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Fintech 'frontiers' and the platformed motorcycle: Emergent infrastructures of value creation in African cities.

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Title: Fintech 'frontiers' and the platformed motorcycle: Emergent infrastructures of value creation in African cities.
Authors: Rose Cirolia, Liza1 (AUTHOR) liza.cirolia@uct.ac.za, Pollio, Andrea2 (AUTHOR), Sitas, Rike1 (AUTHOR), Fortuin, Alicia1 (AUTHOR), Odeo, Jack Ong'iro3 (AUTHOR), Gatoni Sebarenzi, Alexis4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Environment & Planning D: Society & Space. Aug2025, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p636-658. 23p.
Subject Terms: Value creation, Urbanization, Sharing economy, Information economy, Financial technology, Sub-Saharan Africans, Colonies, Taxicabs
Geographic Terms: Africa, Cape Town (South Africa), Nairobi (Kenya), Kigali (Rwanda)
Abstract: Concerned with financialized extraction, the exploitation of precarious workers and racialized violence, critical scholars call for greater attention to the coloniality of financial technology (fintech) expansion in Africa. In this article, we echo the utility in foregrounding coloniality, but argue that it should be read as one among multiple, specific, and entangled ways in which fintech is creating new forms of value in the context of Africa's urbanization. To make this case, we focus on the nexus between platforms, motorcycle taxis and fintech. In three different African cities, we observe how fintech maps onto the impulses and desires of the private sector and the state alike to use fintech to enact various forms of value creation. In Nairobi, the motorcycle has become the testbed of assetization experiments that seek to create data-rich and less fuel-dependent economies; in Kigali, the state-led and platform-enabled standardization of motorcycle services intends to create fiscal, planning, and regulatory values; and in Cape Town, legacy supermarket chains enroll motorcycles and fintech offerings to algorithmically integrate urban economies of labor and retail. Tracing these processes illuminates the different rationalities, ingenuities, and technological entanglements that, beyond the endurance of coloniality, shape Africa's fintech moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Environment & Planning D: Society & Space is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: GreenFILE
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  Data: Fintech 'frontiers' and the platformed motorcycle: Emergent infrastructures of value creation in African cities.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rose+Cirolia%2C+Liza%22">Rose Cirolia, Liza</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> liza.cirolia@uct.ac.za</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pollio%2C+Andrea%22">Pollio, Andrea</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sitas%2C+Rike%22">Sitas, Rike</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fortuin%2C+Alicia%22">Fortuin, Alicia</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Odeo%2C+Jack+Ong'iro%22">Odeo, Jack Ong'iro</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gatoni+Sebarenzi%2C+Alexis%22">Gatoni Sebarenzi, Alexis</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Environment+%26+Planning+D%3A+Society+%26+Space%22">Environment & Planning D: Society & Space</searchLink>. Aug2025, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p636-658. 23p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Value+creation%22">Value creation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urbanization%22">Urbanization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sharing+economy%22">Sharing economy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+economy%22">Information economy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Financial+technology%22">Financial technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sub-Saharan+Africans%22">Sub-Saharan Africans</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Colonies%22">Colonies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Taxicabs%22">Taxicabs</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Africa%22">Africa</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cape+Town+%28South+Africa%29%22">Cape Town (South Africa)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nairobi+%28Kenya%29%22">Nairobi (Kenya)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kigali+%28Rwanda%29%22">Kigali (Rwanda)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Concerned with financialized extraction, the exploitation of precarious workers and racialized violence, critical scholars call for greater attention to the coloniality of financial technology (fintech) expansion in Africa. In this article, we echo the utility in foregrounding coloniality, but argue that it should be read as one among multiple, specific, and entangled ways in which fintech is creating new forms of value in the context of Africa's urbanization. To make this case, we focus on the nexus between platforms, motorcycle taxis and fintech. In three different African cities, we observe how fintech maps onto the impulses and desires of the private sector and the state alike to use fintech to enact various forms of value creation. In Nairobi, the motorcycle has become the testbed of assetization experiments that seek to create data-rich and less fuel-dependent economies; in Kigali, the state-led and platform-enabled standardization of motorcycle services intends to create fiscal, planning, and regulatory values; and in Cape Town, legacy supermarket chains enroll motorcycles and fintech offerings to algorithmically integrate urban economies of labor and retail. Tracing these processes illuminates the different rationalities, ingenuities, and technological entanglements that, beyond the endurance of coloniality, shape Africa's fintech moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Environment & Planning D: Society & Space is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/02637758241276324
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 23
        StartPage: 636
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Value creation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urbanization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sharing economy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Information economy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Financial technology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sub-Saharan Africans
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Colonies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Taxicabs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Africa
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cape Town (South Africa)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nairobi (Kenya)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Kigali (Rwanda)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Fintech 'frontiers' and the platformed motorcycle: Emergent infrastructures of value creation in African cities.
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            NameFull: Rose Cirolia, Liza
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            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: Aug2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: Environment & Planning D: Society & Space
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