84 M&A deals worth $11.4 billion in disclosed value recorded so far in 2026
Summary
African tech M&A reached 84 deals with a disclosed value of $11.4 billion by August 17, 2026. Financial services led the activity because companies wanted licenses, distribution networks, and scale in a difficult market. The article highlights several large transactions, including MTN’s proposed IHS Towers deal, Vodacom’s Safaricom stake deal, and Nedbank’s acquisition of NCBA Group. It also shows a clear pattern of fintechs buying banks or getting licenses while traditional banks buy fintechs to control product and strategy. The story ends by noting that major African fintechs are also considering foreign listings to access deeper capital markets.
AskAI Classifications
Sectors
Fintech, Banking and Payments
Retail and Commerce
General Fintech
Functions
No functions detected
