Chief Executive Officer of pawaPay, a mobile money payment aggregator, Nikolai Barnwell, speaks with FELIX OLOYEDE on the state of the African mobile payment system
How would you describe 2025 for Africa’s payments and fintech sector in one sentence, and why?
2025 was a year of regulatory maturity. Regulators have taken significant steps to clarify previously grey areas in crypto assets, foreign exchange restrictions, and licensing across the continent, from the introduction of new regulations on VASP licenses in Kenya and Ghana, to the closure of FX grey routes and the establishment of licensing regimes in the West African Economic and Monetary Union. As volumes in alternative financial infrastructure have grown rapidly, regulators sought to introduce clarity for financial institutions outside the traditional banking sector.
Looking back at 2025, what were the most important shifts in regulation and policy that shaped how fintechs and payment companies operated across Africa?
