Leaf
Leaf Global Fintech is a Delaware-incorporated digital wallet company, founded in 2017 and acquired by IDT Corporation in 2022, that enables unbanked refugees, migrants, small businesses, and students to store, send, receive, and exchange currencies across borders via a Stellar blockchain platform accessible on smartphones and feature phones (USSD).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLewes, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Leaf does
Leaf Global Fintech is a US-incorporated (Delaware) digital wallet company founded in 2017 to serve unbanked and underbanked populations, particularly refugees, migrants, and small businesses needing cross-border financial services. Its core product enables users to store, send, receive, and exchange multiple currencies across borders, available on smartphones via mobile apps (Google Play, Apple App Store) and on basic/feature phones through a USSD short-code interface that works without internet connectivity. The platform is built on the Stellar blockchain and integrates with major mobile money providers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for cash-in and cash-out, with additional UK retail cash-deposit partners. Co-founders Nat Robinson (CEO) and Tori Samples (CTO) built the company around the humanitarian use case of displaced individuals avoiding the dangers and costs of carrying physical cash across borders.
The business model is a freemium transaction-fee construct: internal Leaf-to-Leaf transfers are free, while revenue is generated through spreads and fees on cross-border transfers, currency exchange, and external payouts. Go-to-market combines product-led self-serve (app store downloads, USSD activation), community-led referral inside refugee and migrant networks, and earned media from Forbes, Fast Company, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. The company was supported by the UNICEF Innovation Fund, U.S. National Science Foundation, Techstars, Catalyst Fund, Stellar Development Foundation, and Colorado OEDIT, accumulating roughly $1.75M in grants and accelerator funding through 2022. In 2022, Leaf was acquired by IDT Corporation, and the Leaf Wallet functionality was folded into IDT's BOSS Money mobile app and website, where it now operates as a feature rather than an independent consumer brand. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, with a Delaware corporate headquarters and operational base in Kigali, Rwanda.
Leaf firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Leaf
- Legal name
- Leaf Global Fintech Corporation
- Website
- https://leafglobalfintech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Leaf Global Fintech is a Delaware-incorporated digital wallet company, founded in 2017 and acquired by IDT Corporation in 2022, that enables unbanked refugees, migrants, small businesses, and students to store, send, receive, and exchange currencies across borders via a Stellar blockchain platform accessible on smartphones and feature phones (USSD).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Leaf industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Wallet / Cross-Border Payments
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (52221)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & IBAN Services (FSAMAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cash-in/Cash-out Agent Network Wallets (FSAMAEAJ), General-Purpose Digital Wallets (P2P + Merchant) (FSAMAEAA)
Keywords
Where Leaf is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lewes
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Leaf business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Money Transfer/Transaction Fees: Fees charged for cross-border money transfers. Internal transfers between BOSS Money users are free. Revenue generated from transfers to external users and cross-border transactions with competitive, transparent exchange rates.
- Currency Exchange: Revenue generated through currency exchange spreads when users exchange between supported currencies. Provides competitive and transparent exchange rates for East African currencies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free internal transfers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Leaf product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leaf provides a cross-border digital wallet (BOSS Money) that lets unbanked individuals store, send, receive, and exchange currencies on their phones. The wallet is accessible via a smartphone app on iOS and Android and via a USSD short code on basic/feature phones without internet, and integrates with mobile money networks in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for cash-in and cash-out as well as UK retail partners for physical cash deposits.
Product overview
Leaf Global Fintech offers a unified mobile wallet platform comprising the BOSS Money app (the primary consumer-facing product after rebranding following IDT Corporation's 2022 acquisition) and the legacy Leaf Wallet functionality. The platform enables cross-border digital payments, money transfers, currency exchange, and mobile money integration. It operates on smartphones and basic/feature phones via dedicated apps and USSD interface, serving refugees, migrants, small businesses, and students with financial inclusion focus.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BOSS Money (Leaf Wallet) Digital wallet and mobile money application that enables individuals to store, send, receive, and exchange currencies across borders. Available on iOS and Android smartphones, supports cash-in and cash-out via mobile money providers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and enables physical cash deposits through UK retail partner locations. Designed for unbanked and underbanked individuals including refugees, migrants, small businesses, and students.
- Leaf USSD Wallet (feature phone access) USSD-based wallet access for basic and feature phone users that does not require internet connectivity. Enables unbanked individuals without smartphones to store, send, receive, and exchange money and connect to mobile money networks for cash-in and cash-out in supported East African countries.
Companies that use Leaf
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Leaf technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Leaf partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Leaf competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- M-Pesa (Safaricom / Vodafone): The dominant mobile money wallet and agent network in Kenya, which is Leaf's primary operational country. Directly comparable on USSD/smartphone access, cash-in/cash-out via agents, and cross-border P2P transfers, but at vastly greater scale.
- MTN MoMo (MTN Group): Pan-African mobile money operator with strong presence in Uganda and Rwanda — two of Leaf's three operational countries. Comparable as a multi-currency mobile wallet with cash-in/cash-out agent networks targeting unbanked populations.
- Airtel Money (Airtel Africa): Mobile money wallet operating across East Africa with the same cash-in/cash-out agent model Leaf integrates with. Competes for the same unbanked/refugee/migrant user base and partners with the same mobile money networks.
- Chipper Cash: Cross-border payments app targeting African diaspora and intra-Africa transfers with multi-currency support. Highly comparable on cross-border corridors and unbanked user acquisition, with smartphone-first delivery.
- WorldRemit: Global digital cross-border remittance platform with strong African receiving corridors including Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Compares on cross-border wallet/transfer mechanics, mobile money cash-out, and diaspora user base.
- Wave (Sendwave): Mobile-first cross-border remittance service for African migrants (acquired by WorldRemit). Directly comparable on cross-border wallet mechanics and unbanked/migrant customer segment, though focused on West/East African corridors.
- BOSS Money (IDT Corporation): IDT Corporation's flagship remittance and wallet platform that now incorporates Leaf's wallet technology post-2022 acquisition. Effectively Leaf's parent product surface, sharing the same wallet, mobile money integration, and cross-border value proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Remitly: Large-scale cross-border remittance platform with extensive African corridors. Comparable on cross-border wallet mechanics and diaspora target market, but as a publicly-listed incumbent with smartphone-first delivery rather than USSD.
- PayPal: Global digital wallet and cross-border payments incumbent listed as one of Leaf's payment-processing partners. Comparable on multi-currency storage, P2P, and cross-border transfers, but serves a fundamentally different (banked, smartphone) customer base.
Emerging players
- Nala: Africa-focused cross-border remittance and payments app for the African diaspora. Directly comparable on refugee/migrant value proposition and East African corridors, but smartphone-first without USSD.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Leaf social profiles
Digital presenceLeaf financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Leaf leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Leaf funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Leaf M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Leaf
What does Leaf do?
Leaf provides a cross-border digital wallet (BOSS Money) that lets unbanked individuals store, send, receive, and exchange currencies on their phones. The wallet is accessible via a smartphone app on iOS and Android and via a USSD short code on basic/feature phones without internet, and integrates with mobile money networks in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for cash-in and cash-out as well as UK retail partners for physical cash deposits.
Is Leaf a public or private company?
Leaf is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Leaf founded?
Leaf was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Leaf based?
Leaf is headquartered in Lewes, United States, in the North America region.
How does Leaf make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Money Transfer/Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are currency Exchange.
Who are Leaf's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are M-Pesa (Safaricom / Vodafone), MTN MoMo (MTN Group), Airtel Money (Airtel Africa), Chipper Cash, WorldRemit, Wave (Sendwave) and BOSS Money (IDT Corporation). Broad incumbents are Remitly and PayPal. Nala is listed as an emerging player.
Does Leaf have an API?
No public API is recorded for Leaf.
What industry is Leaf in?
Leaf's product category is Digital Wallet / Cross-Border Payments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAIAG, Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & IBAN Services, with a secondary code of FSAMAEAJ, Cash-in/Cash-out Agent Network Wallets. Its NAICS code is 52221 and its SIC code is 6199.