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🏦 Ex-Chpter Founders Launch Youth-Focused Digital Bank, Cloud9

🏦 Ex-Chpter Founders Launch Youth-Focused Digital Bank, Cloud9

Plus: ☂️ Verod exits Tangerine APT Pensions

Innovation Village
October 03, 2025

In partnership with

TGIF☀️

There’s something about Fridays that just feels different—the air is lighter, the coffee hits better, and the weekend suddenly feels close enough to touch. And speaking of not wasting time, the Chpter founders who just stepped down are already onto their next move: Cloud9, a digital banking app. No breaks, no detours, just straight into the next chapter.

That’s the kind of energy we’re carrying into this weekend: momentum, fresh starts, and maybe a little boldness to try something new. So kick back, scroll through today’s edition, and float into Friday like you’re already on Cloud9.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🏦 Former Chpter Founders launch Cloud9, a digital bank designed for Africa’s youth
☂️ Verod exits Tangerine APT Pensions
🤖 Senegal Gives 5,000 Computers, Trains Teachers in AI
🏦 Stanbic IBTC Announces New Group CEO, Chukwuma Nwokocha
💵 TLG Capital closes landmark US$10 million aviation financing facility for VivaJets
🤝 Pesalink partners with Cellulant to power high-value digital payments for Kenyan businesses

🏦BANKING

Former Chpter Founders launch Cloud9, a digital bank designed for Africa’s youth

Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti

Kenyan entrepreneurs Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti, former co-founders of Chpter and MarketForce, have launched Cloud9, a mobile-first digital bank targeting Africa’s millennial and Gen Z populations. Positioned as more than a fintech product, Cloud9 aims to redefine banking as a tool for dignity, belonging, and opportunity, offering features like real-time payments, savings, credit, and wealth management — all optimized for mobile.

The platform has opened a waitlist ahead of its launch, with infrastructure designed for speed, flexibility, and user-centric design. Backed by a team of former bankers and entrepreneurs, Cloud9 seeks to tackle the limitations of traditional banks and expand financial inclusion for young Africans....…continue reading

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📱TELECOMS

MTN Strengthens Lead in Congo with 64.8% Market Share

MTN has cemented its leadership in Congo’s telecom market with a 64.8% share, reflecting sustained investment in coverage, modernization, and customer-focused offers. Congo’s fast-growing sector—driven by rising smartphone adoption, youth demographics, and expanding data demand—has intensified competition, yet MTN’s reliable network, affordable voice bundles, competitive data plans, and loyalty programs continue to attract users nationwide, including underserved areas.

Fintech is a major accelerator: MTN’s mobile money platform broadens financial inclusion for millions, positioning the company as both a connectivity leader and an economic enabler. Challenges remain, including aggressive rivals, regulatory scrutiny to safeguard competition, high operating costs, and the need for deeper rural infrastructure. Looking ahead, MTN is expanding beyond core telecoms into digital services such as mobile banking, e-commerce, and enterprise connectivity—opportunities that bring further both responsibility and potential to drive affordable, accessible, and innovative digital participation across Congo...…..…continue reading

☂️ PENSIONS

☂️ Verod exits Tangerine APT Pensions

Verod Capital Management has successfully exited Tangerine APT Pensions, selling its stake to minority partner APT Securities and Funds. Verod entered Nigeria’s pensions market in 2020 by acquiring 100% of AXA Mansard Pensions and 45% of APT Pension Fund Managers, then merged them in 2021 to create Tangerine APT Pensions with ₦100 billion AUM. Under Verod, AUM rose 4.5x to over ₦445 billion, driven by pension transfers, higher contributions from existing RSA holders, and customer expansion.

Partner Daniel Adeoye said the strategy was to consolidate, optimize, and scale—delivering strong investor returns while strengthening operations and market positioning. Managing Director Aliyu Dahiru credited Verod with transforming the firm into a scalable, tech-enabled administrator with enhanced governance and a clear profitability roadmap. The sale aligns with Verod’s capital recycling across West Africa and underscores private equity’s role in Nigeria’s maturing pension sector...…..…continue reading

💵 FUNDING

TLG Capital closes landmark US $10 million aviation financing facility for VivaJets

TLG Capital has closed a US$10 million financing facility for VivaJets, a subsidiary of Falcon Aero, in partnership with Wema Bank. The deal, considered the first internationally structured aviation financing for a Nigerian Air Operator, will boost intra-African connectivity and reduce legacy debt obligations for Falcon Aero.

The funding provides long-term, USD-denominated capital, enabling the company to expand operations while easing cash flow pressures. Legal advisors included Wigwe & Partners and Hannaford Turner...........…continue reading

🤝 PARTNERSHIP

Pesalink partners with Cellulant to power high-value digital payments for Kenyan businesses

Pesalink, Kenya’s interbank transfer platform, has partnered with pan-African fintech Cellulant via its Tingg platform to boost digital commerce payments. The integration allows businesses to accept instant customer-to-business (C2B) payments of up to KES 999,999 ($7,700) directly from bank accounts—nearly double mobile money limits.

This gives merchants faster settlement, easier reconciliation, and an edge for high-value transactions in sectors like travel and airlines. The move aligns with Kenya’s banking sector strategy to modernize Pesalink rather than build new systems, positioning the platform to capture growth in the country’s projected $9.36B digital payments market by 2025........…continue reading