Carbon acquires Vella Finance to launch SME banking services
TLDR
- Pan-African digital financial services provider Carbon has acquired Nigerian fintech company Vella Finance, specializing in SME-focused solutions.
- The acquisition includes the launch of an AI-powered business banking platform.
- Vella Finance's co-founder and CTO, Gabriel Ajenifuja, confirmed the gradual transition of business customers to Carbon Business and the option for individual customers to upgrade to business accounts.
Carbon, a pan-African digital financial services provider, has finalized the acquisition of Vella Finance, a Nigerian fintech company specializing in SME-focused solutions. The completion of the deal was jointly announced by both companies via a statement released on Wednesday. Vella Finance was acquired under its parent company, One Credit Limited, simultaneously with the launch of an innovative AI-powered business banking platform.
This acquisition marks a significant advancement in Carbon's mission to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with accessible and cutting-edge financial services, leveraging the latest advancements in artificial intelligence.
Gabriel Ajenifuja, the co-founder and CTO of Vella Finance, expressed that the company will gradually transition its business customers to Carbon Business in the upcoming days. In addition, individual customers will be offered the option to upgrade to business accounts as part of the integration process.
Key Takeaways
The acquisition of Vella Finance by Carbon signals the beginning of a trend of acquisitions by Nigerian startups in 2024. While 2023 witnessed several notable acquisitions, such as Bitmama's acquisition of Payday and Chaka's acquisition by Rise, the startup ecosystem could experience even more activity in this regard throughout the year. Across Africa, merchant acquisition has emerged as the new frontier for digital services on the continent. In an estimated $800 billion informal trade economy that comprises over 56 million micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, the majority of merchants operate offline, with limited exposure to the formalized digital economy. These offline merchants represent up to 90% of businesses on the continent. Much like Carbon, numerous startups in Africa are developing digital products to address the challenges faced by these informal businesses.
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