Flutterwave, the Nigerian-founded payments technology company valued at $3.3 billion, has partnered with Techdollar, a private credit platform to enable its employees to borrow against their company shares without selling their equity.
The arrangement, which includes banking infrastructure provided by Nuvion, makes Flutterwave the first company in Africa to offer Techdollar’s equity-backed liquidity solution as a workforce-wide employee benefit, according to a statement announcing the partnership.
The initiative is designed to give employees access to funds tied to the value of their equity holdings while allowing them to retain ownership of their shares and benefit from potential future appreciation.
Under the arrangement, participating employees will be able to open accounts with Nuvion to receive proceeds from loans provided through Techdollar’s platform.
The partnership addresses a challenge facing employees of privately held technology companies, where equity compensation can represent a significant portion of workers’ wealth but may remain difficult to convert into cash.
Employees often have to wait for an initial public offering (IPO), a company-led share sale or another liquidity event before realising the financial value of their holdings. Selling shares, where permitted, may also mean giving up potential future gains.
Techdollar’s solution offers an alternative by allowing eligible employees to use their private-company equity as collateral for loans rather than dispose of their holdings.
“For too long, employees at some of the world’s most valuable private companies have been building significant wealth without having a practical way to access it,” said Terence McMenamin, co-founder of Techdollar.
He said the partnership with Flutterwave would help extend equity-backed financing beyond founders, senior executives and major shareholders to the wider workforce.
David Tollemache, another co-founder of Techdollar, said the company was established to address the limitations of traditional private-market lending, which he said had largely favoured individuals with substantial equity holdings.
“Partnering with Flutterwave allows us to bring this solution directly to employees, giving them greater financial flexibility without having to sell the equity they’ve worked hard to earn,” he said.
Olugbenga Agboola, Flutterwave’s founder and chief executive officer, said the company wanted its employees to benefit financially from the value they help create without having to wait for a major liquidity event.
“Our people are our secret sauce and the driving force behind our success at Flutterwave, and we believe they should share in the value they create without having to wait for a major liquidity event,” Agboola said.
He added that the partnership with Techdollar and Nuvion would give employees greater financial flexibility while allowing them to retain their stakes in the company.
Founded in 2016, Flutterwave operates across 34 African countries and provides payment infrastructure for businesses and consumers. The company has raised more than $500 million in funding and announced a Series E funding round in June 2026 that valued it at $3.3 billion, including a strategic equity investment from Ripple, according to the release.
The partnership also expands Flutterwave’s existing relationship with Nuvion, which has supported the development of its stablecoin-based payment infrastructure.
Under the new arrangement, Nuvion will provide the banking infrastructure for transferring loan proceeds to participating employees, linking Techdollar’s lending platform with accounts through which borrowers can access their funds.
Unlike an outright sale of shares, equity-backed lending allows employees to retain ownership of their holdings while accessing credit. However, borrowers remain subject to the loan repayment terms, and the conditions attached to pledged shares will determine the risks they face if they cannot meet their obligations.
The companies did not specify when the programme would commence, the categories of employees eligible to participate or the terms under which shares would be accepted as collateral.
