adminHelios Investment Partners LLP is in talks with African telecom operators and banks about ways the private-equity firm can help them cash in on their mobile-money and digital-payments platforms.
Africa’s largest wireless carriers, including MTN Group and Airtel Africa, are among companies exploring how to unlock value from their multi-billion dollar fintech operations.
Johannesburg-based MTN is looking to finalise plans to spin off the lucrative unit by the end of March, while Airtel brought in Mastercard Inc. has a minority investor in its mobile-finance division last year.
“There is a desire to carve out these businesses, and we have been in continuous dialogue with such players,” Helios co-founder and managing partner, Tope Lawani, said in an interview, without naming specific firms.
“Companies are trying to find ways of letting these units flourish and not essentially be suffocated by the traditional parts of business.”
Helios is looking to take advantage of the booming digital-payments sector in Africa, where a youthful and tech-savvy population has increasing access to smartphones and affordable, high-speed internet. — Bloomberg.
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