Why 2026 Will Be the Year of the Super App in Emerging Markets – African Business Innovation

André de Wet, Co-Founder and CEO of Flood (https://flood.finance)

Cape Town, 8 December 2026: Every generation inherits a different kind of economy. For my generation in South Africa, we’re witnessing something remarkable: The birth of a platform-driven digital economy that could do for today’s entrepreneurs what factories once did for previous generations. As we approach 2026, I believe we’re standing at the threshold of the super-app revolution in emerging markets, and Africa is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.

The South African digital economy’s foundation is already built

The numbers tell a compelling story. The South African digital economy, as example, has experienced immense growth, with ecommerce surging from just 1% to nearly 10% of all retail sales in five years. [1]This isn’t just growth but a fundamental shift in how South Africans buy, sell, and connect.

But here’s what most people miss: This is just the beginning.

While ecommerce in South Africa has proven that digital commerce works, we’re still operating in silos. Consumers juggle multiple apps for payments, ordering, banking and logistics and small business owners struggle with fragmented solutions that don’t talk to each other. This fragmentation creates friction, limits growth and excludes millions from participating fully in the digital economy.

Super-apps solve this problem by consolidating multiple services into a single, seamless platform. Think of WeChat in China or Grab in Southeast Asia, but designed specifically for African markets and challenges – and built to be a discovery layer that connects people, products, services and businesses in one place.

High mobile penetration meets low formal infrastructure

South Africa presents the ideal conditions for super-app adoption. We have high mobile penetration but relatively low formal infrastructure. This isn’t a disadvantage – it’s our competitive advantage. While developed markets are constrained by legacy systems and established players, emerging markets can leapfrog directly to platform-based solutions.

Consider the MSMEs in South Africa that represent an estimated R900 billion untapped market in our townships.[2] Around 80% of these businesses[3] operate informally, relying heavily on cash transactions and lacking access to digital infrastructure, and traditional banks and financial institutions have struggled to serve this market profitably.

Super-apps change this equation entirely. By digitising how these businesses are found, accessed and transacted with, super-apps turn offline, invisible traders into visible, connected participants in the digital economy.

At Flood, we’ve seen firsthand how the right platform can transform informal businesses overnight. Our spaza shop owners and township traders don’t need separate apps for inventory management, payments, ordering and financing. They need one platform that understands their world and works within their constraints.

Why 2026 is the tipping point

Six factors converge to make 2026 the breakthrough year for super-apps in emerging markets:

1. Infrastructure maturity: Mobile networks have reached the reliability and speed needed for complex, multi-service platforms. 5G rollout will accelerate this further, enabling real-time transactions and rich user experiences even in previously underserved areas.
2. User behaviour evolution: The pandemic accelerated digital adoption by years, not months. Users are now comfortable with mobile-first services and expect integrated experiences. The learning curve has been overcome.
3. Regulatory clarity: Governments across Africa are establishing clearer frameworks for digital financial services, creating the regulatory certainty needed for large-scale platform investment.
4. Capital availability: International investors increasingly recognise Africa’s potential. The funding needed to build and scale super-apps is becoming available to the right teams with the right vision.
5. Competitive landscape: Traditional financial institutions are still thinking in product silos rather than platform ecosystems. This creates a window of opportunity for nimble, platform-native companies to establish market leadership.
6. Rapid growth of mobile wallets and digital payments: Mobile wallets are becoming the default way to transact, accelerating the shift away from cash. M-Pesa alone now processes over $300 billion annually for more than 60 million users.[4] This widespread adoption of digital payments – and the rewards, convenience and security that come with them – sets the stage for super-apps to unify digital discovery, commerce and payments in one seamless ecosystem.

The Flood approach: Built for African realities

At Flood, we’re not trying to copy Asian super-app models – we’re building something uniquely African. Our platform addresses the specific needs of informal traders, spaza shop owners and township SMEs who have been largely ignored by traditional financial services.

Our approach recognises that MSMEs in South Africa need more than just digital payments. They need inventory management, supplier connections, customer relationship tools and access to credit but critically, they also need digital discovery. Being visible on digital platforms is now as essential as having a physical shopfront. MSMEs must be easily found by customers searching online, and those digital touchpoints must drive real, physical engagement with their stores.

Flood brings these capabilities together in a single, intuitive platform that makes merchants discoverable and connected across both digital and physical environments. The results speak for themselves: Our users report significant improvements in business efficiency, access to new customers and financial stability.

What banks, telcos and fintechs must do now

The super-app revolution will happen with or without traditional financial institutions. The question is whether they’ll be participants or casualties. Here’s what they need to do:

• Embrace platform thinking: Stop thinking about individual products and start thinking about ecosystems. Your customers don’t want another banking app, they want a platform that solves multiple problems seamlessly.
• Partner, don’t compete: The winners will be those who recognise that super-apps are about orchestration, not ownership. Banks have regulatory licenses and capital; telcos have distribution and customer relationships; fintechs have agility and innovation. The magic happens when these strengths combine.
• Invest in digital skills development: The digital economy in South Africa requires new capabilities. Traditional institutions must upskill their teams and embrace platform-native thinking.
• Focus on inclusion: The biggest opportunity lies in serving the previously underserved. Super-apps that crack the code on digital discovery will capture the largest markets and create the most value.

 The 18-month window

I believe we have an 18-month window to establish market leadership in the African super-app space. By mid-2026, the winners will be clear, and the barriers to entry will be significantly higher. This isn’t just about technology – it’s about understanding local markets, building trust with informal businesses and creating network effects that become self-reinforcing.

The transformation won’t happen overnight, but it will happen faster than most people expect. We’re already seeing early adopters embrace platform-based solutions. As these platforms prove their value and word spreads through communities, adoption will accelerate exponentially.

The future is being built here

The future isn’t somewhere else, it’s being built right here, in the hands of South African entrepreneurs ready to connect, create and compete. 2026 will be remembered as the year super-apps moved from experiment to essential infrastructure in emerging markets. The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen, it’s whether we’ll lead it or follow it.

At Flood, we’re committed to leading. We’re building the platform that will power the next generation of African entrepreneurs, and we’re doing it with the urgency and ambition this moment demands.

The super app revolution is coming. The only question is: Are you ready?

For more information on Flood, visit https://flood.finance

About Flood

Flood is a mobile-first digital commerce platform designed to power Clicks-to-mortar retail in emerging markets. With a zero-code, SaaS-based, and API-driven infrastructure, Flood enables telcos, banks, enterprises, and SMEs to build and scale marketplace models across products, services, payments, and logistics. The platform bridges online and offline commerce through features such as merchant onboarding, loyalty programs, in-store pickup, discovery, and real-time analytics.

About André de Wet, Co-Founder and CEO

André de Wet is a visionary digital commerce entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building and scaling disruptive businesses across emerging markets. A pioneer in mobile and digital innovation, he previously led PriceCheck to become one of Africa’s top e-commerce platforms and served as Head of Africa for OTT streaming giant iflix. He has raised millions in funding, delivered keynote talks at major tech conferences and was awarded Global Brands’ “Most Innovative Business Leader in South Africa.” Today, André is the founder and CEO of Flood, a VC-backed digital commerce platform powering large-scale marketplace solutions for telcos, banks, and neo-banks across four continents.

References 

1. ECOFINAGENCY. (n.d.). South Africa e-commerce hits 10% of retail spend, reshaping market: Report. Retrieved December 8, 2026, from https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/1209-48628-south-africa-e-commerce-hits-10-of-retail-spend-reshaping-market-report

2. Daily Investor. (n.d.). South Africa sitting on a R900 billion goldmine. Retrieved December 8, 2026, from https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/85032/south-africa-sitting-on-a-r900-billion-goldmine/

3. Dailymaverick. (2025, October 30). Township entrepreneurs who built a R1 trillion economy deserve parity. Retrieved December 8, 2026, from https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-30-township-entrepreneurs-who-built-a-r1-trillion-economy-deserve-parity/

4. Similoluwa, A. (2020, October 15). Kenya’s M-Pesa created a financial revolution. Medium. Retrieved December 8, 2026, from https://medium.com/@akinsanyasimiloluwa/kenyas-m-pesa-created-a-financial-revolution-49feea2d1f15#