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

Here's a quick preview of today’s edition: Africa’s $1T payments boom, Blockchain.com lands in Nigeria, Japan’s SORA brings AI health tech in Africa, and Sidi Ould Tah wins AfDB presidency with a historic majority.

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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 05/30/2025 market close

Four Things You Need to Know

Trillion-dollar shift: Africa’s cross-border payments are set to triple by 2035, reaching $1 trillion as mobile money, blockchain, and fintech APIs disrupt costly legacy systems. Platforms like Chipper Cash and Afriex are slashing fees and accelerating transfers, positioning the continent as a global leader in mobile-first remittance infrastructure.

Crypto landing: Blockchain.com will open its first African office in Nigeria by Q2 2025, signaling rising confidence in local crypto regulation. As Nigeria rolls out digital asset licensing, the move marks a pivotal moment for institutional crypto growth in Africa, now projected to hit $2.9B in revenue by 2025.

Drone medicine: Japan’s SORA Technology raised $4.8M to expand its AI and drone health operations across Africa. With deployments in six countries, the startup combines real-time disease forecasting with last-mile delivery, targeting malaria and climate-linked threats in fragile health systems through data-driven, public-private collaborations.

Tah triumph: Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the African Development Bank’s next president with 76.18% of the vote, succeeding Akinwumi Adesina. A veteran of BADEA, Tah is expected to scale financing tools, deepen regional integration, and accelerate development funding amid rising debt and climate challenges across the continent.

Headline Roundup

Markets & Finance

• Nigerian Listed Firms Declare ₦1.1T in Dividends for Full-Year 2024

• Côte d'Ivoire Launches WAEMUs First Agro Commodities Exchange

• Zimbabwe’s First USD-Based REIT Goes Public As Interest Grows

• Shuka Minerals Lists on JSE AltX Board to Expand African Investor Base

• Egypt’s Valu to Begin Trading on EGX After Share Distribution by EFG

Economy & Macro

• AfDB Sees Stronger Growth For Africa as Region Weathers Tariff Shock

• World Bank Expects Nigeria Inflation to Average 22% in 2025

• South Africa Secures $13.3B in Pledges Amid Infrastructure Push

Corporate & M&A

• AfDB Backs Arise IIP With $100M to Scale Industrial Zones in Africa

• South Africa Opens Door for Starlink with New ICT Policy Shift

• American Software Firm MongoDB Enters Africa With Nigeria Office

• Egypt’s Qardy Acquired in First-Ever SPAC Merger for Local Fintech

VC, Startups & Tech

• Carrot Credit Raises $4.2M to Scale Asset-Backed Lending

• CutStruct Gets $1.5M to Streamline Construction Procurement

• Kenya’s Craydel Expands to Rwanda in Pan-African Edtech Push

• COREangels Launches $10M Fund to Support MEA Startups

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 economy is showing resilience despite global headwinds.

After growing 3.3% in 2024, the continent's GDP is projected to expand 3.9% in 2025 and 4.0% in 2026, outpacing most regions except emerging Asia, per AfDB's latest African Economic Outlook report.

Four countries (Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, and Senegal) are expected to hit the 7% growth threshold needed for poverty reduction. However, challenges remain significant.

Inflation, while cooling from 18.7% in 2024, is still projected at 13.8% in 2025. New U.S. tariffs and trade uncertainties are creating additional headwinds, with growth forecasts revised downward by 0.2-0.4 percentage points from earlier projections.

The path forward requires strategic focus: strengthening intra-African trade through AfCFTA implementation, improving food sovereignty, and mobilizing domestic resources, the bank says. But with 21 African countries expected to grow above 5% in 2025, the continent's potential remains strong despite global volatility.

Tap into Africa's growth via high-yield opportunities on Daba.

That’s it for today.

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