Thndr Tops FT’s Africa Growth List, Sets New Benchmark for Egypt’s Fintech

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 14-05-2026

4 min

Thndr tops the FT’s Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026 list for the first time.

Revenue, CAGR and staff growth show this is “not a popularity contest”.

The app passed 5,5 million downloads, mostly first-time investors.

It handles 18% of EGX trading value and 200,000 daily trades.

Now in Abu Dhabi and eyeing Saudi, it expands beyond Egypt.

Thndr has pulled off something no other Egyptian company has managed before. The Cairo-based retail investment platform has taken the top spot on the Financial Times’ Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026 list, compiled alongside Statista. In the five years this ranking has existed, no Egyptian firm had led it. Until now.

The list measures hard numbers, absolute revenue growth, compound annual growth rate, and employee expansion between 2021 and 2024. So this is not a popularity contest; it is about performance. Thndr outpaced companies from bigger and often louder ecosystems like South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. That, I reckon, says plenty about how quickly Egypt’s fintech scene is maturing.

For those who have been watching the retail investing space in the region, Thndr’s rise will not feel out of the blue. Since launching, the app has passed 5.5 million downloads, with roughly 75–80% of its users investing for the first time. That detail always stands out to me. When we speak at Arageek about “energising” startups, this is what it looks like in practice, opening the market to people who previously thought investing was not for them.

Thndr has held its position as Egypt’s number one retail investing platform for three consecutive years. It was also among the first to offer fully digital onboarding in the country, cutting out what used to be, frankly, a bit of a faff. Through a mobile app, users can access stocks, gold, savings products, fixed income and investment funds. In simple words, it aims to become the main investment account for everyday individuals, not just seasoned traders.

The traction on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) is notable. Thndr now accounts for around 18% of total equity trading value and a striking 40% of total order volume. The platform processes more than 200,000 trades a day, up from 50,000 just a year earlier. That kind of jump is not just steady growth; it is scaling at full speed.

Demographically, the user base paints an interesting picture. More than 40% of users live outside Cairo and Alexandria, which challenges the old idea that investing is a capital-city game. The average user is about 30 years old, and 12% are women. There is still a gap there, obviously, but the shift is happening. Slowly, maybe, but definately happening.

Regionally, Thndr is not standing still. In 2025, it launched in Abu Dhabi as the first remote broker on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). It also holds the distinction of being the first, and so far only, remote broker licensed by ADX. On top of that, the company is preparing to enter Saudi Arabia, expanding its Gulf footprint.

Through its platform, users can access the Egyptian Exchange, ADX and US markets. That cross-border access matters more than ever. Retail investors in MENA are increasingly curious about global opportunities, from regional blue chips to American tech stocks, and they want it all in one place. If a startup can make that simple and regulated, well… that is spot on timing.

On the flip side, rapid growth always comes with pressure: compliance, customer support, infrastructure. Staying reliable while scaling is no small task. But so far, Thndr appears chuffed to bits with the progress, and the numbers back it up.

For Egypt’s startup ecosystem, this milestone feels symbolic. It shows that a homegrown fintech can lead not only locally but continent-wide. And for young founders reading Arageek and wondering if building from Cairo can really compete with the rest of Africa, here is your answer. It can.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!