Zedcrest Group, нигерийская финансовая группа с бизнесом в сфере инвестиционно-банковских услуг, управления активами и финтеха, приобрела основанный в Великобритании стартап Leatherback, занимающийся трансграничными платежами, за нераскрытую сумму.

Leatherback продолжит работать как независимая дочерняя компания в составе Zedcrest Group, сохранив свой бренд и текущую управленческую команду, сообщили компании в заявлении.

Сделка формализует отношения, начавшиеся в 2021 году, когда Zedcrest инвестировала в раунд pre-seed Leatherback на $10 million. Она также соответствует стратегии Zedcrest по созданию интегрированного финансового бизнеса после приобретения в 2024 году RMB Nigeria Stockbrokers, брокерской компании.

“Leatherback has built an impressive platform that addresses real challenges in cross-border payments, and we see significant opportunities to accelerate that journey through the strength of the Zedcrest ecosystem,” said Adedayo Amzat, group managing director of Zedcrest Group.

Zedcrest said the acquisition will give Leatherback greater financial backing to pursue expansion into new markets, secure regulatory licences, deepen banking partnerships, and hire senior compliance and risk professionals while maintaining its existing operations. Leatherback has developed its own core banking system and payments ledger, technology its management previously said helped the company control transaction costs while supporting enterprise payment services.

The deal also strengthens Zedcrest’s effort to build an integrated financial services group spanning investment banking, asset management, securities, financing, and financial technology. It gives the group greater exposure to Africa’s fast-growing cross-border payments market, which is projected to be worth $1 trillion by 2035.

“We believe the opportunity in borderless financial services remains significantly underpenetrated, and this acquisition aligns with Zedcrest’s strategy of building a portfolio of trusted, scalable, and globally relevant businesses,” Amzat said.

The transaction comes less than a year after Leatherback completed a leadership overhaul following one of the most turbulent periods in its history. In 2023, Nigerian authorities investigated transactions linked to an external entity that had passed through a Leatherback account. Although a court ordered the forfeiture of the funds, former chief executive and co-founder Ibrahim Toyeeb Ibitade was cleared of wrongdoing before leaving the company in October 2024.

By August 2025, Leatherback had appointed former Cellulant executive Ochebhoya Ekpete as chief executive, alongside a new product and technology leadership team. The company also shifted its strategy toward enterprise- and infrastructure-led cross-border payments, positioning itself as the financial rails powering businesses rather than competing primarily for retail remittance customers. It told TechCabal at the time that enterprise clients would become its primary growth engine, while retail products would remain part of its offering.

Since then, Leatherback has expanded its regional footprint, opening a West African hub in Nigeria. According to the statement, it plans to establish regional hubs in Canada and Kenya to support its North American and East African operations.

For Zedcrest, the deal adds another operating business to a broader financial services platform at a time when firms across Africa are increasingly pairing capital markets capabilities with fintech infrastructure to serve businesses that move money across borders. For Leatherback, the backing of a larger group may help it continue a shift toward enterprise clients while navigating the licensing, compliance, and partnership requirements that typically accompany cross-border expansion.

“This marks an exciting new chapter for Leatherback,” said Ochebhoya Ekpete, chief executive officer of Leatherback. “We have built a business focused on solving real challenges in global payments, and this transaction positions us to build on that foundation with even greater scale, capability, and long-term vision.”