The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | African fintech startup tisini has announced a strategic partnership with Sphere Labs, a global leader in cross-border payment and tokenised asset infrastructure. The collaboration aims to expand Africa’s intelligent credit systems and open transparent, tokenised investment opportunities for global investors. The partnership was sealed at Speke Resort Munyonyo on the sidelines of ‘All Africa Pensions Summit’ organized by the National Social Security Fund and partners.
The partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, brings together tisini’s AI-powered credit intelligence and Sphere’s blockchain and payment rails. The signing was led by tisini CEO David Ofungi and Sphere Labs Vice President for Global Strategy and Expansion, Mohit Bhalodkar.
tisini, currently operating under the NSSF Uganda innovation sandbox, is pioneering credit solutions by combining behavioural and pension contribution data to create AI-driven credit scores for Africa’s underbanked populations. The company estimates that over 400 million Africans remain underserved by traditional lenders despite holding nearly US$400 billion in pension assets. By leveraging these datasets, tisini aims to unlock an estimated US$2 trillion private credit opportunity.
The partnership will integrate tisini’s verified credit intelligence with SphereNet, Sphere Labs’ Layer 1 blockchain network. This will enable African credit assets to be tokenised and traded transparently, providing new pathways for both institutional and retail investors worldwide to participate in Africa’s financial growth.
“We’re not just building credit intelligence; we’re opening Africa’s capital markets to transparent participation,” said tisini CEO David Ofungi. “Sphere Labs gives us the infrastructure to execute — cross-border payments across 18 jurisdictions and tokenisation rails for global investor participation.”
Sphere Labs’ technology suite includes SpherePay, a stablecoin-powered payment platform for compliant cross-border settlements, and SphereNet, its blockchain system designed for regulated fintech applications.
“tisini represents exactly why Sphere exists,” said Arnold Lee, CEO of Sphere Labs. “They’re transforming behavioural data into credit intelligence and investible assets — our infrastructure enables both layers.”
Following its success in Uganda, tisini plans to expand into Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana in 2026, targeting a presence in five African markets by the end of that year.
tisini’s broader mission is to build an intelligent financial backbone for Africa, combining AI, data, and blockchain to create inclusive credit access and transparent capital markets. Sphere Labs, which operates in 18 countries with more than US$100 billion in annual payment flows, will provide the infrastructure to scale this ambition across the continent.
The partnership marks a milestone in Africa’s digital finance evolution, merging financial inclusion goals with advanced technology to unlock new economic opportunities for individuals, institutions, and investors.
