The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Zanifu was founded in 2017 by Steve Biko and Sebastian Mithika, and began operations a year later with a mission to provide short-term working capital credit to MSMEs in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) supply chain.

By September 2025, the startup had disbursed over US$60 million in loans across more than 15,000 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Notably, Zanifu has recently achieved break-even performance for two consecutive months—a significant accomplishment in the capital-intensive fintech sector.

Earlier, in August 2023, Zanifu had secured US$11.2 million in a mixed debt and equity round to fuel its growth.

Yango’s investment comes as part of a broader push into the African startup ecosystem, particularly in fintech, e-commerce, and B2B SaaS verticals.

According to public statements, the funding will combine capital with strategic support intended to help Zanifu extend its reach across Africa.

In a statement, Yango Ventures noted:

“In a market where most small retailers are excluded from formal credit, Zanifu is building critical financial infrastructure from the ground up. We’re proud to support the team as they scale across Africa and beyond!”

Analysts see this deal as reinforcing Kenya’s appeal as a strategic entry point for Yango’s early-stage investments in Africa, and as evidence of growing corporate investor interest in fintech solutions targeted at underserved SMEs.

This marks Yango Ventures’ second publicly disclosed investment in Kenya this year.

In July 2025, it injected capital into BuuPass, a Kenyan mobility ticketing startup. Through BuuPass, Yango made its first move into African mobility services.

Together, the two investments appear to hint at a deliberate strategy by Yango: backing asset-light, high-volume digital platforms that bridge the gap between online systems and offline commerce or services.