Yoco

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.

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

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

• Card payment processing
• Point of sale systems
• Small business payments
• Mobile card readers
• POS software platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability9 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ApplecoreTechnology or Integration · 12 May 2026Apple 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 PaycoreTechnology or Integration · 12 May 2026iStore Pay joined Yoco as the first payment platform in South Africa alongside Yoco to support Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone feature.
• StubcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration 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.
• iKhokhaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriKhokha partnered with Stub to power their iK Accounting product. Stub has also partnered with Capitec Bank and Yoco for payment-accounting integration.
• Capitec BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth 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)coreOthersMarcello 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)coreOthersGerman 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.
• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero 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.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce plugin allowing Shopify merchants to accept Yoco payments on their online stores. Part of Yoco's payment gateway ecosystem.
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationWordPress-based e-commerce plugin for Yoco payment acceptance on WooCommerce websites.
• WixcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite builder integration enabling Wix users to process payments through Yoco gateway.
• Lightspeed RestaurantcoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS integration for restaurant management. Yoco provides payment processing for Lightspeed Restaurant merchants.
• Lightspeed RetailcoreTechnology or IntegrationRetail POS integration for inventory and sales management with Yoco payment processing.
• DiscoveryminorOthersDyner.ai founders brought backgrounds in strategy and analytics from Discovery when acquired by Yoco.
• Plato CoffeeminorOthersRestaurant customer of Dyner.ai that overlaps with Yoco's merchant base, demonstrating integration synergies.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/yoco_za
• Facebookfacebook.com/yocoza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yoco
• Instagraminstagram.com/yocosa
• TikToktiktok.com/@yocosa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yoco