AfricInvest, a prominent pan-African private equity firm, has officially exited its investment in MDP, a leading Egyptian fintech company specializing in payments technology infrastructure.
This marks the end of a multi-year partnership that significantly shaped MDP’s growth trajectory.
The announcement came on May 27, 2025, coinciding with a new strategic investment round led by Lorax Capital Partners (LCP) and backed by major global development financial institutions.
AfricInvest’s role in transforming MDP into a fintech powerhouse
AfricInvest’s involvement with MDP began several years ago, during which it played a crucial role in pivoting the company from a traditional industrial player to a technology-driven leader in the fintech space.
Ismail Talbi, Senior Partner at AfricInvest, emphasized their belief in MDP’s potential to expand into payment processing, stating, “We believed in MDP’s ability to pivot into payment processing and played a key role in transforming the company from a pure industrial player to a technology-driven leader.”
Throughout its investment, AfricInvest provided strategic guidance, operational support, and access to a broad network across 38 African countries.
This support was instrumental in helping MDP establish local partnerships and expand its footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, as highlighted by Skander Oueslati, Chief Investment Officer at AfricInvest: “Our commitment to fostering regional connectivity and supporting portfolio companies in their pan-African expansion was a driving force in our partnership with MDP. We opened doors in sub-Saharan Africa, helping MDP to establish local partnerships and presence, paving the way for further growth”.
AfricInvest’s exit reflects the success of its value creation initiatives, which positioned MDP as a cornerstone in Egypt’s fintech and banking ecosystem, actively contributing to the country’s financial inclusion strategy.
New investment led by Lorax Capital to accelerate MDP’s expansion
On the same day as AfricInvest’s exit, MDP announced a new phase of growth fueled by a strategic investment led by Lorax Capital Partners. This round also includes participation from a consortium of global development financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Proparco, the private sector arm of the French AFD Group.
Ahmed Nafie, Co-founder and CEO of MDP, described the investment as a “pivotal milestone” for the company. He expressed confidence that with the support of Lorax and these distinguished investors, MDP is well-positioned to accelerate its expansion, deepen its processing capabilities, and scale operations across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond.
Nafie stated, “We are proud of the robust platform and trusted reputation we’ve built across 40-plus countries. With the backing of Lorax and a distinguished group of global institutional investors, we are well-positioned to accelerate our expansion, deepen our processing capabilities, and further scale our operations”.
Lorax Capital’s Managing Partner, Mohamed Sadek, echoed this optimism, emphasizing their commitment to supporting MDP’s founders in realizing their strategic vision: “We are excited to be backing MDP’s founders in realizing their strategic vision of becoming the partner of choice for financial institutions across the region. We are confident that LCP and its highly experienced co-investors will play an important role during MDP’s next phase of growth, which will focus on further investments in technology, expanded product offering, and geographic expansion”.
MDP’s Impact and market reach
MDP operates a fully integrated payments technology infrastructure ecosystem, offering services from card issuing and processing to cloud-native digital solutions. It supports over 200 banks and 60 fintech companies across more than 40 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
MDP has processed over 1 billion transactions and issued more than 350 million cards, underscoring its role in advancing financial inclusion and digital transformation in emerging markets.
The company’s technology-driven approach has made it a vital partner in the region’s fintech and banking sectors, facilitating seamless, omnichannel customer experiences and enabling businesses to roll out tailored financial solutions efficiently.
This strategic investment and AfricInvest’s exit highlight the dynamic nature of fintech investments in Africa and the Middle East, where companies like MDP rapidly scale to meet the growing demand for digital financial services.
The involvement of global development finance institutions further signals strong international confidence in MDP’s business model and growth potential.
This development marks a new chapter for MDP, which embarks on accelerated growth with fresh capital and strategic partnerships. Meanwhile, AfricInvest moves on after successfully nurturing the company into a leading fintech infrastructure provider.