E-commerce platform MaxAB-Wasoko purchases Fatura, aiming to speed up pan-African expansion efforts
MaxAB-Wasoko, an Africa-focused retail e-commerce and supply chain platform, has made a significant move by acquiring Fatura, an Egypt-based B2B e-marketplace. This strategic acquisition, announced earlier this year, has significantly enhanced MaxAB-Wasoko's B2B commerce and fintech capabilities in Africa, driving its growth trajectory through strategic market expansion and financial technology integration.
The deal brings Fatura's embedded lending infrastructure—covering 600 wholesalers—into MaxAB-Wasoko’s portfolio, contributing about 25% of the company’s local Egyptian revenue. This fintech pivot enables MaxAB-Wasoko to move beyond traditional B2B warehousing, which suffers from thin FMCG margins (2-5%), toward more sustainable financial services by leveraging transaction data for real-time credit scoring and embedded lending.
The acquisition aligns with broader African tech sector trends in 2025, where fintech leads M&A activity, reflecting a maturation of the market with increasing emphasis on digital financial solutions and regional expansion. MaxAB-Wasoko’s strategy includes leveraging its new banking license, obtained in Egypt, to circumvent high logistics costs and deepen fintech integration across Morocco and Egypt.
The integration of Fatura is aimed at driving topline growth and operational efficiencies over the next 12-18 months. Fatura's asset-light, scalable marketplace model complements MaxAB-Wasoko’s full-stack supply chain, from procurement to last-mile delivery. Retailers will have broader access to credit and embedded financial services due to the acquisition.
Aladdin ElAfifi, CEO of EFG Finance, expressed excitement about partnering with MaxAB-Wasoko and believes the integration will fuel growth and demonstrate their fintech commitment. EFG Finance, a subsidiary of EFG Holding, is now a significant shareholder in MaxAB-Wasoko as a result of the acquisition.
Belal El-Megharbel, CEO of MaxAB-Wasoko, stated that the acquisition is the realization of their ambition to become the go-to, one-stop-shop for retailers throughout Africa. Since merging in 2024, MaxAB and Wasoko have been on a mission to unify fragmented supply chains and retail ecosystems. With the addition of Fatura, MaxAB-Wasoko's fintech arm now finances 9%+ of e-commerce sales.
This acquisition marks a key strategic inflection point, accelerating digital financial services integration into B2B commerce, expanding geographic reach in Egypt, and setting the company on a fintech-focused growth path aligned with the evolving African tech landscape. Despite profitability challenges, the acquisition is viewed positively by strategic investors like EFG Holding, which emphasizes its transformational impact on informal retail digitization.
The acquisition of Fatura has allowed MaxAB-Wasoko to integrate financial technology, enabling them to move beyond traditional B2B warehousing and toward more sustainable financial services. This fintech pivot will help MaxAB-Wasoko finance a significant portion of e-commerce sales in Africa, thereby positioning them as a one-stop-shop for retailers.
MaxAB-Wasoko's strategic partnership with EFG Finance, a subsidiary of EFG Holding, underscores their commitment to fintech, fueling growth in the digital financial solutions sector and furthering their vision to unify Africa's fragmented retail ecosystem.
