Yoco
Yoco is a South African fintech operating an integrated payments, POS, and commerce platform serving more than 200,000 small and medium businesses across food and beverage, retail, and health and beauty verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Yoco does
Yoco is a Cape Town-headquartered fintech company founded in 2014 that operates an integrated commerce platform for small and medium businesses in South Africa. It serves more than 200,000 merchants processing over US$1 billion in card payments annually from 29 million consumers, with an estimated 9% national share of the SME payments and point-of-sale vertical as of mid-2026. The platform combines purpose-built payment hardware (Yoco Counter all-in-one POS, Khumo 2 and Khumo Print 2 handheld devices) with free POS software, a payment gateway integrated with Shopify/WooCommerce/Wix/Shopstar, and value-added modules including Yoco Capital (cash advances), Yoco Loyalty, Yoco Savings, and Yoco Connect integrations. Technology is built around a cloud-based POS and payments core with multi-network SIM connectivity for resilience against South African load shedding, a real-time fraud detection system, and an open Developer Hub featuring a REST API, SDKs, and an MCP server for AI integrations.
Yoco monetizes primarily through per-transaction fees (2.3-2.7% ex-VAT for sub-R200k/month merchants, lower rates for larger volumes), one-time hardware sales (R699-R6,898), and an online payment gateway at 2.95% ex-VAT. The company also operates a business financing product (Yoco Capital, R3 billion+ disbursed) and is rolling out an AI-powered business assistant (Yoco AI, Q3 2026) following the May 2026 acquisition of AI-native restaurant operating system Dyner.ai. Its go-to-market combines product-led self-serve signup through yoco.com with a dedicated sales motion for larger merchants processing over R200,000/month. In May 2026, Yoco became one of the first South African platforms selected by Apple to support Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Yoco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yoco
- Legal name
- Yoco
- Website
- https://yoco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Yoco is a South African fintech operating an integrated payments, POS, and commerce platform serving more than 200,000 small and medium businesses across food and beverage, retail, and health and beauty verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yoco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing and Point-of-Sale Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management) (FSAMABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
Keywords
Where Yoco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yoco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction Fees: Primary revenue stream from per-transaction fees charged on card payments. Standard rates of 2.3-2.7% ex-VAT for businesses transacting below R200,000/month. Businesses processing over R200k/month receive custom lower rates. Additional R49/month connectivity fee per card machine applicable only in months of use.
- Hardware Sales: One-time hardware sales including Khumo 2 (R699), Khumo Print 2 (R1499), Yoco Counter (R2,999-4,999), printers (R2,899), barcode scanners (R1,350), and bundled packages (R4,198-6,898). Hardware includes free bundled POS software.
- Payment Gateway: Online payment processing for e-commerce through Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and Shopstar integrations. Flat rate of 2.95% ex-VAT per transaction with no recurring fees.
- Yoco Capital: Business financing offering cash advances to eligible merchants after 3 months of Yoco usage. Repayments flex with sales volumes. Disbursed over R3 billion to customers to date.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Khumo 2 standalone card machine |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Khumo Print 2 with built-in printer |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Yoco Counter all-in-one POS |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Counter + Printer Bundle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Counter + 2 Printer Bundle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Counter + Barcode Scanner Bundle |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Transaction Fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Payment Gateway |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Pro/Bigger Business Plan |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Yoco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yoco provides an integrated commerce platform for South African small and micro businesses, combining proprietary card payment hardware (Khumo 2, Khumo Print 2, Yoco Counter), free POS software, a payment gateway for e-commerce, and value-added services such as working capital (Yoco Capital), card-linked loyalty (Yoco Loyalty), and business savings (Yoco Savings). Merchants process card payments, run point-of-sale operations, manage inventory and staff, and access business insights through a single platform.
Product overview
Yoco is a South African fintech company offering an integrated commerce platform for small and medium businesses. The platform combines hardware (POS devices and card machines) with software (POS, payments, business management tools) in a unified ecosystem. Core hardware products include Yoco Counter (all-in-one POS tablet), Yoco Khumo 2 (handheld POS), and Yoco Khumo Print 2 (handheld with printer). Software layers include free POS software, Payment Gateway for e-commerce (integrated with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Shopstar), Yoco App for mobile management, and Yoco Capital for business funding. The platform expanded beyond payments in 2026 with acquisitions (Dyner.ai for restaurant operations, Nona Digital for Web3) and new AI capabilities. Yoco Next 2026 introduced Yoco AI (conversational business assistant), Yoco Loyalty (card-linked rewards), Yoco Savings (business savings), Yoco Connect (integration hub with 13+ integrations including Xero), and industry-specific modes for Food & Beverage, Retail, and Health & Beauty. The Developer Hub provides APIs, SDKs, plugins, and MCP server enabling 50+ third-party applications. Yoco serves over 200,000 merchants in South Africa with approximately 9% market share in the SME payments vertical.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Yoco AI: AI-powered business assistant for SMEs, launched in Q3 2026, providing conversational AI capabilities for independent businesses
- Yoco Loyalty
- Yoco Savings
- Yoco Capital
- Yoco Connect
- Dyner.ai
- Yoco Khumo
- Yoco Counter
- Yoco Gateway
Products and services
- Yoco Counter All-in-one point-of-sale system combining a 12-inch HD touchscreen tablet with an integrated card machine (Neo Touch), free POS software, dual SIM and WiFi connectivity, product catalogue, staff profiles, and real-time sales reporting. Targeted at South African cafes, restaurants, takeaways, and retail counters.
- Yoco Khumo 2 Portable handheld card payment device with built-in POS features, 5.5-inch HD touchscreen, IP54 and ATEX certification, up to 18-hour battery life, and dual SIM with unlimited 4G data. Designed for table-side ordering and on-the-go payments.
- Yoco Khumo Print 2 Handheld POS device with built-in receipt printer, 6.5-inch HD touchscreen, up to 18-hour battery, and multi-network SIM. Combines payments, POS, and on-device receipt printing in a single unit.
- Yoco Payment Gateway Online payment processing solution for e-commerce merchants. Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and Shopstar, supports Apple Pay and other digital wallets, and charges a flat 2.95% ex-VAT per local transaction with no recurring fees.
- Yoco POS Software Free point-of-sale software included with all Yoco devices. Provides product catalogue management, staff profiles with permissions, real-time sales tracking, inventory management, split bills, digital receipts, and reporting that syncs across all Yoco devices.
- Yoco Capital Business cash advance product for eligible Yoco merchants (available after three months of usage) that uses payment data for underwriting and allows repayments to flex with sales volumes. Over R3 billion has been disbursed to customers.
- Yoco Loyalty Card-linked rewards programme that lets merchants reward repeat customers without separate apps or punch cards. Automatically recognises cards at payment, accrues points, and sends WhatsApp confirmations to customers.
- Yoco Savings Business savings feature inside the Yoco account with multiple virtual pockets (e.g. for VAT, equipment, seasonal reserves). Automatically splits a percentage of daily earnings into the designated pockets through an authorised financial services partner.
- Yoco Developer Hub Developer platform exposing Yoco's APIs, SDKs, plugins, and an MCP server for AI integrations. Enables third parties to build payment, commerce, and AI-driven applications on top of Yoco infrastructure.
- Yoco Printer Receipt and bill printer for Yoco POS systems. Prints high-quality bills, receipts, and order slips quickly, reducing wait times during peak service.
- Yoco Barcode Scanner Wireless Bluetooth barcode and QR scanner with charging dock that integrates with Yoco Counter. Scans industry-standard 1D barcodes and 2D QR codes, reducing checkout time by up to 40% during peak periods.
- Yoco App
- Tap to Pay on iPhone Contactless payment acceptance capability that lets merchants accept credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets using only an iPhone via NFC, with no additional hardware required. Supports Mastercard and Visa at launch.
- Yoco AI AI-powered business assistant for small and medium businesses. Conversational interface that accepts typed or spoken commands (e.g. 'Add a new product: cold brew, R45'), monitors transaction patterns 24/7, flags anomalies, and surfaces operational recommendations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000+ merchants processing US$1 billion+ annually from 29 million customers in 2025
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Yoco
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Yoco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability9 records
Feature11 records
Yoco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ApplecoreApple selected Yoco as one of the first payment platforms in South Africa to support Tap to Pay on iPhone. The feature enables merchants to accept contactless payments using only their iPhone via NFC technology without additional hardware, supporting Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets.
- iStore PaycoreiStore Pay joined Yoco as the first payment platform in South Africa alongside Yoco to support Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone feature.
- StubcoreIntegration between Yoco and AI-native accounting platform Stub automates reconciliations for independent businesses. Yoco's transaction data flows automatically into Stub's accounting system where transactions are categorized, matched to invoices, and tagged with location data. Partnership gives Stub access to Yoco's 200,000 merchant base.
- iKhokhaminoriKhokha partnered with Stub to power their iK Accounting product. Stub has also partnered with Capitec Bank and Yoco for payment-accounting integration.
- Capitec BankminorSouth Africa's largest bank by customer numbers partnered with Stub for accounting integration. Stub connects to Yoco for payment data.
- Marcello Schermer (Head of International Expansion)coreMarcello Schermer leads Yoco's international expansion efforts, discussing fintech ecosystem development across Africa with focus on becoming 'financial partners' with proactive tools for merchants.
- Carsten Höltkemeyer (CEO)coreGerman banker appointed CEO effective June 2026, bringing over 20 years of European financial services experience, most recently as CEO of Solaris SE. Tasked with scaling Yoco into an all-in-one smart commerce platform.
- XerocoreXero accounting integration allows over 500 merchants to automatically reconcile books. Sales data flows from Yoco to Xero without manual exports. Part of Yoco Connect integration hub.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce plugin allowing Shopify merchants to accept Yoco payments on their online stores. Part of Yoco's payment gateway ecosystem.
- WooCommercecoreWordPress-based e-commerce plugin for Yoco payment acceptance on WooCommerce websites.
- WixcoreWebsite builder integration enabling Wix users to process payments through Yoco gateway.
- Lightspeed RestaurantcorePOS integration for restaurant management. Yoco provides payment processing for Lightspeed Restaurant merchants.
- Lightspeed RetailcoreRetail POS integration for inventory and sales management with Yoco payment processing.
- DiscoveryminorDyner.ai founders brought backgrounds in strategy and analytics from Discovery when acquired by Yoco.
- Plato CoffeeminorRestaurant customer of Dyner.ai that overlaps with Yoco's merchant base, demonstrating integration synergies.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Yoco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Block (Square): Block's Square offers an integrated card-reader + POS + software + lending platform for small businesses globally — the closest archetype to Yoco's hardware-plus-payments-plus-Capital model, though operating at much larger scale and in different geographies.
- SumUp: European-headquartered SMB card-reader and mobile payment acceptance company with strong presence across Europe, the UK, and Latin America. Competes with Yoco on portable card readers and merchant transaction fees for sole traders and micro-businesses.
- Lightspeed Commerce: Listed POS and payments provider serving retail and restaurant SMBs globally. Already integrated with Yoco for SA customers; competes head-to-head on restaurant and retail verticals with similar mid-market positioning and software-led monetization.
- iKhokha: Durban-based direct South African competitor offering card machines, mobile POS, and business funding to SMBs. Targets the same tuck-shop, spaza, and micro-SME segment as Yoco with overlapping pricing tiers and lending products.
- Peach Payments: South African payment gateway and increasingly in-person payments provider offering online card processing, recurring billing, and Apple Pay support — overlapping with Yoco Gateway on the e-commerce side and starting to expand into POS.
- PayFast: South African online payment processor (part of Network International) focused on e-commerce merchants. Competes directly with Yoco Gateway for Shopify, WooCommerce, and similar online stores, and is one of the most entrenched local alternatives.
Broad incumbents
- Stripe: Global online payment infrastructure giant. Although primarily online, Stripe Terminal and Stripe-led SMB product expansion make it a broad incumbent competing for both gateway share (overlapping with Yoco Gateway) and increasingly for in-person SMB acceptance.
- Flutterwave: Pan-African payments giant serving online and in-person merchants across multiple African countries. Overlaps with Yoco as a payments platform for African SMBs and is the most credible cross-border competitor for Yoco's stated Africa expansion plans.
Emerging players
- Toast: US-listed restaurant-specific POS + payments platform with integrated fintech and lending modules. Comparable to Yoco's vertically specialized F&B mode and Dyner.ai restaurant-OS acquisition; relevant as a model for vertical deepening in food service.
- dLocal: Cross-border emerging-markets payments processor with growing African footprint. Not a direct SMB POS competitor but relevant where Yoco eventually builds cross-border or multi-country merchant acquiring for its international expansion plans.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Yoco social profiles
Digital presenceYoco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yoco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Yoco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Yoco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors20 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yoco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yoco
What does Yoco do?
Yoco provides an integrated commerce platform for South African small and micro businesses, combining proprietary card payment hardware (Khumo 2, Khumo Print 2, Yoco Counter), free POS software, a payment gateway for e-commerce, and value-added services such as working capital (Yoco Capital), card-linked loyalty (Yoco Loyalty), and business savings (Yoco Savings). Merchants process card payments, run point-of-sale operations, manage inventory and staff, and access business insights through a single platform.
Is Yoco a public or private company?
Yoco is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Yoco founded?
Yoco was founded in 2014. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Yoco based?
Yoco is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Yoco make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales, payment Gateway and yoco Capital.
Who are Yoco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Block (Square), SumUp, Lightspeed Commerce, iKhokha, Peach Payments and PayFast. Broad incumbents are Stripe and Flutterwave. Emerging players are Toast and dLocal.
Does Yoco have an API?
Yes. Yoco offers a comprehensive API platform enabling developers to build integrations and applications. The Developer Hub (developer.yoco.com) provides REST API access, OAuth 2.0 authentication, webhooks for real-time events, and an MCP server for AI integrations. Available APIs include: Yoco API (for business data: payments, orders, payouts, items, locations, card machines, capital), Checkout API (for online payments), Card Machines API, Web POS, and webhook subscriptions. Features include sandbox environment for testing, rate limiting, pagination, and OpenAPI specification. Over 50 applications have been built on Yoco's platform. The MCP server connects AI assistants to Yoco business data for natural language management. Developer documentation is at developer.yoco.com.
What industry is Yoco in?
Yoco's product category is Payment Processing and Point-of-Sale Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAF, Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management), with a secondary code of FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 518210 and its SIC code is 6153.