Innovate Africa: Zazu makes banking simple for Africa's SMMEs
Zazu is a new digital bank launching in South Africa with one clear goal: to make life easier for small businesses in Africa.
Built by former Solaris executives Germain Bahri and Rinse Jacobs, Zazu offers more than just a bank account. It gives SMMEs access to tools such as digital company registration, invoicing, expense tracking and real-time cash flow insights — all in one place.
I sat down with co-founder Germain Bahri to find out what this means for you.
'We're building a bank around the real needs of African businesses — simple, transparent and easy to use,' he told me.
With more than 300 businesses already signed up during its soft launch, Zazu is positioning itself as a practical, no-nonsense alternative to traditional banking. It's a big step forward for entrepreneurs tired of red tape and outdated systems.
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The Herald
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- The Herald
Several successful projects unveiled by MDBA
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When I joined the MBDA in June 2023, the entity's plans for the 2023/2024 financial year were already set and in motion. I accepted that I would work with what I inherited while rebuilding and refocusing the entity for the following year, 2024/2025, the financial year we are currently in. Our goals for 2024/2025 are lofty, and that is to achieve record institutional performance in terms of budget expenditure and service delivery focused key performance indicators ( KPIs). We adopted the 95% budget expenditure performance framework as it applies in our sector, and I am happy to report that we are firmly on track. However, there are only two impediments that are now beyond our control, they are the termination of the construction contract related to Moore Dyke due to disputes with the contractor, and the capital funds earmarked for multipurpose centres that are wholly inadequate and cannot be spent fruitlessly. 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The South African
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Mail & Guardian
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