PawaPay Named One of CNBC and Statista’s World’s Top Fintech Companies 2026

PawaPay, a leading pan-African payments infrastructure provider, has been named one of the World’s Top Fintech Companies 2026 by CNBC and Statista. The recognition follows a year in which the company surpassed three billion mobile money transactions while continuing to help businesses access mobile money across 20 African markets through a single integration.

Now in its fourth edition, the World’s Top Fintech Companies list is compiled by CNBC in partnership with research firm Statista. The ranking delivers a rigorous, data-driven benchmark of fintech companies across key fintech segments worldwide, recognising businesses using technology, innovation, and scalable digital solutions to improve the future of financial services. For the 2026 edition, more than 3,500 global fintech companies were assessed, with 500 making the final list. 

Nikolai Barnwell, CEO of PawaPay, said “This recognition is another sign that African payments infrastructure is earning the global attention it deserves. Mobile money is one of the world's most successful payment systems, with more than $1.4 trillion in transactions processed across the continent last year, yet many businesses outside Africa still underestimate both its scale and sophistication.

Businesses want to grow across Africa, not spend their time building and maintaining payments infrastructure in every market they enter. Our job is to make that simple through a single platform that businesses can rely on. It is encouraging to see that approach recognised on a global stage”

The company serves merchants across sectors including remittance, transport, digital services and humanitarian aid, with clients such as GiveDirectly and Deriv relying on mobile money to reach customers across African markets.

As more global businesses expand across Africa, demand for reliable, compliant payments infrastructure continues to grow. PawaPay is continuing to expand its regulated footprint across the continent, with further licence applications underway to support the next phase of growth.