How rank is turning Africa’s oldest financial traditions into a modern wealth engine

Long before banking apps and ATMs, African communities created their own financial safety nets. Women in markets pooled cash through rotating savings groups. Neighbours lent to one another on trust alone. Traders supported each other through difficult seasons. These systems were unwritten, yet effective, held together by community, honesty, and shared responsibility.

In 2025, that spirit is experiencing a digital revival.

Moni, the fintech originally known for entering markets with a model based entirely on community trust, is stepping into a new identity: Rank. This is more than a rebrand; it is an expansion of an idea—that prosperity grows strongest when people rise together.

To bring this vision to life, Rank acquired two established players in community finance. AjoMoney is a digital leader in rotating savings systems, while Zazzau Microfinance Bank, now renamed Rank Microfinance Bank, provides the regulated backbone for Rank to operate as a full financial institution.

Yet the heart of the story lies in what Rank is building. Imagine a traders’ association in Lagos, a neighbourhood cooperative in Kaduna, or a digital community of young professionals saving for their first investments. Rank is connecting these naturally trusted networks to modern financial infrastructure, allowing thousands of people to save, earn, and grow together.

During its pilot, over 10,000 participants pooled their savings starting from as little as $100. Rank invested the funds in treasury bills and money markets, delivering returns of up to 23 per cent. In total, ₦16 billion flowed back into these communities. For many, it marked the first time they had taken part in a wealth-building system that felt both profitable and personal.

Rank is not stopping at digital deposits and dashboards. Every user has access to human wealth advisors who understand the cultural fabric of community finance and can provide guidance as users save and invest.

CEO Femi Iromini sums up the mission succinctly: “Rank is about rising together, building a financial system powered by community, trust and shared progress.”

With AjoMoney’s expertise, Rank draws on centuries-old wisdom. With Rank Microfinance Bank’s regulatory strength, it is creating a future where every community—market women, small businesses, cooperatives, alumni groups—can access financial tools previously reserved for the formal sector.

Rank is not simply launching a finance app. It is reinventing the way African communities build wealth, transforming social capital into financial power and demonstrating that in the journey toward prosperity, no one has to walk alone.