5 August 2025
- Afriwise acquires LawExplorer, South Africa’s leading provider of regulatory monitoring tools, in a landmark deal that reshapes the legal-tech landscape in Africa.
- The acquisition unites Afriwise’s unmatched multi-country legal-intelligence platform with LawExplorer’s two decades of regulatory-tracking expertise, starting with expanded capabilities in South Africa.
- This move positions Afriwise as the undisputed leader in legal and regulatory intelligence across Africa, providing companies with real-time, actionable insight to confidently manage regulatory risk and compliance continent-wide.
Afriwise, Africa’s fastest-growing legal-intelligence platform, is pleased to announce it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire LawExplorer, South Africa’s most established provider of regulatory monitoring and analysis tools.
This landmark deal redefines the legal and regulatory intelligence landscape across Africa, combining Afriwise’s unrivalled continental coverage and legal depth with LawExplorer’s long-standing expertise in actionable regulatory tracking, starting with a major expansion of capabilities in South Africa.
“This is not just an acquisition. It’s a strategic leap forward for how companies in Africa manage regulatory change,” said Steven De Backer, CEO and Founder of Afriwise. “With this move, we firmly establish Afriwise as the definitive one-stop platform for legal and regulatory intelligence in Africa while at the same time gaining a powerful foothold in the South African legal market. By integrating LawExplorer’s flagship Sentinel platform, trusted for over two decades for its precision and editorial rigour, we’re adding deep regulatory monitoring capabilities to our multi-country legal intelligence. Together, we’re delivering a uniquely powerful solution that enables companies to anticipate risk, understand the legal and regulatory framework and make confident decisions across jurisdictions.”
This acquisition aligns LawExplorer’s strengths in South African regulatory analysis and regulatory savoir-faire with Afriwise’s continental vision and technology stack. LawExplorer’s editorial approach, with its focus on high-impact laws and regulatory interpretation, seamlessly complements Afriwise’s cutting-edge, pan-African platform that features structured laws, practical guidance, expert insights from 180+ law firms, and scalable monitoring tools.
“Together, we are solving one of the most pressing challenges for companies operating in Africa: staying ahead of fast-changing regulatory environments while making sense of fragmented, and opaque legal frameworks and requirements,” said Beulah Lüttig, Director at LawExplorer. “This is where legal and regulatory intelligence becomes a true strategic asset.”
Afriwise’s acquisition of LawExplorer signals a bold shift: the future of regulatory intelligence in Africa is being built now and Afriwise is leading the charge. While many global legal-tech players continue to focus on mature markets, Afriwise is doubling down where legal complexity is greatest and clarity is most urgently needed.
Backed by international investors and partnerships with over 180 law firms across 40+ African jurisdictions, Afriwise has grown into the continent’s most trusted legal-intelligence provider. This move drives that vision forward, enhancing the platform with decades of structured regulatory data, proven monitoring workflows, and a highly specialised content team.
The combined business will operate under the Afriwise brand. LawExplorer’s team will join Afriwise, bringing critical expertise, products, and client relationships into the fold. Over the coming months, customers will benefit from an expanded range of tools, deeper regulatory insight, and an integrated user experience, starting in South Africa, and rapidly scaling across the continent.
Webber Wentzel acted as legal counsel to Afriwise.
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About Afriwise
Afriwise is the leading legal and regulatory intelligence platform for Africa. Built on a unique model that combines technology, deep local legal expertise and a team of seasoned lega leditors, Afriwise enables companies to confidently navigate the continent’s fast-evolving and complex legal and regulatory environments. With unmatched multi-country coverage, maintained local legal frameworks and 360° legal intelligence, monitoring, and partnerships with over 180 law firms across 40+ jurisdictions, Afriwise empowers legal, regulatory risk and compliance professionals to anticipate change, manage legal exposure, and drive strategic decision-making at scale.
About LawExplorer
LawExplorer is South Africa’s most established provider of regulatory monitoring and legislative tracking solutions. With more than two decades of experience, LawExplorer supports organisations across highly regulated sectors with actionable insights into regulatory change. Its flagship platform, Sentinel, delivers expert-curated alerts and structured regulatory data, enabling compliance, legal, and risk teams to track, interpret, and act on key developments with precision. Trusted by leading companies and institutions, LawExplorer has become an indispensable tool for navigating complex and evolving legal environments across South Africa and beyond.
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