Nomba Pioneers Nigerian Fintech Entry into Francophone DRC

In a groundbreaking achievement that bridges the Anglophone-Francophone divide in African fintech, Nomba, the Nigerian payments and business tools platform (formerly Kudi), has secured two pivotal licenses from the Central Bank of Congo (BCC) — the Messenger Financier License and Aggregator License.This positions Nomba as one of the few companies overall — and one of the very few Nigerian-founded fintechs — officially authorized to move money into and out of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a major Francophone market that has long been challenging for Nigerian players to enter.Announced by Nomba CEO Yinka Adewale @waleyinks in a widely praised X thread, this expansion marks a rare and strategic leap for a Nigerian fintech into Francophone Central Africa.The Remittance Challenge in DRCThe DRC receives over $1.2 billion in formal remittances annually, primarily from diaspora communities in Europe, North America, and across Africa. Despite this massive inflow, sending money to recipients has been plagued by:

• Fragmented and unreliable banking infrastructure

• Poor mobile money interoperability

• Stringent compliance demands

• The need for multiple, complex integrations

Remittance providers previously required 3–5 separate integrations and weeks of compliance work just to operate reliably.Nomba’s All-in-One SolutionAfter 12 months of intensive development and regulatory navigation, Nomba has launched a fully compliant, production-ready DRC payout service powered by a single API. Key capabilities include:

• Direct payouts to leading banks: Rawbank, Equity BCDC, and TMB

• Seamless payouts to all major mobile money operators: M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Orange Money

• Real-time settlement

• Full embedded compliance with BCC regulations

For remittance companies, this replaces weeks of technical and regulatory headaches with one simple, reliable integration.Why This Milestone Matters for AfricaThis is more than a licensing win — it’s a historic step for Nigerian fintech on the continent. While many Nigerian companies have scaled within Anglophone markets, successful expansion into Francophone Africa, with its different regulatory environments, languages, and ecosystems, remains rare. Nomba’s entry into DRC demonstrates that Nigerian innovation can thrive across linguistic and regional divides, accelerating financial inclusion in one of Africa’s largest and most underserved economies. By dramatically simplifying inbound remittances, Nomba is enabling faster, cheaper, and more dependable money transfers for families and businesses alike. The Road AheadProcessing trillions of Naira monthly for hundreds of thousands of businesses in Nigeria, Nomba continues to build pan-African payment infrastructure. This DRC launch strengthens its role as a leading cross-border gateway. Remittance providers and fintechs looking to enter or expand in DRC can explore integration via Nomba’s developer portal or contact their partnerships team. Read the original announcement thread: Yinka Adewale on X