Author: Akin Naphtal

The European Union (EU) has announced PayPal’s decision to revise its terms and conditions to align fully with EU consumer protection regulations, after a constructive dialogue between PayPal, the European Commission, and national consumer protection authorities. The EU previously expressed concerns that PayPal’s existing terms and conditions were not only challenging for consumers to comprehend, but were also deemed unfair. In response, PayPal has committed to making significant amendments to enhance transparency and understanding for its users. As part of these changes, PayPal users will receive notifications detailing the modifications through a policy update scheduled for February. The revised terms…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecommunications operators to implement full blockage of all subscriber’s identification module (SIM) cards not linked to national identification numbers (NINs) by February 28, 2024. According to the instructions, the operators, including MTN, Airtel, Globacom, 9mobile, among others have been lettered to carry out the exercise as directed. Recall, the telecoms operators have 220 million subscriptions, of which MTN has 85 million; Glo, 61 million; Airtel, 60 million and 9mobile, 13 million. The mandatory NIN-SIM Linkage exercise began in December 2020 as directed by the Federal Government. The telecoms operators have already lost over…

ZTE Corporation has announced launching its integrated end-to-end telecom energy solution at the TowerXchange Asia 2023, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With the continuous development of global 5G construction, the number of 5G sites is increasing remarkably. This has led to a steady rise in investment in the telecom energy systems supporting the sites. Simultaneously, as operators strive to achieve goals for carbon neutrality, the trend of layering of telecom networks and energy networks is becoming apparent. Operators are now pursuing the transformation of light assets to enhance network operation efficiency and reduce costs, resulting in a continuous increase in…

Nigeria’s seventh-most-visited website, Nairaland, is facing a blackout after Cloudflare, an American content delivery company, took its server offline on Monday, 18th December, following an abuse report filed a week ago. Nairaland’s founder, Seun Osewa, has confirmed the shutdown, though the specific nature of the reported abuse remains unclear. Osewa initially announced on Monday that Nairaland’s website was undergoing “unscheduled maintenance” by Cloudflare. However, on Tuesday, he clarified that the server was down due to an oversight on his part regarding an abuse report filed on 14th December. Osewa removed the offensive content after the takedown. Cloudflare, known for providing…

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service provider (ISP), Starlink, has officially launched in Eswatini, making the Southern African country the eighth and tenth overall market in Africa to be issued Starlink connection. The announcement for the launch, which occurred on Monday, 18th December, follows Starlink’s successful navigation of regulatory and technical requirements, receiving its operating license in June 2023. Starlink utilises low earth orbit satellites to deliver broadband internet services to both urban and remote areas, offering capabilities for streaming, online gaming, and video calls. Eswatini has a population of just over 1.2 million, with over 710,000 of them being internet…

Pension and savings fintech Cushon has announced the appointment of Ellen Louw, a former executive at American Express and Reach PLC, as its chief financial officer (CFO). Louw has over 20 years of experience in the financial sector. Louw worked for over 10 years at American Express, most recently as the vice president for global consumer decision support. Louw’s last role was at the UK publishing giant Reach, where she held the role of commercial finance director. The Cushon finance chief also worked as the head of commercial finance and corporate development at WorldRemit. Speaking on her appointment Ellen Louw…

The winds of change are sweeping through the South African commercial space, heralding the digital transformation era. The relentless march of technology is reshaping industries, redefining workflows, and presenting unprecedented opportunities for businesses to thrive in the digital age.Navigating the digital realm: Asus’ role in South Africa’s business evolution Asus stands at the forefront of this transformative journey, offering cutting-edge solutions that empower South African businesses to embrace the digital future. Ongoing digital transformation in South Africa From Cape Town to Johannesburg, businesses embrace technology to drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. This transformation is not a…

Telecommunications giants MTN Nigeria has informed subscribers that any sim without the National Identity Numbers (NINs) will be barred from using the network on or before 28 February, 2024. MTN, in a statement issued by Uto Ukpanah, Company Secretary, said the move is part of an industry-wide directive that requires phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs to be barred on or before 28 February MTN informed investors that, it has “received a formal directive from the NCC to implement full network barring on all phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their national…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges of insider trading, providing false information to auditors, and violations of internal controls, among others, against Tingo Group Inc, Agri-Fintech Holdings Inc and Tingo International Holdings Inc. The American financial supervisory body also hit Tingo Group CEO, Dozy Mmobuosi, with charges of fraud. The legal action comes after US short seller, Hindenburg Group published a damning report in June labeling Tingo Group as an “exceptionally obvious scam with completely fabricated financials.” The report alleged that Tingo falsified information regarding partnerships, projects, and expansions. Despite Tingo Group denying the allegations, the…

Kenya’s leading money platform, M-PESA, is introducing physical plastic cards as it moves from its previous provision of virtual cards called GlobalPay, which faced limitations in acceptance at physical shops due to the populace’s preference for cash transactions. The virtual cards were primarily designed for online purchases from platforms like Netflix and Amazon, but have faced challenges with reliability and fraud risks. In contrast, physical cards are considered more secure. However, Kenya has been lukewarm toward plastic payment methods, with only 6.35% of adults using credit cards and 22% opting for debit cards. M-PESA, with an impressive 97% market share…