From fintech’s next growth phase to the challenge of creating meaningful exits, there’s been plenty to discuss in the Goodwell team chat this month, from all across the impact investment ecosystem.
Fintech is back – but the rules are changing
After a relatively quiet 2023 and 2024, the global fintech sector is showing renewed strength. In Boston Consulting Group’s From Recovery to Resurgence in Global Fintech, they report global fintech revenues grew by 22% in 2025, surpassing half a trillion dollars. But now that the sector’s strong performance has proven its worth, growth alone is no longer enough: investors are increasingly selective, regulations are tightening, public markets are more demanding, and new technologies are influencing future services.
For Goodwell (whose roots are in financial inclusion and fintech impact investing), this report further demonstrates that building resilient businesses delivering accessible, affordable, and adequate financial services requires strong fundamentals alongside innovation.
What makes a fintech company valuable?
Building on this theme, this second part of a series on fintech valuation by Nitin Pahilwani explores how to assess a fintech company’s worth. From discounted cash flow and comparable-company analysis to customer acquisition costs, lifetime value, and capital efficiency, Pahilwani offers a practical look at what investors and founders should consider.
A growing customer base or impressive revenue figures are only one aspect of a fintech company’s value. In a blend of “an art and a science”, to truly assess a fintech’s potential to deliver enduring value, one also needs an understanding of unit economics, regulatory risks, and paths to profitability. This blog series is a helpful read for impact investors navigating fundraising, investment decisions, or strategic exits.
Goodwell’s 2025 Impact Report: the stories behind the numbers
For us, enduring value also lies in enduring impact. That core belief remains the heart of everything we do. In our newly published 2025 Impact Report, we share how Goodwell and our portfolio companies are working to build a more inclusive and resilient economy across Africa. The report highlights impact developments across our portfolio and offers facts and figures to back it up.
We invite you to browse the report at your leisure. We do well by doing good, and this report brings that principle to life. It goes beyond the numbers to give a closer look at the entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities driving our work, and how Goodwell’s approach contributes to lasting change.
Exits keep coming – but are there enough pathways?
While we’re reflecting on the past through our Impact Report, our team is also keeping an eye on impact potential for the future. Exit activity across Africa remains encouraging. The Big Deal tracked 34 exits in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 38 over the same period in 2025. While slightly lower year on year, activity remains roughly twice the level seen in 2023 and 2024.
But as always, the big picture is more complicated – especially in agriculture. In Missing the Exit: The Growing Need for New Exit Pathways in Agriculture Investing, Coco Lim highlights how smallholder-focused agricultural businesses continue to face significant barriers to equity exits.
Lim’s argument is an important one: investors may need to create new pathways – including impact secondary funds and management buybacks – rather than relying solely on traditional acquisitions. Better exit options can help businesses build resilience, support smallholder livelihoods and allow capital to be reinvested in the next generation of impactful ventures.
Building an inclusive economy takes more than ‘just’ funding and innovation; a better tomorrow requires resilient businesses, thoughtful capital allocation, and an ecosystem that actually enables enduring impact. These are important considerations for all investors with hope for a world where no one is left behind.
