Sanlam Maroc makes its first investment in a start-up with Woliz

Sanlam Maroc has announced a strategic partnership with Woliz, emphasizing its commitment to the key sector of local commerce, which is central to the daily lives of Moroccans. The company aims to support the modernization of these businesses and enhance their financial inclusion, thereby energizing a vital link in the local economy. This partnership represents Sanlam Maroc's first investment in a start-up and aligns with its open innovation approach. For several years, the company has been developing strong partnerships with start-ups and local players to offer innovative products and services, contributing to the deployment of impactful technological solutions and building a sustainable growth model. Yahia Chraibi, General Director of Sanlam Maroc, stated, “By investing in Woliz, we are concretely committing to a Moroccan technology platform that transforms the daily operations of local businesses. Our goal is to support their modernization, strengthen their financial inclusion, and stimulate local innovation, while ultimately preparing to extend this model to other African markets.” Woliz's platform utilizes an integrated approach that combines artificial intelligence, process automation, and data valorization to create a unified ecosystem. This ecosystem connects local businesses, which are at its core, with manufacturers, distributors, financial inclusion actors, public institutions, telecom operators, financial institutions, and end consumers. The funding will enable Woliz to sustainably enhance its technological and organizational infrastructure while supporting the deployment of its solution in the field. The aim is to systematically and effectively accompany the transformation of local commerce and its ecosystem, establishing a lasting model for shared value creation. Kamal El Hardouzi, Founder and CEO of Woliz, explained, “Local commerce is the densest economic infrastructure in Morocco, yet one of the least technologically equipped. Our ambition with Woliz is to transform this fragmented network into a connected, intelligent system that creates value for the entire ecosystem. This partnership equips us to deploy a durable technological infrastructure that reconciles technology, financial inclusion, and operational reality. From Morocco, we are laying the groundwork for a model designed to expand into other African markets.” With this pre-seed funding round, Woliz takes a decisive step in structuring local commerce as a fully-fledged digital infrastructure. The ambition is to emerge from Morocco with an operational model capable of sustainably uniting sector players, enhancing merchants' autonomy, and preparing for a gradual deployment into other markets.