The rollout comes as many SMEs across markets face rising costs tied to payment hardware and service support.

By turning a smartphone into a payment terminal, the firm says it is cutting a long-standing cost burden that has shaped how merchants accept payments.

For years, access to card payments has depended on a physical POS device. Merchants have had to buy or lease terminals, manage repairs and replace units when faults occur.

These steps have slowed the adoption of digital payments among many SMEs that rely on cash to keep their daily trade running.

Nearpays says its model changes this path by allowing merchants to install an app and begin to accept tap payments through NFC on their phones.

Nearpays said the system uses Artificial Intelligence to manage transactions, monitor performance and generate records that support credit access.

The firm argues that removing hardware costs allows merchants to use funds for stock, wages and expansion rather than for devices. In markets where traders operate with thin margins, the shift could alter how merchants plan growth and manage risk.

“The ‘hardware tax’ has stifled growth for far too long,” said Victor Daniyan. “A fruit vendor in a local market or a freelance photographer shouldn’t have to choose between buying inventory and buying a payment machine. With Nearpays, the tool they already carry in their pocket, their smartphone, becomes their most powerful business asset.”

The system routes each payment through channels that show higher uptime, based on real-time data. The firm says this routing reduces failed payments, which often lead to lost sales and disputes.

The app also updates itself and flags issues before they disrupt service, a step that replaces repair visits linked to physical terminals.

Merchants can view each payment as it occurs and track daily inflows, a record that lenders often request before they issue credit.

Industry data shows that many SMEs run without formal payment records, a gap that limits access to loans.

Nearpays states that its ledger can close this gap by turning each tap into a stored entry. The firm believes this trail will help merchants build a history that banks and fintech lenders can review when they assess risk.

The rollout also has an effect on waste. Traditional terminals rely on paper receipts and produce scrap when units reach the end of life.

A phone-based system replaces paper with digital receipts and removes the cycle of device disposal. This shift aligns with moves by regulators and payment networks that seek lower waste across payment infrastructure.

As deployment expands, Nearpays says it will focus on onboarding traders across retail, services and delivery sectors.

The company plans partnerships with banks and payment schemes to widen acceptance and settle funds without delay. For many merchants, the change could mark a point where access to card payments no longer depends on owning a device, but on using the phone already in hand.

The post Nearpays Soft POS Removes Hardware Barriers, Cuts SME Costs appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

 In this interview, he shares how AI, mobile-first design, and deep local insight are powering scalable fintech and clean energy solutions and why Africa is poised to shape the future of global innovation.

How does AI improve transaction speed, security, and reliability on Nearpays?

AI is a game-changer for us in boosting transaction speed, security, and reliability. On speed, AI-driven predictive analytics help us optimize transaction routing, reducing processing times and making payments near-instant for our users. For security, AI-powered fraud detection kicks in big time – we’re talking real-time risk assessment, anomaly detection, and stopping suspicious transactions before they happen.

This means our users transact with confidence, knowing their money is safer.

On reliability, AI helps us anticipate and prevent downtime. Our systems learn from transaction patterns, flagging potential issues before they impact users.

This translates to higher uptime and smoother experiences for our 60,000+ SME users. Plus, AI-driven insights help us enhance our softPOS platform, making it more intuitive and adaptive to merchants’ needs. Bottom line: AI isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s core to how we deliver fast, secure, reliable payments

What technical challenges come with running payments purely on smartphones?

Running payments purely on smartphones throws up challenges like ensuring robust security on diverse devices, managing connectivity in areas with spotty networks, and optimizing for low-end phones common in our markets.

Then there’s balancing simplicity with feature-richness – our users range from tech-savvy merchants to first-time digital adopters. We tackle these by baking in layers of security like biometric auth and tokenization, building offline capabilities, and keeping our UI super intuitive. It’s about making payments work seamlessly, no matter the phone.

How do Nearpays and Yourrider share technology or data insights?

Our companies share a symbiotic tech relationship that drives efficiency and innovation. We leverage Nearpays’ payment infrastructure to power transactions for Yourrider’s logistics and delivery services – think merchants processing payments via softPOS and riders getting paid seamlessly for deliveries.

This integration boosts cash flow for riders and offers Nearpays deeper insights into merchant needs.

Data insights flow both ways. Yourrider’s logistics data helps Nearpays tailor financial products for SMEs in specific industries, like offering instant payouts to merchants based on delivery success rates.

It’s a win-win: Yourrider optimizes logistics with payment data, and Nearpays enhances financial services with rider and merchant insights.

In what ways can payment technology solve logistics and mobility problems?

Payment tech can revolutionize logistics and mobility by making transactions seamless, instant, and data-driven. In logistics, digital payments enable frictionless payouts to drivers/riders, automate invoice settlements, and track transactions in real-time.

This boosts cash flow, reduces admin hassles, and optimizes route planning with payment-linked data insights.

For mobility, integrating payments into transport apps (like tolls, parking, or ride-hailing) creates one-tap experiences for users and operators.

In Africa’s emerging markets, mobile-centric payment solutions help logistics players scale efficiently, manage risks, and expand services. By embedding payments into the journey, we unlock efficiency gains across the mobility ecosystem.

How do you design systems that work in low-connectivity environments?

For low connectivity environments, we’re building design systems that prioritize offline-first capabilities – think transactions that work offline and sync seamlessly when connection returns. We’re leveraging local data caching, PWA tech, and optimizing UIs to work with intermittent internet.

The goal? Payments happen smoothly whether you’re in Lagos traffic or rural Nigeria. We’re also testing mesh networks and SMS fallbacks to keep things moving.

What does scaling across African markets demand from your tech stack?

Scaling across African markets demands extreme agility and local relevance. We’ve built a flexible tech stack that adapts to diverse regulatory landscapes, payment preferences (mobile money, cards, bank transfers), and connectivity realities. Our softPOS is a hit because it works on basic smartphones – meeting users where they are.

To scale, we’re doubling down on local partnerships, hiring local experts, and iterating products with country-specific feedback loops. It’s about solving payments in ways that click locally, whether in Nairobi, Lagos, or Dakar.

How do you think about cybersecurity as adoption grows?

Cybersecurity is top-of-mind as we scale. With growth comes increased risk, so we’re doubling down on layered defenses – think AI-driven fraud detection, biometric auth, and tokenization for sensitive data.

Our partnership with Cybersource is a big boost; their global expertise in payment security complements our local know-how. Together, we’re baking in robust security as we expand, protecting our users and their transactions. It’s about building trust, fast.

What role can African startups play in the global fintech ecosystem?

I firmly believe African startups can absolutely play in the global fintech ecosystem – and we’re proving it. With tech talent, innovative solutions, and a huge underserved market, African fintechs bring unique value. Our softPOS tech, for instance, solves real problems for merchants here and has potential elsewhere. The key is solving local challenges exceptionally well, then scaling smartly.

Global partnerships are a big enabler. Collaborations with international players like Cybersource give us access to tech, expertise, and networks. But it’s not just about plugging into the global ecosystem – African fintechs need to lead with solutions that work locally, then expand. With the right blend of innovation, partnerships, and execution, African startups can go big globally.

How do you see Africa’s fintech market evolving over the next decade?

I see Africa’s fintech market evolving explosively over the next decade, driven by mobile penetration, regulatory maturity, and innovative solutions. We’ll see massive growth in digital payments, Buy Now Pay Later services, and embedded finance – think payments integrated into everyday apps and platforms. The rise of super-apps and decentralised finance (DeFi) will further accelerate financial inclusion.

Regulatory clarity will boost cross-border payments, stablecoin adoption, and partnerships between telcos, banks, and fintechs. AI-driven credit scoring will unlock financial inclusion for millions. Sustainability and compliance will become key differentiators. Africa’s fintechs will lead globally, exporting solutions and attracting international investment. It’s an exciting time.

The post Victor Daniyan Speaks on Building Africa-First Smart Payments with AI and Mobile-First Design appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

But with a soft POS, mobility gets a whole lot easier. This solution turns your phone into a powerful payment tool, letting you accept tap-to-pay transactions instantly wherever you are,  whether you’re navigating crowded markets, setting up at outdoor events, or selling door-to-door in remote areas.

The beauty of it is flexibility, no need for a fixed location or clanky hardware. You move, you sell. In a bustling market like Ajegunle or at a tech conference in Lagos, payments happen on your terms.

Even if network drops momentarily, transactions queue up securely and sync when you’re back online.

Imagine focusing on closing deals at an open-air expo in Calabar while payments flow seamlessly through your phone. No queues, no fuss.

Customers love the quick, card-based payments, and you keep growing your business without missing a beat.

Small businesses in Nigeria’s dynamic neighborhoods thrive when they can move fast, and a soft POS keeps you moving.

From food vendors in Port Harcourt to fashion sellers in Abuja, accepting payments is now as mobile as you are. Offline or online, it works.

This shift to mobile payments isn’t just convenient, it’s a growth lever. More sales happen when customers can pay with a tap, and you can manage everything from your phone. Real-time updates mean you stay on top of business without being tied to a desk.

In Nigeria’s vibrant markets or quieter towns, a soft POS keeps you agile and connected – and that’s where business happens nowadays.

Victor Daniyan is the founder and CEO of Nearpays and Yourrider, two startups transforming fintech and clean energy in Africa. A Certified Management Consultant and Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee for 2024, he is recognized as one of Africa’s bold voices in payment innovation and sustainable energy.

The post Sell Anywhere, Anytime with Soft POS appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

By every global statistic, the continent is digitally switched on. But then, over 70% of its small businesses still cannot access proper finance or usable digital tools. 

We can stream, scan, tap, and swipe, but millions of founders still cannot fund growth or scale operations. That contradiction defines this moment.

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for about 95% of African businesses, generate roughly 40% of GDP, and employ over half of the workforce. The mobile sector alone already contributes more than $140 billion to sub-Saharan Africa’s economy. 

Add to this a population where over 60% are under the age of 25, and the picture becomes clear. Demand is not the problem. Infrastructure is not the problem. Leadership is the differentiator.

2026 is the year where surface-level innovation gives way to execution. The first wave of technology built rails, wallets, and connectivity. The next wave must bring credit that works, platforms that hold up under pressure, products people trust, and systems that serve the informal and formal economy equally. This work is quieter, slower, and far more difficult.

The people featured in this list are operating inside that gap. They are not reacting to growth but are organising it. Across finance, platforms, design, security, public systems, and digital services, these leaders are standing to enhance how Africa’s technology actually functions, not just how it is marketed.

These are the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026, because while the continent is busy counting connections, they are building results. 

In no particular order, they include:

1. Adeshina Adewumi

If Africa’s next chapter of growth will still be driven by small businesses, then the people in the background, fixing access to money deserve close attention. Adeshina Adewumi is one of them. 

We see his work as infrastructure in motion. After more than a decade across banking, asset management, and digital ventures, he now operates at the point where policy goal meets street-level execution. 

His experience at institutions like Stanbic IBTC gave him structure. His ventures gave him speed. The result is a founder who understands both the limits of traditional finance and the urgency of replacing it with something that actually works for SMEs.

At Trade Lenda, Adewumi is not just building a fintech product; he is building trust at scale. A community of over 260,000 SMEs does not grow by marketing alone. It grows because the platform solves a relatable problem, which is access to credit, insurance, and micro savings for businesses that banks routinely ignore. 

What makes this worth watching in 2026 is not the size of the network, but the model behind it. Data-driven credit decisions, mobile-first delivery, and partnerships that strengthen SME bankability rather than trap founders in debt cycles. This is why global recognition, from the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech to IFC and EY awards, keeps following his work.

What elevates Adewumi into the emerging leader bracket is range. Through One Kiosk Africa, he is also tackling retail inefficiencies by connecting small merchants, supermarkets, and farmers directly to digital markets. 

Few founders operate confidently at the intersection of finance, retail technology, and trade policy. Fewer still sit on international trade bodies while building tools for market women and shop owners. 

He believes that Africa’s sustainability will be funded by structured, inclusive financing that allows MSMEs to grow on their own terms. By 2026, that philosophy may well impact how financial inclusion is measured across the continent.

2. Joshua Esiebo

That next chapter we talk about in Africa’s tech growth will not be driven only by startups. It will also be built inside large institutions that are reinventing themselves. Joshua Esiebo sits at that critical junction. 

At MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms group, his work as a senior manager in platforms management directly influences how millions experience digital services every day. His role is not limited to products, but more about direction, guiding a telecom giant away from pure connectivity and into a fully formed digital ecosystem.

Across Ayoba, MyMTN eMarketplace, MTN Play, and premium content platforms, Esiebo operates where technology, partnerships, and customer experience overlap. Platforms fail or scale based on governance, integration, and usability, so, you can tell how important his work is.

His focus on platform thinking, bringing content, payments, gaming, and data into coherent systems, is exactly what MTN needs as it executes its Ambition 2025 strategy and looks beyond it. By 2026, the success of MTN’s digital services will depend heavily on how well these platforms work together, not just how many users they attract.

What makes Esiebo one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is his ecosystem mindset. He builds with partners, not around them. OTT providers, fintech players, content creators, and startups all plug into systems designed for scale and reliability. 

Importantly, his work prioritises accessibility, ensuring platforms serve both urban and rural users without friction. This customer-first discipline is usually talked about and rarely enforced. As MTN strengthens its drive into fintech and digital lifestyle services, Esiebo represents a new class of African tech leader, platform-driven, partnership-led, and quietly influential.

3. Emmanuel Olorundare

Great technology fails without good design. Emmanuel Olorundare has built a career proving the opposite. When design is done right, products travel, scale, and stay resilient. 

A senior product designer, creative technologist, and startup co-founder, his work already spans Europe, Africa, the UK, and now North America.

He has built digital products that do not just scale geographically, but culturally. His influence is heavy on how complex systems are turned into simple, usable experiences that millions rely on daily.

As Co-founder of Gupta, supporting over 3,000 businesses globally, Olorundare operates at the sharp end of product execution. His fingerprints are also on platforms like AfriPay, which simplifies international payments for African students and migrants, and ShipAfrica, now active in over 200 countries. 

These are not design exercises but operational products solving payment friction, logistics complexity, and trust gaps across borders. Add to this Jami, a UK-based social platform focused on worthy connections, and we see a pattern;  Olorundare builds products where human behaviour, technology, and scale collide.

What places him among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is depth. His experience spans fintech, logistics, edtech, civic platforms, and AI-powered applications, yet his approach remains grounded in human-centred thinking. 

Beyond delivery, he is building future talent through mentorship across more than ten countries and UK-certified design education programmes. With an engineering-informed mindset and a designer’s instinct, he brings clarity to chaos and momentum to ideas. 

Design leadership is the difference between products people tolerate and products they trust. Emmanuel Olorundare understands this better than most.

4. Ogechi Okwechime

Some leaders build products. Others build markets. Ogechi Okwechime does both, and that is why she belongs on any serious watchlist for 2026. With more than fifteen years across banking and fintech, she has mastered the hard part of innovation in Africa, which is turning complex infrastructure into something businesses can actually use. 

At Interswitch, as Divisional Head of Growth Marketing for Enterprise Solutions, she operates behind the scenes of systems backing payments, preventing fraud, and keeping commerce moving at scale.

What makes her unique is her ability to turn technical depth into commercial momentum. When Verve needed to move beyond national relevance, Okwechime helped drive the strategy that transformed it into a truly African card scheme, active in over 22 countries. 

This was not expansion for clout. It was functional growth. Cards that worked across borders. Users who could shop on international platforms. Local consumers plugged into the global digital economy without friction. That alone changed how African payments are perceived.

Her record before Interswitch holds the same depth. At Access Bank, she helped launch digital loan products that reached over 50,000 borrowers. At Fidelity Bank, she scaled Instant Banking from nothing to more than 600,000 users. These are adoption numbers that reflect trust.

By 2026, as enterprise fintech solutions become more urgent to Africa’s economic plumbing, leaders like Okwechime, who combine product-led growth with disciplined execution, will define who wins and who fades.

5. Wallace Omobhude

Africa’s digital sustainability will be determined by how well large platforms understand entertainment, data, and youth culture. Wallace Omobhude is already deep in that work. 

At MTN Nigeria, he leads strategy for digital services with a focus on video and gaming, two verticals that sit at the centre of attention, engagement, and new revenue models. This is where telecoms stop selling data and start owning digital experiences.

Omobhude operates at a difficult confluence of product teams, marketing, regulators, and external content partners all pulling in different directions. His strength lies in alignment. OTT partnerships, VAS integrations, and regulatory compliance are handled with the same discipline as go-to-market execution. 

The result is platforms that scale without disorder. His work feeds directly into MTN’s diversification strategy, opening up entertainment-led revenue streams in a market where youth demographics are impossible to ignore.

Why watch him in 2026? Because MTN’s next phase depends on leaders who understand ecosystems. Omobhude’s data-driven approach, combined with sharp consumer insight, positions MTN to capture value far beyond connectivity. 

Gaming, video, and digital content are not side projects anymore. They are core to how Africa’s largest telecom stays relevant. Leaders who can build and govern these platforms will impact the industry’s direction. Wallace is already doing that work.

6. Nnaemeka Ani

Every tech ecosystem needs builders who think beyond products and into purpose. Nnaemeka Ani is one of those rare figures. He does not go after trends. He dismantles problems to their core and rebuilds from first principles. 

As Founder of MGX Research Centre and MexyGabriel Tech Company, Ani operates across research, infrastructure, policy, and execution, a combination that gives his work unusual depth and national relevance.

MGX Research is not a think tank for theory’s sake. It is a working laboratory focused on deployable systems across data science, cybersecurity, digital identity, smart cities, education, health, robotics, and automation. 

Ani believes that Africa’s growth will not come from borrowed solutions, but from systems designed for local realities and owned locally. This philosophy drives his push for digital sovereignty and African-built data infrastructure, turning code into both social and commercial value.

His influence expands into governance. As Special Adviser on ICT to the Enugu State Governor, Ani is proving that technology and public policy do not have to operate in parallel worlds. His work in Enugu shows what happens when political will meets technical clarity, resulting in better services, smarter systems, and a functional digital ecosystem. 

With Nigeria approaching major milestones in broadband expansion and tax reform in 2026, Ani represents a new kind of leader, part technologist, part reformer, fully invested in nation-building. He is one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 not because he speaks loudly, but because his work changes structures.

7. Abraham Oghenero Efemena

Scale is usually discussed loosely in tech. Abraham Oghenero Efemena treats it as discipline. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apex Web Network Limited who has built a fintech platform operating across Africa and key European markets, with a focus on structure, resilience, and growth.

His leadership style is more operational than performative. Systems first. Expansion second. Noise last.

Reaching 300,000 active users in 2025 is not a small win. It shows product trust across borders, regulatory environments, and user behaviour patterns. That kind of traction only happens when infrastructure works quietly and consistently. 

Efemena oversees every moving part of Apex Web Network, ensuring teams, technology, and market strategy move in sync. This hands-on leadership is essential in fintech, where failure usually comes from weak internal alignment rather than bad ideas.

Why is he among the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026? Because the next phase goes beyond surviving to controlled expansion. As Apex Web Network grows its user base and deepens its footprint, Efemena is building the company to compete in markets where compliance, security, and user experience determine winners. He represents a class of founders building for longevity.

8. Victor Daniyan

Payments are the bloodstream of any digital economy. Victor Daniyan understands this, and he is rebuilding how that system works across Africa. 

The CEO and Founder of Nearpays is pushing payment acceptance away from hardware-heavy models and into scalable, software-led infrastructure. We could call his work foundational, because when payments become easier, entire ecosystems are opened.

Nearpays has received recognition from EY, TechCabal, BusinessDay, and global platforms such as GITEX and the UN AI for Good Innovation Factory. The startup is empowering over 50,000 users through contactless and Soft POS solutions. 

Daniyan’s leadership sits on applied innovation and real-world adoption, proving that inclusion works best when technology fades into the background.

Looking forward to 2026, the company is entering its scale phase, with expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, stronger collaboration with Visa, and a focus on usability. Victor Daniyan stands among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 because he is not just building a fintech product, but changing how businesses participate in the digital economy. That impact will only grow.

9. Peter Ndukwo

Every digital system is only as strong as the people testing its limits. Peter Ndukwo lives at that edge. As a Web3 Security Researcher and Smart Contract Auditor, his work protects some of the most valuable and complex decentralised systems in the world. When security fails, innovation collapses.

His record speaks; Audits on Chainlink, ZetaChain, and Brevis Pico. Multiple high-severity vulnerabilities discovered solo. Over 30 competitive audit wins across Sherlock and Code4rena. These are not academic exercises, they secure billions in value and protect users. 

Beyond these, his work at Zippel Labs places him inside zero-knowledge systems and cryptographic research driving the next generation of blockchain infrastructure.

Why he is placed among emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026 is not far-fetched. With decentralised systems becoming more complex, the cost of failure increases. Ndukwo is securing protocols and also mentoring African security researchers, as well as building tools to automate vulnerability discovery. 

He represents a system where Africa goes beyond using just decentralised systems to actively safeguarding and enhancing them.

10. Oluwatomi Alagbe

Security leadership today demands more than defence. It demands foresight. Oluwatomi Alagbe, one of the emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026, brings that perspective. Based in Tallinn and working at the convergence of cybersecurity, crypto, and advanced research systems, his career shows depth rather than drift. His strength is seen in how he turns complex risk into systems people can actually trust.

From protecting users at Malwarebytes to contributing to Caesar’s deep research platform, Alagbe’s work centres on resilience. He does not chase threats reactively; he builds frameworks that anticipate them. 

His experience across AI-driven systems and crypto environments gives him a rare interdisciplinary view, one that is becoming more important as boundaries between sectors blur.

What makes 2026 pivotal is what he is building next. Razzle, an AI-native communication platform, challenges how teams collaborate by placing intelligent systems at the core, not the edges. 

Alongside this, his continued work at Caesar focuses on reliability and real-world applicability, not abstraction. Alagbe is unique because he understands that trust is the currency of the next digital era, and security is how that trust is earned.

The post Emerging Tech Leaders to Watch in 2026 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Established in 2023, Nearpays operates within Africa’s digital payments landscape, providing technology-driven solutions designed to expand access to electronic payments.

The company focuses on building accessible and sustainable financial infrastructure that supports businesses and underserved communities across the continent.

Nearpays’ product offerings include Soft POS and Offline Soft POS solutions, which enable merchants to accept card payments with or without internet connectivity.

According to the company, this capability addresses connectivity limitations in many markets and supports broader participation in digital commerce.

The company also operates a digital receipt system aimed at reducing reliance on paper, promoting environmentally responsible transactions and supporting clean finance practices.

Beyond its commercial operations, Nearpays has gained international recognition for its approach to applying technology to financial inclusion challenges.

In 2026, the company was selected to represent Africa at the United Nations “AI for Good” event in Johannesburg, highlighting its role in leveraging innovation to address access gaps within the financial system.

Nearpays also recorded a global milestone after winning the inaugural GITEX Africa Innovation Award in Morocco, a recognition that placed the company among emerging technology firms demonstrating scalable and impactful solutions on an international stage.

The BusinessDay Top 100 Fastest Growing SMEs ranking is determined using criteria such as revenue growth, scalability, innovation, market expansion and business sustainability.

Nearpays’ inclusion reflects its operational progress and growing participation within Africa’s fintech and digital payments ecosystem.

Nearpays stated that it will continue to strengthen its technology, support digital adoption among businesses and advance Africa’s transition towards inclusive, sustainable and technology-driven financial systems as it scales its operations.

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