Author: Akin Naphtal

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that WhatsApp’s global first shopping partnership with JioMart. Zuckerberg made the announcement on his official Facebook page calling it the “first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp”. Users will able to “buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat.” “Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come,” he wrote. In a press statement Jio said the JioMart on WhatsApp feature “will enable users in India, including those who have never shopped online before, to seamlessly browse…

Kenyan startup Roam, previously Opibus, has launched a new electric mass transit bus, the Roam Rapid, which is specifically designed to address the unique challenges of public transport in Nairobi and Africa as a whole. Founded in 2017, and rebranded earlier this year, Roam is the leading provider of electric vehicles designed and manufactured locally. Its vision is to create reliable and cost effective products designed for the pan-African mass market. The company raised US$7.5 million in equity and grant funding late last year to help it scale its operations, and it has now launched the Roam Rapid, the first…

The World’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform Binance has opened a crypto education hub in Yaounde, Cameroon to promote the use of cryptocurrencies on the African continent through cooperation with Inoni Tech The Crypto hub will provide training and services for young people across Francophone Africa and provide crypto enthusiasts with more resources to help them flourish within the ecosystem as well as create offline interactions through the utilization of this hub. Binance has been steadily expanding its footprints in blockchain ecosystem education across Africa since January 2020, when the Binance Africa team inaugurated the Binance Masterclass Series with in-person training…

ANKA, the “all-in-one solution for selling anywhere, shipping globally, and receiving payments quickly”, has announced the appointment of Morin Oluwole as its first Strategic Advisor. Morin is currently the Global Luxury Director at Meta, where she leads a global business team and is also an avid leader within the Women@ Meta and Black@ Meta employee resource groups. Morin will lend her expertise to ANKA by supporting the strategic development of the wider team, product development, and ecosystem. Having spent her career in leadership positions in global marketing, partnerships, and innovation, Morin has steered businesses at the forefront of technological and…

Polish Payment Standard (Polski Standard Płatności, PSP), the operator of the BLIK mobile payment system, is acquiring Viamo – a provider of peer-to-peer (P2P) and business payment services in Slovakia. BLIK makes its first international foray with the acquisition of Viamo. The commercials of the deal have not been disclosed. This is PSP’s first foray abroad as it looks to expand across the Eurozone. In its home market, its BLIK system is already well-established, with over 11.3 million active customers. Founded in 2014, PSP is jointly owned by Alior Bank, Bank Millennium, Santander Bank Polska, ING Bank Śląski, mBank, PKO…

Pan-African banking group, Ecobank Group, has launched the fifth edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge and encourages African Fintech entrepreneurs to enter the competition. Fintechs that are aligned with the Bank’s strategic objectives stand a chance to win an overall cash prize of US$50,000 for the top winner and the opportunity to partner and scale their solutions across Ecobank’s 33 African markets. Fintech companies and developers originating from any of Africa’s 54 countries, as well as global Africa-centered Fintechs, are eligible to enter the Fintech Challenge by visiting: https://bit.ly/3KnrDz2. Applications can be made until the 16 September 2022. Ecobank believes…

Visa, the world leader in digital payments, has announced the appointment of Salima Gutieva as Vice President and Country Manager for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Salima replaces Shahebaz Khan who has been appointed as Senior Vice-President, Head of New Payment Flows for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA). In her new role as a Country Manager for UAE, Salima will be based in Dubai and will be responsible for market strategy and supporting clients and governement partners in the UAE in meeting growing demand for seamless, secure digital payments. Salima Gutieva has 16 years of experience…

Mastercard has recently signed an agreement with Binance to support crypto payments for more than 90 million stores in Argentina as a first step to facilitating the use of digital assets for day-to-day transactions. Earlier this month, the New York-based payment processing company announced the official launch of the “Binance Card” in the South American country and called the instrument a “bridge between cryptocurrencies and everyday purchases”. To support the rollout in Argentina, Mastercard is working with a local company called Credencial Payments which will be in charge of issuing the card for Argentinians who hold a valid national identification.…

As part of its commitment to give Nigerians easy access to insurance products, the Nigerian subsidiary of Old Mutual Limited (OML), has launched a bespoke online platform for brokers, one of the most critical stakeholder groups in the onboarding of insurance customers. Olalekan Oyinlade, the Managing Director, Old Mutual Nigeria, speaking on the production said the innovative digital platform would ensure online service delivery to the insurance brokers adding that it was seamless and convenient, thereby engendering a rich engagement experience for their customers. According to Oyinlade, with the platform, brokers can market Old Mutual’s Life Insurance policies, such as…

MTN Nigeria on Thursday kicked off an open 5G pilot in the lead-up to its highly anticipated commercial launch. The Company, which intends to launch 5G services in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri, is testing the next-generation network infrastructure. Customers with certain enabled devices will be allowed to connect with and try out the new service where coverage is available. To access the 5G network and enjoy its benefits, customers will need compatible devices, such as routers and mobile phones, which can be pre-ordered from designated MTN walk-in stores and online via the MTN Nigeria website…