Khazna, a Cairo-based financial Super App that offers easy to use, technology-driven financial services to Egypt’s underserved consumers and micro-businesses, announced today it has raised a Series A round of $38 million in equity and debt, with the equity investment led by impact investor Quona Capital with the participation of Speedinvest, Nclude, Khawarizmi Ventures, Algebra Ventures, Accion Venture Lab, Disruptech, AB Accelerator by Arab Bank, and CVentures, among others.
The company’s debt financing is provided by Lendable, while the Arab Bank Egypt is the Security Agent facilitating the transaction. The round comes as Khazna ramps up its efforts to replace informal cash-driven alternatives across Egypt, pairing a digital native solution with an innovative business model.
Khazna’s super app is aimed at the 50 percent of Egyptians who use smartphones but do not have access to official financial institutions.
Khazna offers General Purpose Credit, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), and Bill Payment at the moment. In response to the Central Bank of Egypt’s recent drive for financial inclusion and a “less-cash” environment, the company’s objective is to digitize cash transactions across Egypt.
Khazna launched with an Earned Wage Access product in 2020, and has since evolved into the multi-product offering it is today. Former executives from World Remit, Valeo, Uber, CIB, Jumia, Match Group, and Arqaam Capital make up Khazna’s leadership team.
“The unprecedented evolution of Egypt’s nascent fintech industry is a testament to the significant efforts by the Central Bank of Egypt towards financial inclusion and a less-cash society. We are aligned with CBE’s vision and Khazna at its core believes that world-class financial services should be available to all. We are combining cutting-edge technology and relentless user obsession to build the best experience for our users,” said Omar Saleh, Khazna’s co-founder and CEO. “We continue to experience exponential growth in network effects created by our 150k+ active users, our partners, and Egypt’s largest merchants.”
Khazna represents Quona Capital’s second investment in Egypt. “In just two years, Khazna has scaled and monetised quickly and is already a market leader in the push for financial inclusion for the 35 million underbanked in Egypt,” said Monica Brand Engel, co-founder and Managing Partner at Quona. “Empowering consumers and micro-businesses with Khazna’s convenient, user-centric, and the transparent financial super app can enable millions across Egypt to gain greater control over their financial lives. Quona is incredibly excited about Khazna’s roadmap to be the category-leading digital super app for inclusive finance in Egypt.”
“We have been following the Khazna team since its launch in Egypt and have seen the business gain clear traction resulting in a fast scaling product offering,” said Suresh Samuel, Lendable’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer. “As Lendable continues to grow our presence providing scalable debt financing to fintech in Egypt, we are excited to support Khazna’s work in providing increased access to financial services for the underserved in Egypt.”
Arab Bank has been appointed as the Security Agent to enable Khazna’s debt facility from Lendable. “Supporting Khazna was a natural step for Arab Bank as a strategic investor to facilitate the company’s growth,” said Ahmed Ismail Hassan, Country Manager at Arab Bank – Egypt.
