Yoco Strengthens Position as Leading Commerce Platform for Small Businesses

South African fintech leader Yoco has announced the acquisition of Dyner.ai, an AI-native operating system specializing in solutions for restaurants and independent businesses. This strategic move signals Yoco’s evolution beyond payments processing into a comprehensive commerce and operations platform.

Yoco, which serves over 200,000 small businesses across South Africa, processes more than $1 billion annually through its payment infrastructure. The acquisition of Dyner aligns with the company’s vision to provide independent business owners with access to cutting-edge technology previously reserved for larger enterprises.

About Dyner.ai

Dyner has quietly built an intelligent operating system that streamlines restaurant operations across inventory, supplier workflows, reporting, and margin management. The platform’s founders, Thalentha Ngobeni and Chris du Plessis—both actuaries with backgrounds at Discovery—applied their expertise in strategy, systems, and analytics to create a solution addressing the unique challenges faced by independent restaurants.

Synergies Between Yoco and Dyner

Many of Dyner’s existing customers already utilize Yoco for payment processing, creating natural alignment between the two companies. Carl Wazen, co-founder and chief business officer at Yoco, emphasized his team’s admiration for Dyner’s customer-centric approach and rapid product development.

The AI Opportunity

Yoco believes artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform how independent businesses operate, enabling them to:

• Reduce operational complexity
• Identify key trends earlier
• Automate repetitive tasks
• Make data-driven decisions

“Just as we democratized access to digital payments, we see a similar opportunity with AI,” Wazen noted. “Independent business owners deserve the same powerful tools that large corporations and affluent consumers enjoy.”

The acquisition will allow Dyner to leverage Yoco’s infrastructure and reach while continuing to operate independently. The combined platform aims to provide intelligent solutions that simplify operations, surface valuable insights, and ultimately give business owners more time to focus on customer experiences.

“We founded Dyner with the conviction that independent businesses deserve enterprise-grade technology,” said Ngobeni. “Joining Yoco accelerates our ability to fulfill this mission at scale.”