You Can Now Give Amazon More of Your Money in Monthly Installments Amazon is joining forces with buy-now-pay-later company Affirm, which will allow customers to split the total cost of purchases above $50 into monthly payments. Written By Jody Serrano Amazon wants you to buy, buy, buy, so it’s making it easier for you to do that. The company…
Windows 11 shouldn’t run on older PCs – but Microsoft won’t stop you from trying By John Loeffler When Microsoft announced its minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11 back in June, many were upset by the fact that only AMD Zen 2 and Intel eighth-gen processors or later would be supported. After an outcry, Microsoft hasn’t…
A $2 billion fintech startup has become Africa’s fastest unicorn Written By Alexander Onukwue In less than three years, OPay has gone from a curious startup known for its motorcycles in Lagos, Nigeria, to a financial services company worth $2 billion. The latest valuation comes after it raised $400 million from a round led by SoftBank,…
Kenyans lead the world in peer to peer crypto trade Written By Conrad Onyango Kenyans are trading cryptocurrencies directly with each other (“peer to peer transactions” or P2P) more than elsewhere in the world. Residents of other African countries are also jumping at the opportunity to cushion remittances and cross-border businesses from costly transfer fees and…
Work from Home Increased Worldwide Phishing Attacks Written By George Dascalu Palo Alto Network’s Unit 42 cybersecurity team reveals alarming findings about the new work-from-home environment. Over the course of September 2019 to April 2021, Palo Alto Network’s Unit 42 monitored firewall traffic and phishing sites detected by URL filters. The number of new phishing pages per week…
Nigerian startup launches crypto investment robo-advisor Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup ComiBlock has launched a goal-based investing crypto robo-advisor, giving anyone with a smartphone access to planning tools, advice, curated and thematic crypto-portfolios. Launched in February, ComiBlock uses technology to help its users become better crypto investors. “We measure progress by helping our users achieve specific life…
Moroccan B2B e-commerce startup Chari.ma raises funding, acquires mobile credit platform Written by TOM JACKSON Chari.ma, a B2B e-commerce app allowing traditional proximity store owners in Morocco to order products and have them delivered, has closed a round of funding and announced the acquisition of mobile credit book application Karny.ma. Founded last year by husband…
This New Virus Attacks WhatsApp Users Be careful! This malware is downloaded with the unofficial version of “FM WhatsApp.” A new virus is affecting WhatsApp users who downloaded the unofficial version “FM WhatsApp.” Since WhatsApp is one of the most used applications to communicate worldwide, it is of high interest to cybercriminals since it is easy to steal…
Sanwo-Olu set to commission subsidised Cappa hub for Lagos MSMEs in Oshodi As Governor Meets Business Leaders at 7th Corporate Assembly Written by Yinka Okeowo Lagos State Government is set to launch Cappa Hub, a new center for commerce located at Oshodi area to provide subsidised workspaces for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in…
$100,000,000 YouTube Shorts fund now available to creators in Nigeria Written by Yinka Okeowo YouTube Shorts launched in July and has now introduced the YouTube Shorts Fund aimed at creators to earn and build their growing businesses especially during this time when the world is focusing on economic recovery. In other words, YouTube Shorts creators can…
Disrupting the supply chain with better data analysis Written By Yinka Okeowo According to the SAS Experience 2030 research, 65% of South African consumers have indicated that they will not be returning to traditional shopping practices following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 37% of those stating they will use even more online and digital apps than…
SMEs are crucial to economic growth, stability, DG NITDA reiterates Written by Yinka Okeowo Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are predominantly the backbone of economic growth in any country and have accounted for the successes of most businesses globally, with ICT being a major driving force for enhancing efficiency. This was reiterated by no other than Mallam…
South African e-health startup, Quro Medical, receives investment from Life Healthcare Group Writen by Joan Aimuengheuwa Fostering its goal to provide home-based medical services in South Africa, Quro Medical has raised an undisclosed funding amount from Life Healthcare Group. The Johannesburg-based digital health startup leverages technology to monitor the health of patients in real-time. Via its…
Nigerian fintech startup Awabah raises $200k, joins Techstars London accelerator Written By TOM JACKSON Nigerian fintech startup Awabah raised US$200,000 in angel funding in July, which it has followed up by banking another US$120,000 after joining the Techstars London accelerator programme. Launched last year by Tunji Andrews, Tina Ajishebiyawo, and Gboyega Olatunde, Awabah is a digital platform…
Konga co-CEO speaks on e-Commerce in Africa at Global Conference Written by Yinka Okeowo Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, co-CEO of Nigeria’s leading e-commerce giant, Konga Group and Founder, Yudala.com, has been solely selected to speak on a global conversation on e-commerce in Africa. The session holds today, Friday, August 27, 2021 by 5pm. Specifically, the conference which…
New South Africa startup, Fanfire uses NFTs to help sports franchises engage with fans Written by TOM JACKSON South African startup Fanfire has launched to help sports franchises engage with their fans using non-fungible tokens (NFTs). An NFT is a unit of data stored on the blockchain that certifies a digital asset to be unique…
Egypt’s EYouth targets international growth after impacting 750k young learners Written By TOM JACKSON Egyptian ed-tech startup EYouth, which provides online interactive educational programmes for individuals aged between 18 and 35, is targeting international growth after seeing more than 750,000 people complete its courses so far. Founded in 2016 and taken online in 2018, EYouth designs and…
Apple will now let App Store developers talk to their customers about buying direct Written by Catherine Shu Apple announced today it has reached a proposed settlement (embedded below) in a lawsuit filed against it by developers in the United States. The agreement, which is still pending court approval, includes a few changes, the biggest one being…
Welcome to our new Robot, Nurses. Hanson robotics wants to make robots, but not “Lost in Space”. Written by Al Williams Hanson robotics wants to make robots, but not “Lost in Space” [Robby] robots. Think more [Data] from Star Trek robots. They’ve announced [Grace], a lifelike robot made to take on nursing duties for doctors and…
NCC ready to implement Govt’s decision on 5G deployment – Danbatta Written By Yinka Okeowo Following the statement by Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim?? Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, revealing the Federal Government’s position on the deployment of 5G networks in Nigeria, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said…
Message reactions are coming to WhatsApp Written By Tyler Lee Sometimes certain messages don’t always warrant or need a reply. Sometimes replying just “OK” or “lol” seems a bit rude, but it seems that in the future, you can just react to your WhatsApp messages. This is according to the folks at WABetaInfo who discovered…
Nigeria! Huawei Apps UP 2021 is here, where are your Apps? Written By Yinka Okeowo The HUAWEI Apps UP 2021 contest is in full swing and all mobile App developers across the African continent are invited to showcase their best work. HUAWEI is reminding all App developer superstars that there are many reasons they might…
Egypt’s MaxAB acquires Morocco’s WaystoCap after securing $15m extra funding Written By TOM JACKSON Egyptian retail-tech startup MaxAB has acquired Moroccan counterpart WaystoCap as it plots expansion into the Maghreb region after adding US$15 million to the US$40 million Series A round it secured last month. Founded in 2018 by Egyptian and Libyan entrepreneurs Belal…
African fintech startups among 11 selected for Mastercard Start Path programme Written By TOM JACKSON South Africa’s Karri Payments and Kenya’s Kwara are among 11 fintech startups from around the world selected to join the Mastercard Start Path global network to scale innovation. Mastercard’s six-month Start Path programme is a springboard to help the best and brightest…
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reboot brand-client relationships Written by Michael Gorman Marketing automation has usually focused on driving sales, mainly using past purchase or late funnel behavior (e.g., paid search) as a predictor of an imminent purchase. While effective at boosting sales numbers, this widely implemented strategy can result in a disservice to brands and…
Google sounds the alarm over nasty Chrome vulnerabilities Written by By Anthony Spadafora Seven high-severity vulnerabilities have been discovered in Google Chrome Google is urging users of its browser to update Google Chrome immediately after seven high-severity vulnerabilities have been discovered. The vulnerabilities in question affect all desktop versions of the search giant’s browser regardless of whether a user is…
Here’s why Xiaomi is getting rid of Mi branding for its upcoming products Written by HARISH JONNALAGADDA For the last seven years, Xiaomi has released products in two distinct product lines: Mi and Redmi. The Mi-branded phones were reserved for the mid-tier and high-end categories, while Redmi devices accounted for the budget segment. This strategy…
Kenya’s MarketForce raises further $100k funding from Harambeans Prosperity Fund Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan retail-tech startup had added an additional US$100,000 in funding from the Harambeans Prosperity Fund to the US$2 million pre-Series A round it announced last month. Co-founded in 2018 by Tesh Mbaabu and Mesongo Sibuti, MarketForce enables consumer brands to optimise how they deliver…
Egyptian car parts marketplace Odiggo raises $2.2m expansion funding Written By TOM JACKSON Egyptian startup Odiggo, a digital marketplace for automotive spare parts, has closed a US$2.2 million funding round to help it continue to expand into new markets. Founded in 2018 by Ahmed Omar and Ahmed Nasser, Odiggo links customers with vendors in order to purchase…
Facebook Bringing Voice and Video Calls Back to the Main App Written by DAVE LECLAIR Facebook has splintered chat away from the main Facebook app to move people over to its Messenger app. However, the company is looking to bring people back to the primary Facebook app by adding voice and video calls. Bloomberg is reporting that…