Senegal's Wave passes 25 million monthly users and wins a disrupter award in Luanda
The mobile money company, which wants Africa to be the first cashless continent, works in 11 countries and employs more than 4,000 people.
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Dakar — Wave, the mobile money company founded in Senegal, now has more than 25 million monthly active customers across 11 African countries, and has won the African Disrupter Award at the Africa Financial Summit (AFIS) 2026 in Luanda, Angola.
The award recognised its contribution to widening access to financial services. Wave's stated ambition is to make Africa the world's first cashless continent.
Cheap and simple
Wave's model is built on affordable mobile money with transparent pricing and a simple app, so that people and small businesses can send, receive and spend money without depending entirely on traditional banks. It employs more than 4,000 people.
"Making financial services affordable and simple to use can change what is possible for millions of people and businesses. This award recognises that ambition, as well as the work our teams do every day to make it a reality," said Coura Tine Sene, Wave's regional director and head of public affairs.
At the summit, where Wave was a Diamond Sponsor, the company met regulators, financial institutions and industry leaders to discuss consumer protection, interoperability between payment systems and new technology in financial inclusion. Sene said Wave would keep working with regulators so that innovation brings practical improvements to people's daily lives.
Source: BusinessDay, November 2026.
