Author: Akin Naphtal

Standard Chartered Bank has appointed Divyesh Vithlani as its new group chief transformation officer, based out of Singapore. Vithlani joins the global banking giant from Accenture, where he has spent the last five years. He most recently served as the company’s senior managing director, Southeast Asia market unit lead. He brings more than 30 years’ worth of banking and technology experience to his new role, working for companies in both Singapore and Europe. He previously spent over 16 years with Credit Suisse where he held a number of roles, including managing director – group technology chief operating officer from 2012…

IBM announced IBM Partner Plus, a new program that reimagines how IBM engages with its business partners through unprecedented access to IBM resources, incentives and tailored support to deepen their technical expertise and help speed time to market. The program is designed to fuel growth for new and existing partners, including resellers, hyper scalers, technology providers, independent software vendors and systems integrators, by putting them in control of their earning potential. IBM Partner Plus is central to the company’s Hybrid Cloud and AI strategy and aims to empower partners to help clients automate, secure and modernize their businesses. IBM Partner…

Dell Technologies is the most recent large high-tech company to announce a major layoff, with the hardware maker saying it is slashing 5% of its workforce. In a regulatory filing, Dell attributed the job cuts to a “challenging global economic environment.” Dell Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clark told employees in a letter that the company’s previous moves to reduce its costs “are no longer enough. We now have to make additional decisions to prepare for the road ahead.” The cuts amount to roughly 6,600 people, with Dell saying it has about 133,000 workers globally in its most recent annual report,…

During the Kenya Films and Classifications Board (KFCB)’s Digital Parental Literacy Programme held, Martha Conte, a mother of three admits to struggling with digital literacy. “Children are way ahead in the digital world,” Conte was quoted, a mother to an 18-year-old, 16 and 6-year-old. It is a fact that most parents like myself are very analogue in these digital times. “The six-year-old is smarter than I am when it comes to the digital world. It has even gotten to a stage where he changes screens so fast that I sometimes depend on the siblings to tell me what is going…

With transaction volumes, customer expectations, and competitive threats at an all-time high, banks must adapt quickly to keep pace. To address these challenges, Oracle has launched Oracle Banking Cloud Services, a new suite of componentized, composable cloud native services. The six new services available will provide banks with highly scalable corporate demand deposit account processing; enterprise-wide limits and collateral management; real-time ISO20022 global payment processing; API management; retail onboarding and originations; and new self-service digital experience capabilities. Built on a microservices architecture, they help banks renovate and modernize their business capabilities faster and with less risk. READ ALSO: SAP Partners…

The Digital Cooperation Organization called for global collaboration to bridge the technological divide as it announced its 2030 road map at its second annual general assembly in Riyadh. According to them, the plan aims at an ambitious future in which the digital economy contributes 30 percent to the global gross domestic product, and creates 30 million jobs worldwide. It is designed to promote common interest, advocate for advanced cooperation, build regulatory framework and business environments, and ensure the inclusive and trustworthy nature of the digital economy at local, regional, and global levels. Commenting, the DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al-Yahya said: “The…

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) recently announced that it now has a New York representative office, to facilitate greater US business flows into the African continent. RMB’s parent, FirstRand Bank, has received all necessary approvals from the United States Federal Reserve Board and New York State Department of Financial Services. RMB chief executive officer, Emrie Brown said that foreign investors are increasingly turning to Africa, with its vast natural resources, extensive markets, young population, and excellent technological prospects. The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement will also ease access into Africa, stimulate intra-regional trade and boost growth. Said Brown: “The new…

Olaseni Alabede, a veteran of the payments technology sector with more than 18 years of experience, has joined Global Technology Partners (GTP), an MFS Africa company, as chief technology officer (CTO). Acquired by MFS Africa in June 2022, the US-based GTP is the largest processor of prepaid cards in Africa, with more than 80 banks – including UBA, Ecobank, BIA, Stanbic, Coris, NSIA and Zenith Bank – using its platform. Prior to joining the GTP executive team, Alabede was the vice president of product development in MasterCard’s installments business. In this New York-based role, he was responsible for the design…

The Digital Economy Magazine, a leading voice in Technology, has declared Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ghana as Digital Economy Magazine “Personality of the Week” for the month of Feb 5th-11th,2023 ranking. Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (MP) is the Minister for Communications and Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West Constituency within the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. She is a lawyer, advocate for women and children’s rights and was the MD of WESTEL, the second National Telecoms Operator, Managing Consultant with N. U. Consult, Legal, Governance and Gender Consultants and Chairperson for the Social Development Committee – which…

Teraco, a leading carrier-neutral data centre and interconnection services provider in South Africa, has secured a syndicated loan of ZAR 11.8 billion ($680 million) to fund the expansion of its key interconnection hubs located in Isando, Bredell, and Cape Town. The loan, led by Absa, was provided by several financial institutions and opens up the possibility for future funding. The loan will finance Teraco’s new data centre builds, which are designed to be sustainable and minimize their environmental impact. The builds reflect Teraco’s commitment to ESG goals, such as reducing energy consumption, water usage, and environmental impact. READ ALSO:SAP Partners…