South African fintech group Adumo secures R225 million in new funding

South African fintech group Adumo on Tuesday (9 March), announced R225 million ($15 million) in new funding from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund to expand access to electronic payment solutions.

IFC’s investments will support Adumo to make digital payments systems more affordable and accessible to smaller businesses in Africa, many of which currently rely on cash transactions, it said.

Adumo owns merchant acquirers Sureswipe and Ikhokha and payment processor Innervation Pan African Payments.

“The pandemic and associated impact on consumers and businesses are transforming the face of the payments industry with interest in cashless payment services at an all-time high.

“The funds we have raised from our new equity partners will help us roll out new payment innovations and purpose-based lending services to support consumers and retailers as they navigate an uncertain 2021,” said Paul Kent, CEO at Adumo.

The investment by IFC and the IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund, a fund managed by IFC’s Asset Management Company, consists of $15 million in preferred shares to fund the growth of the company.

“Through this investment in Adumo, we will be helping small businesses tap into the digital economy, which is more important now than ever before. Digital payments are often the first step for a small business to build a credit history, which opens the way to access further financial services such as financing to grow the business,” said Sérgio Pimenta, IFC’s vice president for the Middle East and Africa.

In South Africa, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises employ over 50% of the workforce and contribute around 34% of GDP, but many don’t have access to key services that would help their business grow.

Digital and mobile payment solutions can help businesses increase footfall and improve customer retention by supporting the transition away from cash-based transactions, Adumo said.

Adumo, previously known as Crossfin Transactional Solutions, said it processes more than $5 billion in transactions annually through more than 30,000 active clients and across 50,000 active card machines.