Author: Akin Naphtal

Mastercard has announced its partnership with Google to introduce Google Pay in Kuwait, enabling Android users to make contactless payments in stores and online. The move aligns with Kuwait Vision 2035’s objective to increase the adoption of high-security digital payments. The launch also prioritises the security and privacy of payment information, with virtual card numbers used for transactions. Erdem Çakar, Country Manager of Kuwait and Qatar for Mastercard, stated that they are pleased to collaborate with Google in driving digital inclusion in Kuwait through the introduction of Google Pay. The launch increases the range of contactless payment options available to…

Kuwait’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has reportedly foiled a recent hacking attempt, which involved the Ransomware Lockbit virus, according to local media reports. The ministry swiftly took several security measures in response to the incident, including disconnecting the affected computers. “The attack involved the Ransomware Lockbit virus, which entered the network through two personal computers. The ministry acted swiftly by disconnecting the affected computers”, the report stated. Fortunately, none of the critical data related to the operations of companies, institutions, transactions or the lives of citizens and residents were encrypted or impacted, according to the ministry. The incident highlights…

Kaspersky, a leading cybersecurity company, has recently acquired a 49% stake in Ximi Pro, a subsidiary of Ximi Lab that specializes in developing Tron, a comprehensive solution for software container infrastructure protection. This acquisition is expected to help Kaspersky provide full-fledged protection within the Cloud Workload Protection concept and extend its upcoming XDR solution to detect and respond to threats in container infrastructure. As the global market for commercial container software is growing rapidly, Kaspersky is expanding its portfolio to include container security solutions. By doing so, they aim to cover container infrastructure, applications and services, providing adequate response actions…

Continuity, a top provider of cyber resilience solutions, has announced its partnership with Bulwark Distribution FZCO to secure organisations’ storage and backup systems against cyber attacks. The two companies will work together to provide cyber resiliency solutions that will help organisations withstand ransomware and other cyber threats. The partnership will focus on Continuity’s StorageGuard, a security posture management solution that will allow Bulwark’s channel partners and system integrators across United Arab Emirates and other GCC countries & the Indian sub-continent regions to automatically detect, prioritise and remediate vulnerabilities and security misconfigurations in their clients’ storage and backup systems. This will…

Palo Alto Networks has launched a new cloud-delivered industrial operational technology (OT) security service, which is part of the company’s Zero Trust OT Security solution. The offering is designed to protect OT environments from cyberattacks that can cause significant damage beyond revenue and reputation, to supply chain, human safety and critical infrastructure. The solution can be activated without additional sensors and is easily enabled by any of the 61,000+ active customers of Palo Alto Networks’ network security products, such as Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) and Prisma SASE. Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President, Network Security at Palo Alto Networks said that most…

Yellow Card is excited to announce the launch of an additional five coins to the app. With the additional coins Yellow Card now provides a wider-range of cryptocurrencies for their customers. Allowing customers to view and trade over seven digital assets including: Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), Ethereum (ETH), USD Coin (USDC), Cardano (ADA), Solana (SOL) & Celo Dollar (cUSD). In the last few years, Yellow Card has provided innovative financial solutions to many Africans across the continent. The fintech company most recently launched its new innovative payment feature, Yellow Pay across the continent. Now with the launch of the new…

Salesforce-owned communication platform, Slack, has introduced an AI-powered app named ChatGPT that can assist users in responding to colleagues in a matter of seconds. Access to the app will allow users to click on the three-dots icon in a thread and opt for “Draft reply” instead of typing out a response. Although it is not yet clear how detailed the responses will be, the app can be edited to suit the conversation. While companies and organisations can sign up for the ChatGPT beta here, the news is part of Salesforce’s broader announcement of Einstein GPT. The company is infusing its…

TikTok is giving content creators a new way to monetize their videos on the platform by launching a paywall feature called Series. Unlike the typical short-form TikTok videos, Series allows creators to make collections of up to 80 videos, with each clip being up to 20 minutes long. The paywall monetization model is similar to Patreon or OnlyFans, with creators setting their own rates from $1 to $190. Fans can access the exclusive content either from direct in-video links or the creator’s profile page. The paywall feature is only available to select creators for now, with applications opening up in…

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will be highlighting key standards, guidelines and frameworks for the development, standardization and regulation of information technology practices in the face of global digital revolution at the 2023 RegTech Africa Conference. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, NITDA who confirmed attendance at the RegTechAfrica Conference would discuss Information Technology policy objectives and provide frameworks within which the policies are implemented. At the conference, Inuwa along side other speakers would discuss issues that help cross the divide between regulatory reporting and technology spectrums and also look at different approaches in which technology and data could…

Abound, a U.K.-based consumer lending service, has raised £500 million ($601 million) in a big fundraise to fuel its own open banking-based business. The startup will use the funds to finance loans, bring more customers to its platform and invest in its technology, which combines open banking data and machine learning algorithms to build what Abound believes is a better “credit score” for applicants. Abound’s technology uses bank transaction data to build its AI-based risk and lending profiles, which the company describes as “financial X-rays”. These profiles help Abound “understand true affordability” when it comes to loans. In addition to…