African fintech Nomba has secured a $3 million debt facility to expand its cross-border payment infrastructure from the Democratic Republic of Congo, targeting one of the continent’s persistent financial bottlenecks: moving money efficiently between African businesses and their international trading partners.
Central Africa becomes a payments hub
The Lagos-headquartered fintech secured the financing from CardinalStone Finance Company Limited. The additional capital will provide US-dollar liquidity for Nomba’s banking relationships in Hong Kong and Singapore, supporting payment flows between Central Africa and Asia.
The company is positioning its operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a settlement hub for these increasingly important trade corridors.
Nomba says it is targeting more than $1 billion in monthly cross-border payment volume as the infrastructure expands.
Solving a costly African problem
Cross-border trade remains considerably more complicated for many African businesses than domestic commerce. Currency shortages, fragmented banking networks and slow settlement can leave companies waiting days for international payments to clear.
Nomba has spent the past 18 months developing infrastructure combining local banking connections, international payment access and technology intended to reduce those barriers.
The company plans to expand from the DRC into additional African markets, with Zambia and Uganda identified as its next destinations.
Connecting Africa with Asia
The strategy is particularly significant because trade between Africa and Asia has become increasingly important to businesses importing machinery, electronics, consumer goods and industrial products.
Rather than focusing exclusively on consumer payments or mobile wallets, Nomba is targeting the underlying financial infrastructure required by companies conducting international trade.
The latest financing therefore illustrates a broader shift within African fintech. Investors are increasingly backing payment infrastructure capable of generating transaction revenues from established commercial activity rather than concentrating solely on rapid consumer acquisition.
More capital could follow
The $3 million facility may represent only the beginning of Nomba’s next expansion phase. The company is preparing to raise an additional $20 million to $50 million to finance further development of its international payments network.
Nomba previously raised $30 million in a pre-Series B round in 2023 and has since expanded from agency banking into broader business and payments infrastructure.
For emerging African markets, the significance is clear: better cross-border payment rails could reduce friction for businesses, improve access to international liquidity and make trade between Africa and Asia faster and more competitive.
Newshub Editorial in Africa – 7 September 2026
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