Yassir Acquires Kawarizmi to Expand into Media and Advertising
Yassir, a well-known application among Tunisians, has announced the acquisition of Kawarizmi, a specialized agency in programmatic advertising. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Business Model and Expansion
Yassir's business model is built on an application dedicated to daily on-demand services, covering transportation (VTC), meal and grocery delivery via Yassir Express, as well as financial services via Yassir Cash. With this new acquisition, the company seeks to expand into media and advertising.
Operational Changes
On an operational level, there will be no changes. Kawarizmi will continue to function as an independent unit within the Yassir group, while pursuing its expansion across Africa, the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and among diaspora communities.
Strategic Implications
For Yassir, owning the advertising infrastructure means replicating the Amazon Advertising model, building a closed-loop retail media network, controlling proprietary data from payments, transportation, and delivery, as well as the programmatic infrastructure to monetize it.
Market Impact
The operation represents a vertical integration of data and advertising in the African market. Yassir is evolving from a payments and on-demand services platform to a media provider, absorbing Kawarizmi's programmatic capabilities to build a retail media and advertising ecosystem within a single product. The result will put pressure on local media agencies, which are already struggling in a highly competitive market. They have been warned.
