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Flutterwave Closes USD $170m Funding
March 10, 2021 GMT
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, today announces it has secured USD $170 million from a leading group of international investors as part of a successful Series C round. The round was led by growth-equity firms Avenir Growth Capital (“Avenir”) and Tiger Global Management LLC (“Tiger Global”) with participation from new and existing investors.
Founded by entrepreneur Olugbenga Agboola in 2016, the company’s valuation is considered to be valued at more than USD $1 billion. The fundraise brings the total investment in Flutterwave to USD $225 million and is one of only a very small number of African fintech companies to have raised significant funds in a period of widespread disruption and economic uncertainty.
Africa-focused payments company Flutterwave could consider a New York listing, its chief executive said after it raised $170 million from investors to expand its customer base, pushing its valuation up to more than $1 billion.
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is Flutterwave co-founder (Ynaija) Future Africa
Flutterwave is one of several fintech groups aiming to facilitate and capitalise on a booming African/Nigerian payments market driven by increased mobile phone use and faster internet speeds,
Reuters writes.
Expanding customer base
“We may consider the possibility of listing in New York or a possible dual listing in New York and Nigeria,” Flutterwave’s CEO and co-founder Agboola told
Reuters via telephone.
The firm can now expand its customer base in existing and international markets and develop new products.
“The company’s valuation is now in excess of $1 billion. The fundraise brings the total investment in Flutterwave to $225 million,” Flutterwave said in a statement, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the shift to digital payments in Africa.
March 10, 2021
Flutterwave, an Africa-focused payment technology company, has raised $170 million in a Series C round, positioning itself to further connect and capitalize on the continent’s thriving yet highly fragmented digital payment landscape.
The round now values the company at more than $1 billion. It was led by the US-based investment firms Avenir Growth Capital and Tiger Global Management, with participation from new and existing investors including DST Global and Salesforce Ventures. The latest funding brings the total investment in the five-year-old company to $225 million.
A fragmented industry
Africa’s electronic payment industry including card, e-commerce, digital banking transactions and more has exploded in recent years, generating about $20 billion in revenue in 2019, according to McKinsey.