Kenya’s digital banking sector is gaining another competitor as fintech company WayaWaya partners with Choice Bank to introduce artificial intelligence-powered banking services. The partnership aims to make financial services more personalised by allowing customers to access banking tools that adapt to their spending habits, business activities and financial needs.
The new service, called WayaWaya Banking, combines Choice Bank’s regulated banking infrastructure with WayaWaya’s technology platform. It will allow customers to open bank accounts, hold money in multiple currencies, make local and international transfers, and pay utility bills through a single digital platform.
The agreement, announced on November 6, 2026, marks WayaWaya’s move into a broader digital banking market and reflects growing interest in artificial intelligence as a tool for improving financial services across Africa.
At the centre of the partnership is WayaWaya’s Intelligent Adaptive Banking model, which uses AI to analyse customers’ financial activities and personalise their banking experience.
Rather than presenting every customer with the same dashboard and financial products, the platform is designed to adjust its interface according to how individuals earn, spend, save and invest.
For example, entrepreneurs who regularly receive customer payments and pay suppliers could see cash-flow information, payment collections and business expense tools prominently displayed.
Salaried professionals, meanwhile, could have easier access to budgeting, salary management and savings features. Investors could see investment transactions and portfolio-related activities prioritised.
The technology is also designed to recognise changes in customers’ financial behaviour. A salaried worker who begins operating a business, for instance, could receive greater visibility of tools for collecting payments and monitoring business expenses.
WayaWaya founder and chief executive Teddy Ogallo said the company’s goal is to move beyond traditional banking applications that expect customers to adapt to financial products.
Instead, the company wants banking services to adapt to customers’ changing financial circumstances.
Under the agreement, Choice Bank will provide the regulated banking infrastructure, while WayaWaya will develop the technology and manage the customer experience.
The service will operate within the regulatory framework of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). Customers will access banking services through WayaWaya’s platform, while Choice Bank provides the underlying banking capabilities.
This partnership allows WayaWaya to expand its financial services without independently building an entire regulated banking infrastructure.
Choice Bank’s Chief Commercial Officer, Patrick Russel, said the arrangement would give customers access to banking services within the WayaWaya application, including options tailored to individual consumers and business owners.
For merchants, the integration could simplify financial management by bringing payment collections, transfers, foreign exchange and supplier payments into one ecosystem.
The partnership also supports WayaWaya’s ambition to build a pan-African neobank through relationships with licensed financial institutions in different markets.
The company wants to make it easier for businesses operating across countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda to manage their finances without navigating completely different banking platforms and payment systems.
However, expansion will depend on securing suitable banking partnerships and meeting regulatory requirements in each market.
WayaWaya’s partnership with Choice Bank demonstrates how fintech companies can use existing banking infrastructure to introduce new financial products while concentrating on technology and customer experience.
Its AI-powered approach could make banking more relevant to individuals and SMEs by connecting financial tools with their everyday activities.
However, its long-term success will depend on customer adoption, data protection, security and the accuracy of its AI-driven personalisation.
As competition in African digital banking increases, WayaWaya is betting that the future of banking will not simply involve moving traditional services onto mobile applications, but creating financial platforms that understand and respond to customers’ changing needs.
Leave a Reply