Author: Akin Naphtal

Nearly 400 wind farms in Ireland today collectively generate more than 35% of the island’s electricity. These carbon-free electrons travel on power transmission lines to farms, businesses and homes, helping utilities avoid emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. Like everywhere around the world, the intensity of the wind in Ireland fluctuates throughout the day and over the course of the seasons, which causes variable power production. As the supply of renewable energy increases, a growing problem for electric power grid operators is created. That’s because they need to only put on…

The Hong Kong government is set to bring in a number of financial incentives to address what has been termed as a skills shortage, especially in terms of the fintech sector. A number of industry associations, such as the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, and lobby groups have complained that Hong Kong has become uncompetitive as an international financial hub due to a tightening of immigration rules and stringent quarantine measures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, a survey conducted by Google, found that 64% of fintechs in Hong Kong arte facing a “severe talent gap” while…

Lentra, an enterprise SaaS company, empowering lenders with digital lending ecosystem, announced the appointment of Haribandhu Patra as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Bhuvaneswar Naik as the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). These appointments will enhance Lentra’s ability to rapidly scale-up operations and launch innovative technology platforms that empower banks and financial institutions to democratise credit in India. Haribandhu Patra has more than two decades of experience in leading Finance teams at several global financial technology organizations. At Lentra, he will focus on enhancing shareholder value. Bhuvaneswar Naik has over 25 years of experience in managing Human Resource functions…

Tech focused magazine, TechBerg, has unveiled Chinwe Uzoho, the Regional Director West & Central Africa of Network International as its Tech personality of the week. Chinwe Uzoho is a visionary and strategic leader who is an expert at continually refining and advancing an organization through my extensive background in Retail Banking, Product development, Research and Innovation. I am able to take the helm and drive forward ambitious and feasible strategic growth and sustainability plans. Highly energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual who possesses an entrepreneurial spirit that is coupled with strong business acumen. Recognized as a strong and supportive leader, who…

Nigerian startup Duplo, a B2B payment platform that makes it easier for African businesses of all sizes to pay each other, has raised US$4.3 million in seed funding to launch new products and expand into new business verticals. Founded by Yele Oyekola and Tunde Akinnuwa in September 2021, Duplo allows B2B companies to automate payment inflows, reconcile at scale, and create a streamlined experience for business customers. Businesses are able to perform all their payment operation needs on Duplo and also offer financial services to their customers, with the startup describing itself as a “financial operating system for B2B companies”.…

South African gym management software platform Octiv has raised an seven-figure US dollar Series A funding round from local VC firm Knife Capital to help accelerate its global expansion. Founded by Mark Fawzy in Cape Town in 2014, and previously known as BoxChamp, Octiv provides gyms and fitness studios with the correct software with which to run a profitable fitness business. The startup’s platform personalises the gym member experience and provides them with an outstanding digital experience. The startup previously raised seed capital from prominent South African angel investors, and has now closed an seven-figure Series A led by Knife,…

Alloy, the New York-based company behind an operating system that helps banks and fintechs make better identity and risk decisions, has raised $52 million at a $1.55 billion valuation. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Avenir Growth led the funding with participation from Canapi Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Avid Ventures, and Felicis Ventures. Over 300 companies use Alloy’s API-based platform to connect to more than 160 data sources, automate identity decisions during account origination, and monitor them on an ongoing basis. The firm will use the funding for a global expansion taking in 40 countries across North America, Emea, Latin America, and…

Roberts David Oluwadamilare, a 14 year old student of Ijaiye Housing Estate Senior Grammar School of Ogun State, Nigeria, has won the maiden Africa Digital Economy Forum Spelling Bee competition. In a demonstration of its efforts in promoting and building a sustainable intellectual capacity among Africans, Africa Digital Economy Forum (ADEF) a forum promoting Africa’s digital economy agenda recently organized a spelling bee competition to support educational development in Africa. ADEF Spelling Bee Competition is a literacy program to teach students the effective pronunciation of words, their meaning, and the proper context of usage in the English Language. The Spelling…

United Arab Emirates-based Ajman Bank has joined forces with Mastercard to launch a card for blind and partially sighted customers. Ajman is the world’s first issuer to roll out a Mastercard Touch Card, which has distinctive notches on the side to help customers identify it. The notches are designed to address a problem that many blind and partially sighted people have – quickly determining whether they are holding their credit, debit or prepaid card. Mastercard says the problem has become worse in recent years as more cards move to flat designs without embossed names and numbers. Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing…

London-based mPOS unicorn SumUp is expanding into the B2C payments space through the launch of a digital wallet with an integrated loyalty scheme. The SumUp Pay app includes a virtual Mastercard – which can be topped up using a saved card or via bank transfer – allowing users to make remote or in-person purchases enabled by Google Pay and Apple Pay, transfers and withdrawals. The app has an integrated loyalty scheme focused on supporting local businesses. Points are earned on all transactions and can then be redeemed at any local business collecting payments with SumUp. Other features include QR code-based…