3/3 Kenyan Web3 startups have attracted 50+ investors from four continents since 2021 The investor landscape is concentrated around Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A, meaning capital is backing founders long before the biggest outcomes become obvious. Collectively, the finance sector attracted $10M of the $14M raised, signaling payments, lending, and financial infrastructure as viable investments in the blockchain space. Notable Payment/Finance solutions include: 1. @honeycoinapp - stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure connecting businesses to M-Pesa (@Safaricom), Airtel Money (@AirtelAfrica), @mtnmomoug (@MTNGroup) and other payment rails across Africa. - The company recently launched stablecoin-backed Visa cards, and uses an AI-powered settlement engine to optimize liquidity and reduce cross-border settlement costs. 2. @kotanipay Raised $2M across four funding rounds from investors including @tether , @VenturesP1, and @StellarOrg. - @kotanipay connects blockchain networks directly to local payment systems like M-Pesa (@SafaricomPLC), enabling businesses to move value seamlessly between crypto wallets and mobile money across multiple African markets. 3. @KolanHQ (formerly HuruPay) - combines USD accounts, virtual Visa cards, stablecoin wallets and cross-border payments, allowing users to earn, hold, trade perps, and spend globally without relying on fragmented banking systems. 4. @MiniSend - Allows businesses to accept USDC and USDT while settling directly into local payment rails including M-Pesa, Kenyan banks, Nigerian bank accounts, and Ghanaian bank accounts. Its infrastructure makes it one of the fastes growing platforms in 2026, recording: - 26+ blockchain networks - 9,000+ settlements processed - $300K+ transaction volume - Hosted checkout, invoicing, wallets and payment APIs for African busines 5. @RiftHQ Digitizing cross-border trade by helping businesses manage procurement, logistics and payments across East Africa, reducing friction in regional commerce. 6. @TaranApp enables users to instantly convert USDT and USDC into local mobile money services, including M-Pesa (@SafaricomPLC ), @EvcplusService (Somalia), Zaad led by @Telesomcompany, Airtel Money (@AirtelAfrica), among others. 7. @MelaninKapital Backed by @Adaverse, Melanin Kapital has financed 20+ green SMEs and disbursed over $1.5M in green financing by eliminating traditional collateral requirements, instead underwriting businesses using receivables and cashflow. 8. @PezeshaAfrica By combining AI-driven credit scoring with embedded finance, Pezesha helps banks, supply chains, and marketplaces lend to businesses that traditional financial systems often overlook. 9. @ProjectMochaHQ A participant of the 2025 @Scroll_ZKP Founder Program run by @Web3Clubs, Project Mocha is building financing infrastructure for African coffee farmers through Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization. Instead of waiting until harvest to access capital, coffee production is financed upfront through Mocha Backed Tokens (MBT), production-backed digital notes that represent 1kg of verified green coffee, allowing investors to finance real agricultural output. Disclosure: MBT is an investment product. Returns are not guaranteed and depend on harvest performance, coffee prices, and market conditions. Investors should review the project's risk disclosures before participating. 10. @ExpendiApp - Founded by @mbiebuz , @ExpendiApp addresses a new catergory of emerging tools that enables users to, budget and track spending, automate recurring payments, manage subscriptions, save toward financial goals and spend stablecoins at local merchants - In under 1 year of testing, @ExpendiApp has processed over 5,000 transactions, serving more than 1,900 users across six countries. - The company is also preparing to launch the Expendi Card, extending its vision of making on-chain money easier to use in everyday financial management. Other notable companies in the Finance/Payments category include: @ExpendiApp , @nomachain , @BlockCoopSACCO , @peerxyz , @paydhq , @Antugrow , @Strimz_HQ @bitika_KE @element_pay @tapswapexchange @yiksiexchange @clixpesa Up Next (Part 2), We'll break down Kenya's infrastructure landscape, exploring the companies building the rails, tokenization platforms, and foundational technologies of Kenya's blockchain ecosystem.

1/ FROM IDEA to JENGAHACKS to GLOBAL  Wangari| Co-founder of @ADAMUR_R, Vincent | Co-founder of ADAMUR, Nelly | Base Devrel, @_ChrisOketch | Base ambassador, and @mbiebuz | Founder of @ExpendiApp.