Author: Akin Naphtal

TechBerg Magazine has named Rasaq Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of WealthTech firm CowryWise as its Personality of the Week. For someone who is immersed in numbers both in the classroom and in ‘real world’, being a technology guru may not seem like a significant achievement. However, one distinguishing fact about Rasaq Ahmed is that his versatility do not only cover knowing how to compute figures and how to navigate the computer system, but have gone beyond to create a system that proffers financial solution with the use of technology. Educational Background and Career Rasaq Ahmed is the…

Appointed to head one of the biggest public institutions was nowhere near his thoughts or goals 10 years prior to March 2017; much less running the affairs of an institution that had gained notoriety as the most corrupt government agency in the country. As he walked into his office that fateful morning on his first day at work, the only question that rang in his head was “what have I gotten myself into?” Being the new CEO of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) that had been taken over by middlemen alias the “goro community,”, corrupt practices and distasteful…

Revolut is looking to lure consumers in Ireland with a three percent cashback offer on purchases with leading brands. The new service, ‘Shops’, lets users search and browse products from more than one thousand brands. These include local favourites ranging from Smyths Toys and Woodies to Arnotts and Brown Thomas; international retailers like Ikea, Amazon, JD Sports, Harvey Norman and TK Maxx; and big brands’ online stores, including Nike, Adidas and a range of luxury fashion houses. Regardless of the Revolut plan a customer is on, Shops rewards users with three percent instant cashback for every purchase, as long as…

Apple has joined forces with Goldman Sachs to add a high-yield savings account feature to its credit card. Apple Card users will be able to automatically deposit their Daily Cash cashback rewards into the new savings account, set to roll out in the next few months. There will be no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements for the account, provided by Goldman Sachs. Users can also deposit funds into their savings account through a linked bank account, or from their Apple Cash balance. Funds can also be withdrawn at any time to a linked bank account or…

Copper Street Capital, the private equity investor focused on lower mid-market European financial services, has invested in regulatory consultancy group, Thistle Initiatives Group Limited. Founded in 2012, Thistle Initiatives Group has grown into a multi-award-winning regulatory consultancy, providing expert regulatory advice and support for a vast and varied client base of UK and international firms operating across the spectrum of financial services. The investment will support the long-term growth of Thistle Initiatives Group, with a goal to more than double in size over the next three years through both organic growth and acquisition. Thistle is well placed to become a…

Mastercard onboarded Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB) as a global partner of Mastercard Fintech Express, which unites tech-savvy start-ups. The program supports digital payment innovators by facilitating collaboration with tech companies and their partners to bring new products to the market, add payment solutions, and innovate through collaboration. The partnership will enable other FinTech players to quickly launch their Mastercard issuing business and unlock more opportunities across the ecosystem. NEC Payment is the world’s first FinTech Express partner, expanding the possibilities for start-ups. Mastercard Fintech Express was launched last year and is split into three core modules. Access allows regulated businesses…

Kike Oniwinde is the founder of BYP network, a platform that empowers Black professionals to connect with each other globally for networking purposes and for job opportunities. BYP was founded in 2016 and tagged as ‘LinkedIn for Black professionals’. With over 150,000 members and over 1000 corporate clients including Facebook, DAZN and Farfetch. Kike came to the realization that ‘tech is the future’ when she worked for two years in Business Development at a fast-growing financial technology company. In her words; ‘Being a woman in tech means breaking barriers so that those who come after me won’t have to struggle…

Deutsche Bank and Fiserv have launched vert, a payment acceptance and banking services provider to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The new entity has been introduced to meet market demand for user-friendly, integrated solutions that enable them to accept payments and move and manage money, says the German bank.Vert promises clients faster payments, modern technology, acceptance of common payment types and an online dashboard providing transaction data and other business reports.Thorsten Woelfel, managing director sales & product at Vert, says: “By combining the strength of Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest bank, with Fiserv, the world’s largest merchant acquirer, we can provide…

Open Invention Network (OIN), the organization formed to safeguard open source software (OSS) and now the largest patent non-aggression community in history, announced today that The Clearing House (TCH) has joined as a community member. As the nation’s most experienced payments company, operating U.S.-based payments networks that clear and settle more than $2 trillion each day through wire, ACH, check image and real-time payments, TCH is reinforcing its commitment to OSS as an enabler of advanced financial services payment platforms. “Advancements in financial services and Fintech increasingly rely on open source technologies,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network.…

Glo as commonly known, which is Nigerian telco Globacom, has officially launched its new mobile payments and banking business MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank (PSB). G-kala was first established in 2019, but only commenced operations in May 2022 after it got licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (2020) in August 2020. With G-Kala, MoneyMaster will deliver its financial a platform and mobile app providing mobile wallet, bank account, mobile payments and other solutions for individuals and businesses. The subsidiary also allows for the digital transfer of electronic money between people and businesses, jointly carried out alongside with an agent network…