Julaya
“Can a licensed Francophone-Africa B2B payments platform become the default professional account for SMEs and public institutions across WAEMU by owning both mobile-money and bank rails?”
Founded2018
HQAbidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (with office at 32 avenue Henri Varagnat, Bondy, France)
FoundersMathias Léopoldie, Charles Talbot
Total raised~$8.4M disclosed
Latest roundConvertible bonds, October 2025
IndustryFintech / SMB banking
The story
Founded 2018 in Côte d'Ivoire to digitize B2B payments by bridging mobile money networks (Orange, MTN, Moov, Wave) with traditional bank accounts for businesses. Initially relied on bank partners to issue e-money; with the 2024 BCEAO regulatory overhaul, Julaya pursued its own licensing — securing Payment Institution status in May 2025 and an EMI license in 2026, allowing direct e-money issuance without bank intermediaries. The company is now expanding cash management and SME credit across Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, and Togo.
Product timeline
2018
Founded in Abidjan; name 'Julaya' means 'commerce' in Bambara· founding
2021
Raised $2M seed to digitize B2B payments in Francophone Africa· funding
2022
Raised $5M pre-Series A extension; positioning as banking partner for businesses in Francophone West Africa· funding
2025
Received BCEAO Payment Institution license (EP.CI.004/2025) on May 10, 2025· regulatory
2025
Secured CFA 800M (~$1.4M) convertible bond financing from CDC-CI Capital· funding
2026
Received BCEAO Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license — one of the first private operators under the updated framework· regulatory
Regulated entities
Payment Institution (Établissement de Paiement)
BCEAO / WAEMU (Côte d'Ivoire) · 2025
Julaya Côte d'Ivoire SA
Electronic Money Institution (EMI)
BCEAO / WAEMU · 2026
Julaya
The stack
Payments / PSP
Julaya (self-operated, BCEAO Payment Institution & EMI licensed)Mobile money rails: Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Moov, Wave, Wizall, Djamo (integrated)
Banking / BaaS
Lending
Accounting gap: significant