“Can an AI-driven SME lender in Nigeria pivot into Africa's clean energy financing gap by embedding credit within renewable energy adoption journeys?”
Payhippo was founded in 2019 as an AI-driven SME lending platform in Nigeria, providing quick loans to small and medium businesses. After raising $3M in 2021 and building out its lending stack with embedded insurance via Curacel, the company pivoted and rebranded to Rivy, focusing on renewable energy financing. Rivy is now positioned as a clean energy lending platform, backed by Maritime Microfinance Bank as a parent entity, representing a significant shift from general SME credit to a sector-specific impact-lending thesis.
Payhippo's embedded insurance is provided by Curacel.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 2 layers in Payhippo's stack: Lending (SME quick business loans and Working capital loans); Insurance (Curacel).
Payhippo was founded by Chioma Okotcha and is founded in 2019, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
Payhippo has raised $6.1M in total (latest round: Seed, 2021).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Payhippo and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.