Hi there and welcome to Daba’s weekly Next Frontier newsletter.

Here's a quick preview of today’s newsletter: A major fintech exit in Nigeria, a $69M DeepTech boost in Francophone Africa, reinventing Egypt’s savings culture, and gold’s rally reshaping economies from Ghana to Zimbabwe.

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Event Spotlight: Catch Us at Africa CEO Forum 2025!

We’re thrilled to share that our CEO & Co-founder, Boum III Jr, will be at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on May 12–13, 2025. 

If you’re attending, it’s a great chance to connect directly with the Daba team and explore Africa’s investment future firsthand.

ICYMI: BRVM Stocks Have Started Paying Dividends

Over 15 companies on the BRVM are set to distribute dividends in 2025. Investors can expect impressive payouts from telecom giants like Sonatel to major banks like Bank of Africa (BOA) units.

With yields as high as 10%, this is your sign to start investing in the BRVM market.

📅 Want to know which stocks are paying and when? CLICK HERE to see the updated list with payment dates. Download the Daba app now, and never miss a payout again. 👇

Now, let’s dive in.

Markets Snapshot

Daba indexes track curated stock collections—all available to invest in directly on the app.

The best-performing BRVM stocks of the week by share price increase—all available to invest in directly on the app.

Data as of 05/09/2025 market close

Commentary: Global markets showed mixed performance in the week ending May 9, with African exchanges mostly positive, U.S. indices volatile amid trade tensions, and Asian and European bourses edging higher. Read our full markets recap here.

Four Things You Need to Know

Fintech windfall: Silverbacks Holdings exited Nigerian remittance startup LemFi with a 29x return during its $53M Series B. Amid Africa’s sluggish exit landscape, Nigeria’s fintech sector continues to deliver, driven by unmet financial needs and growing mobile penetration, positioning fintech as the continent’s most consistent source of liquidity for venture capitalists.

DeepTech bet: A $69M fund backed by OAPI and AGF will finance 1,000 innovation projects across Francophone Africa. Targeting AI, biotech, and clean energy, the initiative addresses gaps in commercialization and access to capital, aiming to convert African intellectual property into scalable ventures through credit guarantees, mentorship, and industrial partnerships.

Digital savings: Money Fellows raised $13M to scale its digital ROSCA platform, modernizing Egypt’s informal savings culture. With 8.5 million users and growing regional demand, the fintech offers trusted social finance tools that blend tradition and tech, boosting financial inclusion across underserved populations in North Africa and the Middle East.

Golden lifeline: Africa’s gold-rich economies are capitalizing on a 25% surge in global prices to offset fiscal pressures. While central banks boost reserves and informal miners thrive, governance gaps and regulatory conflicts—from Ghana to Mali—threaten long-term stability, highlighting the urgency to formalize mining and ensure equitable gains from the boom.

Headline Roundup

Markets & Finance

• Morocco Launches Derivatives Market as It Eyes Emerging-Market Status

• Ivory Coast Rubber Producer SOGB Reports 149% Profit Rise

• TotalEnergies Côte d'Ivoire Unit Annual Profit Jumps 8%

• Water Utility Sodeci to Distribute Over $6M in 2024 Dividends

• Ivorian Lending BICI Reports 23% First-Quarter Profit Growth

Economy & Macro

• South Africa’s Eskom Sees Low Power-Cut Risk Over Next Months

• Ghana Inflation Eases for Fifth Straight Month to 21.2% in April

• Kenya Economy Grows at Slowest Pace Since Covid-19 Pandemic

Corporate & M&A

• PalmPay to Expand into Four More African Markets by End-2025

• Airtel Partners SpaceX to Launch Starlink Internet in Nine Countries

• MNT-Halan Raises $49M Via Egypt’s Largest Corporate Bond Issuance

• IFC, TLG Capital Launch $75M Fund to Support African SMEs

VC, Startups & Tech

• Zeepay Secures $18M Debt Facility to Support Remittance Liquidity

• Egypt’s i’SUPPLY Raises $3M to Expand Pharmaceutical Access

• Nigeria’s Platos Bags $1.4M to Scale Preventive Health Platform

• Arnergy Employees Gain Liquidity as Startup Closes $15M Round

• Techstars Matches Y Combinator with Updated $220K Terms

Must-Reads on Daba

• What To Do When Your Stock Portfolio Is Suffering a Loss

• A Comprehensive Guide to Mutual Funds for Beginners

• How to Invest in African Bonds: A Guide for Investors

• Investing in African IPOs: A Beginner’s Manual on How it Works

Chart of the Week

Africa's gold hotspots. In our latest bi-weekly Pulse54 newsletter, we explore Africa’s booming gold industry as global prices hit peak levels, with the potential to lift key economies from South Africa to Ghana and Mali in the Western region. Check it out here.

That’s it for today.

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Catch you next week!