An African mobile payments business that helps emerging entrepreneurs to provide much needed financial services in their communities has been included in the latest FinTech 100 list compiled by KPMG. Zoona, a Cape Town-based startup, made it onto the list, in addition to its selection for the African Fintech Awards in October last year.

Mike Quinn, CEO of Zoona says inclusion on the list caps off an eventful few months.

"The last year has been an excellent one for Zoona in terms of international recognition. We are very proud to have won incredible awards on an international scale. Zoona won the Africa Entrepreneurship Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was a finalist in the Pricheck Fintech Awards and in the African Fintech Awards. Now we have earned another important accolade that further motivates us to carry on with our mission of helping communities thrive."

The 2016 Fintech 100 list is put together by Fintech investment firm H2 Ventures and KPMG Fintech in a bid to offer an in-depth look into global companies that are taking full advantage of technology and driving disruption within the financial services industry.

Zoona and Wealth Migrate, both from South Africa, are the only two African startups to have made the 2016 list. The company was nominated in the Emerging Stars category, a category that showcases 50 of the emerging Fintech stars of tomorrow.

"This is an awesome achievement and shows that our model of building financial inclusion and helping communities thrive is being recognised both locally and internationally", adds Quinn who leads the eight year old startup and along with two others.

The Fintech 100 list is released annually. The 2016 list includes 35 companies from The Americas, 29 companies from the EMEA of which Zoona is one, 14 from Asia, 12 from the UK, and 10 companies from Australia and New Zealand.

The companies that made the Fintech 100 were selected by Fintech Innovators through research and analysis based on data relating to five factors that include total capital raised, geographic diversity and sectoral diversity.

"Cheers to this great achievement and more to come, and we are very humbled to start 2017 on such a high note," concludes Quinn.

Hennie Bezuidenhout, founder and chairman of Wealth Migrate which joins Zoona on the list, says the seven year old real estate investment marketplace aims to democratise access to real estate wealth.

"One of our main objectives is to ensure that access to wealth through real estate as well as education regarding real estate investing is equally available to all populations in all corners of the world."