactions quickly and efficiently. It will also support the development of NALA’s planned neobank offering, which aims to provide customers with a broader suite of financial services beyond remittances.
“The financing from Liquidity validates our vision of building the definitive stablecoin payments infrastructure for the long term.” Liquidity came in quickly and was highly flexible, so their tailored capital is a lifeline for us. It provides the cash required for NALA to pre-fund customer accounts and unlock our next phase of growth,” said Benjamin Fernandes, founder and CEO of NALA.
Growing Interest in African Fintech
NALA’s latest financing deal comes amid increasing global interest in African fintech companies, particularly those addressing cross-border payments, financial inclusion and remittance challenges.
Africa remains one of the world’s largest remittance destinations, with billions of dollars flowing into the continent annually from citizens living abroad. However, high transaction fees and inefficient payment systems continue to pose challenges for consumers and businesses.
Fintech companies are increasingly leveraging digital infrastructure, blockchain technology and stablecoins to modernise these payment corridors and create faster, more affordable alternatives to traditional money transfer channels.
Industry analysts say the sector’s growth potential has attracted a mix of venture capital investors, private equity firms and alternative credit providers looking to back high-growth technology companies across emerging markets.
Liquidity Backs Scalable Growth Model
For Liquidity, the deal reflects confidence in NALA’s operational model and long-term prospects within the global payments ecosystem.
“We conducted extensive bottom-up due diligence on NALA, stress-testing the model across a range of scenarios and created a bespoke, highly scalable facility that matches the sophistication of NALA’s operations,” Paul Brodie, global head of investments at Liquidity, said.
With fresh capital now available and demand for international payment solutions continuing to grow, NALA is positioning itself for its next phase of expansion.
The company is betting that a combination of stablecoin infrastructure, global reach and digital banking services will enable it to capture a larger share of the cross-border payments market while serving the growing financial needs of African consumers worldwide.
Talking Points
NALA’s latest financing is significant because it provides growth capital without diluting existing shareholders, allowing the company to scale aggressively while maintaining control of its long-term vision.
The funding also highlights growing investor confidence in stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure. While stablecoins have often been associated with cryptocurrency speculation, NALA is demonstrating a practical use case focused on faster and more efficient cross-border transactions.
At Techparley, we see this as another signal that the future of African fintech is moving beyond simple payment processing towards building comprehensive financial ecosystems. Companies that can combine payments, banking services and global money movement into a seamless experience are likely to define the next phase of the industry.
The planned development of a neobank positions NALA to capture more value across the financial services chain rather than remaining solely a remittance provider. This could create new opportunities for Africans living abroad and those on the continent who require accessible and affordable financial services.
However, execution will be critical. Scaling a stablecoin-powered infrastructure across multiple regulatory jurisdictions comes with compliance, operational and liquidity challenges that many fintech companies have struggled to navigate successfully.
As NALA expands globally, its ability to maintain reliability, manage regulatory requirements and continue delivering low-cost transfers will determine whether it can transform from a fast-growing remittance company into a truly global African financial institution.
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