Bonjour,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Kenya moves to stop automatic loan limit hikes
- Speedinvest raises €100M to double down on Africa
- Mozambique builds cyber defences after years of gaps
Kenya moves to stop automatic loan limit hikes
Kenya’s regulators are coming for one of the most familiar features of mobile lending: that quiet bump in your credit limit after you repay a few loans. The Central Bank of Kenya and the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority have drafted new consumer protection rules that would stop lenders from increasing limits automatically. Instead, they’d have to actually check whether you can afford more debt, looking at your income, expenses, existing loans, and assets before offering anything extra.
It’s a big shift from how digital lenders have operated for years. The current model is fast, data-driven, and mostly based on your repayment behaviour. Pay on time a few times, and the algorithm rewards you with more credit. But regulators now say that’s only half the story. Someone can keep repaying by cutting essentials or borrowing elsewhere, and still look “creditworthy” in the system while their finances quietly fall apart.
The proposed rules are also taking aim at aggressive recovery tactics. Lenders would no longer be allowed to jump straight to enforcement, like sending auctioneers, after a missed payment. They’d first have to offer support or restructuring options to borrowers in distress. It’s a direct response to real cases where defaults escalated quickly into asset seizures, sometimes before borrowers had a chance to negotiate.
This didn’t come out of nowhere. Kenya’s digital lending boom, which kicked off in 2012, massively expanded access to credit, but it also created a debt problem. Millions have defaulted, especially on small, short-term loans, and many borrowers have ended up cycling between apps just to stay afloat. Regulators have been playing catch-up for years, first licensing lenders, then expanding oversight, and now zeroing in on how lending decisions are made in the first place.
What’s happening now is a deeper reset. Kenya isn’t just regulating lenders’ behaviour after things go wrong. It’s trying to fix the decision-making upfront. That means forcing fintechs to rethink growth strategies built on easy, automated credit expansion. The big question is whether these rules can actually be enforced across a fast-moving, tech-driven sector. But one thing is clear: the era of “repay and get more instantly” is under serious pressure.
Speedinvest raises €100M to double down on Africa
European VC firm Speedinvest is doubling down on Africa, and this time, it’s not just testing the waters. The firm is raising a new Middle East and Africa fund, targeting over €100 million to back early-growth startups, after already investing in companies like Moove, FairMoney, and Anda.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
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What’s changed is the level of commitment. Until now, Speedinvest backed African startups from its European fund. This new vehicle is its first dedicated Africa-focused fund, with cheque sizes between €2 million and €5 million. It’s also planning to finally build a local presence, something it hasn’t done despite over five years of investing on the continent.
For the firm, the bet is simple: demographics and leapfrogging. Africa’s young, fast-growing population is a long-term advantage, especially compared to ageing Western markets. Add that to how the continent has skipped legacy infrastructure, going straight to mobile, fintech, and embedded finance, and you get a market where new technologies can scale quickly across sectors like health, logistics, and climate.
The bigger picture? More global capital is starting to treat Africa less like an experiment and more like a core market. Whether that translates into meaningful exits is still an open question, but firms like Speedinvest are clearly positioning early. For more on this and what it means for founders, check out Chimgozirim’s latest for Techpoint Africa.
Mozambique builds cyber defences after years of gaps
Mozambique has finally crossed a big item off its to-do list: cybercrime laws. Parliament has passed both a Cybersecurity Law and a Cybercrime Law after years of drafts and delays. The government says this gives it the tools to protect critical systems, tackle online crime, and cooperate internationally on digital investigations. On paper, it’s a long-overdue step toward modern digital governance.
And to be fair, the need is real. The country has been dealing with a surge in cyberattacks, over 170,000 recorded in 2024 alone, with cases continuing to climb into 2025. Authorities have been open about their struggles: limited technical capacity, low public awareness, and no clear legal framework until now. So yes, something had to give.
But here’s where things get complicated. These new laws arrive just after a period where the government showed it’s willing to pull the plug on the internet during political unrest. After disputed elections in late 2024, authorities shut down mobile internet multiple times as protests spread. Officials said it was about maintaining order. Critics called it repression.
That recent history is why some people are uneasy. The new cybersecurity law gives the state broad powers to respond to “cyber risks” and manage digital threats. The concern isn’t the existence of those powers; it’s how they might be used. If the government already restricted access without a legal framework before, what happens now that it has one?
In the bigger picture, Mozambique is trying to modernise fast, boosting its digital economy, attracting investment, and tightening security at the same time. More laws are already on the way, including data protection rules. Whether this all leads to safer digital space or tighter state control depends less on what’s written in the law and more on how the government chooses to use it.
In case you missed it
What I’m watching
Opportunities
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- LemFi is looking for a Head of Financial Crime Operations in the UK. Apply here.
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- ABDS 2026 will take place April 29–30, 2026, in Lagos, gathering founders, investors, developers, and policymakers shaping Africa’s blockchain and Web3 ecosystem. The summit focuses on industry insights, partnerships, and investment opportunities in one of the world’s fastest-growing crypto markets. Secure your pass or sponsorship here.
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- Paga is hiring Account Managers. Apply here.
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- Moniepoint is hiring for over 100 roles. Apply here.
- Building a startup can feel isolating, but with Equity Merchants CommunityConnect? You can network with fellow founders, experts, and investors, gaining valuable insights and exclusive resources to help you grow your business. Click here to join.
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Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
