Kifiya Financial Technology
“Can an AI-powered embedded finance infrastructure company become the operating system for uncollateralized credit and digital financial services across Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa?”
Founded in 2010 as a digital payments and billing infrastructure company for Ethiopia, Kifiya evolved from operating the government's Lehulu utility payment system into a full-stack AI-powered embedded finance infrastructure provider. The company pivoted decisively toward AI-driven credit decisioning and embedded lending after partnering with the Mastercard Foundation to launch the Michu uncollateralized digital lending platform with Cooperative Bank of Oromia in 2022. It now operates as a B2B2C fintech infrastructure company offering banks and non-bank FIs a full suite: AI credit scoring, loan portfolio management, embedded finance rails, Sharia-compliant products, agricultural micro-insurance, and B2B e-commerce — positioning itself as the embedded finance OS for Ethiopia and broader Sub-Saharan Africa.