Intelligence Blog
Research, analysis, and field intelligence on fintech expansion across the EU–Africa corridor. Published on Substack. Read free.
Research & Insights
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FCA vs Bank of Lithuania EMI: Which Route Actually Makes Sense for Your Stage?
The FCA pathway is rigorous and expensive. The BoL route is faster and cheaper — but cheaper isn't always right. We break down the capital, timeline, and operational differences that determine which licence is the correct first move.
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Why African Fintechs Keep Failing in Europe: The Six Patterns We Keep Seeing
Regulatory underestimation. Broken unit economics. Wrong partnership stack. The failure signature is consistent enough to be predictable — and predictable enough to be preventable. A field analysis of what goes wrong and when.
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Introducing the Cross-Border Entry Compression Model™: How We Stress-Test Expansion Before You Commit
A walk-through of the simulation engine we use to model regulatory timelines, capital deployment, revenue ramp, and break-even for EU–Africa fintech entries — and why the output is more useful than a standard business case.
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African Fintech Funding H1 2025: $1B+ Raised, 40% YoY Growth — and What the Numbers Actually Mean for Entry Timing
The headline figures are strong. The distribution is more nuanced. We break down which markets attracted capital, which verticals are commanding premium valuations, and what the funding trajectory signals for competitive intensity in H2 and beyond.
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The Nigeria Partnership Stack: Why Who You Sign With Determines Whether Your Entry Survives Year One
Banking partners, switching infrastructure, agent networks, and CBN compliance relationships — the partnership decisions that look administrative are frequently the ones that determine commercial viability. A guide to what the stack looks like and where operators consistently get it wrong.
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The EU–Africa Fintech White Space Map: Where the Opportunity Exists in 2025 — and Where It's Already Closed
An analysis of category-level competitive density across our six core markets. Payments and remittance corridors are crowded. B2B infrastructure, embedded finance, and cross-border treasury remain genuinely underserved. We show you exactly where and why.
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