Yoco Names Carsten Höltkemeyer CEO as Fintech Expands Beyond Payments
Yoco Names Carsten Höltkemeyer CEO as Fintech Expands Beyond Payments. South African fintech company Yoco has appointed Carsten Höltkemeyer as its new chief executive officer, marking a leadership transition as the company moves into its next phase of growth.
The appointment takes effect on 1 June 2026 and follows a global search process that began after Yoco co-founder Katlego Maphai stepped back from the CEO role nine months ago.
Yoco said Höltkemeyer brings experience from the fintech and banking sectors, having previously worked with companies including Solaris, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland. The company said his background includes scaling product-led financial services businesses.
During the transition period, Yoco co-founders Lungisa Matshoba and Bradley Wattrus served as co-CEOs. The pair will now return to their previous executive roles, with Matshoba resuming responsibilities as chief product and technology officer and Wattrus continuing as chief financial officer.
Co-founder Carl Wazen will remain chief business officer, while Maphai will continue supporting the business on strategy.
In a statement, Höltkemeyer said he was drawn to Yoco because of its focus on independent businesses and the opportunity to support entrepreneurship in South Africa.
He said independent businesses play an important role in the country’s economy and described Yoco as a company that has built meaningful products aimed at helping small businesses operate and grow.
The leadership change comes as Yoco expands beyond its original payments and card machine offering into a broader commerce platform strategy.
Founded in 2015, the fintech said it now serves more than 200,000 merchants across South Africa, processes approximately 30 million card taps annually and has provided billions of rand in business funding to merchants.
According to the company, its next phase will focus on developing an integrated commerce ecosystem that combines payments, point-of-sale technology, access to capital and AI-driven tools into one platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage operations and increase revenue.
Yoco said its founders will remain actively involved in the company as it continues building new products and expanding its platform ambitions.
