# Waza

> Waza is a Y Combinator-backed (W23) B2B payments and liquidity platform that helps businesses in emerging markets - starting with Nigeria and Ghana - pay global suppliers, hold multi-currency balances, and access USD without the friction of traditional correspondent banking. Founded in 2023 by fintech veterans Maxwell Obi and Emmanuel Igbodudu, the company processes hundreds of millions of dollars in annual payment volume and in 2025 launched Lync, a multi-currency banking product positioned as an alternative to Mercury for African startups.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Maxwell Obi (Co-founder & CEO), Emmanuel Igbodudu (Co-founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~20 employees
- **Products:** Waza Payments & Liquidity Platform, Lync, Trade Finance, Payments & Payouts API
- **Notable:** Grew from $280K in payment volume in its first month (Jan 2023) to ~$70M monthly ($700M annualized) by May 2024, Averaged ~20% month-over-month growth for over a year, Raised $8M seed ($3M equity + $5M venture debt) in August 2024 after coming out of stealth

## Products & services

- **Waza Payments & Liquidity Platform** — Core B2B platform that lets businesses in emerging markets pay global suppliers and manage liquidity, sending and receiving in USD, EUR, and GBP with round-the-clock access to foreign currency.
- **Lync** — Multi-currency account and banking product supporting USD, EUR, GBP, NGN and stablecoins, with payments across 100+ countries over ACH, Fedwire, SWIFT and local rails. Positioned as a Mercury alternative for African and emerging-market startups.
- **Trade Finance** — Pre-shipment and invoice financing for businesses engaged in international trade, integrated into the Waza/Lync app.
- **Payments & Payouts API** — Cross-border payment infrastructure and APIs for fintechs and developers who need to move money into and out of emerging markets.

## Achievements

- Grew from $280K in payment volume in its first month (Jan 2023) to ~$70M monthly ($700M annualized) by May 2024
- Averaged ~20% month-over-month growth for over a year
- Raised $8M seed ($3M equity + $5M venture debt) in August 2024 after coming out of stealth
- Launched Lync in January 2025, enabling payments across 100+ countries
- Selected for Y Combinator's W23 batch

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Launched Lync, a multi-currency banking product supporting USD, EUR, GBP, NGN and stablecoins across 100+ countries, positioned as a Mercury alternative for African startups.
- **2024-08** — Came out of stealth with an $8M seed round and plans to expand beyond Nigeria and Ghana and add trade finance.

## Links

- Website: https://waza.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wazahq/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/waza-yc-w23
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-30