This week on Startup Researcher Africa: Stripe widens its tax-automation service to five more African markets, PalmPay tops FT’s growth list with 35 million users, and Nawy lands a $75 million war chest for AI-driven real estate. Press play for the essentials:Top HeadlinesStripe expands tax-compliance automation to five additional African countries, easing cross-border scaling for startups.PalmPay, crowned Africa’s fastest-growing fintech by the Financial Times, plots entry into four new markets.Cross Switch acquires Pesawise to launch Kenyan payments infrastructure.Nigeria’s Central Bank unveils a digital BVN for the diaspora, targeting $1 billion in monthly remittances.Chowdeck debuts in Ghana with 30-minute delivery and rider-rewards.Funding NewsNawy raises $75 million (equity + debt) and acquires ROA to boost AI-powered proptech across MENA.AURA closes $15.1 million to globalize its smart emergency-response API.BURN secures $5 million to deploy 100 000 electric stoves in Kenya.Sycamore nets $935 k to scale SME lending tools.THE WHITEGUARD scores a six-figure pre-seed to advance AI cybersecurity in MEA.Investor & Ecosystem MovesEIB Global and Family Bank launch a $111 million credit line for women- and youth-led SMEs in Kenya.SpotlightStartup of the Week: Nawy – end-to-end proptech with fractional ownership and BNPL options.Investor of the Week: Family Bank – championing inclusion via a major SME financing package.Opportunity RadarTechstars NYC Accelerator – apply by 11 June 2025 for hands-on support and a 4 800-startup network.Catch the full rundown to stay ahead of Africa’s fast-moving startup and VC scene.