Editor’s note: African-Startups is a sister publication of EU-Startups, bringing trusted coverage of startups, venture capital, and innovation across Africa.
Meru, the Latin America-born FinTech that lets users hold and move money in dollars, has launched operations in Africa, opening its platform to users across 15 countries.
The newly supported markets are Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Togo and Cameroon.
“Meru is expanding to Africa,” Amilcar Erazo, co-founder and CEO of Meru, said in a LinkedIn post, adding that “starting today, Meru users can send money directly to bank accounts and mobile money wallets across 15 African countries.”
The expansion means Meru users can now route transfers straight into local bank accounts and mobile money wallets in these countries, rather than relying solely on traditional international transfer corridors.
Meru users in Africa will now have the ability to get US and European virtual accounts, hold and move dollars globally, use Visa cards, earn yield, invest, and access financial services that traditionally depend on where you live.
Meru, co-founded by Erazo, Carlos Neira, and Yoser Marcel Rodríguez, positions itself as a global account for people whose access to dollar-denominated financial services has historically been limited by geography. The platform lets users open a US bank account number and routing details, along with a European IBAN, using only a national identity document, eliminating the need for a physical presence in the US or Europe.
Its users can receive ACH, Wire, and SEPA transfers, hold savings in dollars, spend internationally through a Visa card, and invest, all from a single mobile app. The company also offers companies tools to manage international transfers, receive payments from abroad, pay global payroll, and issue corporate cards, under a product line branded Meru Business.
For African users specifically, the expansion effectively folds the continent into a payments and banking corridor that already links Latin America, the United States and Europe. “Latin America → United States → Europe → Asia → Africa,” Erazo explained the geographic buildout on LinkedIn.
Meru has not disclosed transaction volumes, user numbers, or specific banking or licensing partners for its African rollout. However, by extending direct payout rails into bank accounts and mobile money wallets across 15 African countries, Meru is betting on the demand for dollar savings, global payments, and borderless financial tools.
“We’re building a global financial platform for anyone, anywhere. One account. One balance. The world,” Erazo commented.
