Lumepay Raises $6M Pre-Seed, Expands into Kenya

In Short

Lumepay has raised a $6 million pre-seed round from angel investors and South African fintech investors. Lumepay says it has launched in Kenya and is live across multiple African markets.

What Happened: Lumepay Pre-Seed And Kenya Launch

Lumepay is a South African B2B cross-border payments and digital asset platform. It raised $6 million in a pre-seed round from angel investors and South African fintech investors.

The round closed at the start of 2026. Lumepay said it also secured about $10 million in capital float to anchor liquidity for its clients. Capital float is money held to help a payments business settle transactions without delays.

Lumepay said it used the pre-seed capital to launch its products, build infrastructure and partnerships, and secure regulatory clearances.

In April 2026, the company launched Lumetrade, which it describes as a digital asset and stablecoin trading venue. A stablecoin is a crypto token designed to track the value of a currency like the US dollar. In June, Lumepay launched its cross-border payments platform for businesses across Africa. Lumepay said the two products have attracted 6,000 businesses and individuals since launch.

In October 2026, the Central Bank of Kenya gave Lumepay regulatory clearance. The company then launched its payments solution in Kenya. Lumepay said businesses in Kenya can now pay international suppliers in Chinese yuan, US dollars, Indian rupees, and other currencies, and can also move money across intra-African trade corridors.

Lumepay said it is live in the West African CFA franc zone (XOF), the Central African CFA franc zone (XAF), Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Kenya.

Why It Matters: Faster Cross-Border Payments For Businesses

Lumepay says it combines traditional banking channels with digital asset infrastructure to process cross-border corporate payments. The company says this makes payments faster and cheaper for businesses.

“The future of cross-border payments isn’t traditional finance or stablecoins, it’s a combination of both, backed by the FX depth to make them work for real businesses,” said Harry Huang, Chief Executive Officer of Lumepay.

Lumepay is led by Huang, Chief Operating Officer Luc Varejes and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Tatenda Nhemachena. In South Africa, it works with Nedbank as its sponsoring bank for rand merchant collections and payouts. Standard Bank supports rand deposits and withdrawals for Lume Trade’s institutional clients.

Lumepay said it is laying the groundwork for a Series A. It plans to expand its regulatory footprint across Southern, West, and Central Africa, with Malawi, Mozambique and the two CFA franc zones as key targets.