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Mercury Bank Blocks Fintech Founders From Nigeria, Ukraine, and a Dozen More Countries
24.7.2024
The U.S.-based fintech company, Mercury, will offboard startups whose founders reside in or whose businesses are headquartered in 14 African countries and six non-African states. Mercury CEO Immad Akhund stated that this decision impacts customers whose deposits constitute less than 1% of Mercury’s...
Nigerian Fintech Firm Flutterwave Confirms Hacking Attempt, Says Users’ Funds Safe
18.5.2024
The Nigerian fintech firm Flutterwave claimed on May 16 that it had foiled an attempt to breach its payments platform. Flutterwave asserted that the “unauthorized activities inconsistent with usual customer behavior” did not compromise users’ funds or data confidentiality. According...
Nigerian Fintech Firm Flutterwave Confirms Hacking Attempt, Says Users’ Funds Safe
18.5.2024
The Nigerian fintech firm Flutterwave claimed on May 16 that it had foiled an attempt to breach its payments platform. Flutterwave asserted that the “unauthorized activities inconsistent with usual customer behavior” did not compromise users’ funds or data confidentiality. According...
Nigerian fintechs crack down on crypto, users face account blocks
3.5.2024
The CBN's attitude to crypto has been inconsistent in recent years and the crackdown contradicts a decision taken in 2021 to facilitate crypto account opening
Congolese Fintech Startups, Government Form Association to Accelerate Financial Inclusion
25.3.2024
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-based fintech startups have partnered with the government to launch an association. The goal of the collaboration is to accelerate financial inclusion in the African country. By partnering with the government, the association will play a crucial role in shaping...
Canada Market Favors Crypto and Blockchain Investments Over Others in 2023
7.2.2024
Although investments in Canadian fintechs slowed down in 2023, crypto and blockchain-related investments dominated the scene. KPMG’s global Pulse of Fintech report published Tuesday found that VC-backed investments comprised over three-quarters of all deals, totaling 83 transactions valued...
Nigerian Payments Fintech Startup Cleva Secures $1.5 Million in Pre-Seed Funding
10.1.2024
The Y Combinator-backed Nigerian fintech startup has reportedly raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding. Tolu Alabi, the CEO of Cleva, expressed confidence in her and fellow co-founder Philip Abel’s ability to navigate the competitive fintech market, citing their background as a factor that counts...
Consortium of Nigerian Banks and Fintechs Cleared to Pilot Stablecoin
7.1.2024
The Nigerian central bank has given its go-ahead for the Africa Stablecoin Consortium (ASC) to pilot its cNGN stablecoin initiative in the financial regulator’s regulatory sandbox. The ASC asserts that the cNGN stablecoin can prove to be vital not only for the country’s payment rails but...
Revolut Unlocks Crypto Trading in New Zealand, Expanding Fintech’s Offerings with 100+ Pairs
20.12.2023
Revolut’s New Zealand users can now trade major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin through the Revolut app and access educational resources. Image by boumenjapet, Adobe Stock. London-based fintech firm Revolut has launched cryptocurrency trading services in New Zealand. Starting today, customers...
Africa-Focused Remittances Fintech Zazuu Shut Downs After Failing to Secure Additional Funding
21.11.2023
An Africa-focused remittances firm, Zazuu, has become the latest fintech startup to close shop after it failed to raise extra funding. Zazuu and other African fintechs’ funding problems are said to be linked to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the U.S. Zazuu Shuts Down Just Over a Year...
Nigeria Plans to Include Fintechs in Broadened Official Currency Market
26.10.2023
A Nigerian official recently said the foreign exchange-starved country plans to include “legitimate” market participants like bureaux de change and financial technology companies in the official forex currency market. Finance Minister Wale Edun also said the country will receive...
Custodia Bank Goes Live: Bridging Digital Assets With US Dollar Payments
12.8.2023
Custodia Bank, the financial institution that aims to bridge digital assets with the U.S. dollar payment system, is now live. Last month, Custodia started serving external business customers in select U.S. states, offering U.S. dollar deposits and government money market fund services, with bitcoin...
Study: 40% of Surveyed African Banks See Fintech and Telcos as ‘High Threats’
20.5.2023
About 40% of 153 African banks surveyed by the latest African Banker annual report said they regard “fintechs and telcos as high threats,” while 69% see artificial intelligence as the “most important technology shaping the industry in the near future.” According to...
Saudi Central Bank Says Ongoing CBDC Experiment Focused on Domestic Wholesale Use Cases
27.1.2023
Saudi Arabia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) experiment, which is being carried out in conjunction with local banks and fintechs, is presently focused on domestic wholesale uses cases, the central bank has said. Meanwhile, the Saudi Minister of Finance has said CBDCs can be...
Fintechs Accounted for Over 30% of Tracked Kenyan Tech Startups in 2022 — Study
7.1.2023
As of November 2022, Kenyan fintechs accounted for 30.2% or 93 out of the 308 tracked tech startups, a Disrupt Africa study recently found. In addition, the study findings show that the fintech sub-sector alone accounted for 3,100 or 27% of the 11,462 people that were employed by tech startups...
Report: Chipper Cash Valuation Dropped to $1.25 Billion After it Secured Additional Funding From FTX
10.12.2022
After Chipper Cash ended 2021 as one of Africa’s most valued fintechs, the FTX-backed startup’s valuation dropped from $2 billion to $1.25 billion after it reportedly received a $35 million simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) grant from the now-collapsed crypto exchange FTX....
Report: Zimbabwe Proceeding With Digital Currency Plans, Central Bank Undeterred By Slow Adoption of Nigerian CBDC
3.11.2022
Undeterred by the reported slow adoption of the Nigerian central bank digital currency, the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Innocent Matshe recently said his institution will proceed with plans to launch its own digital currency. In addition to sending a team to learn from...
US Tennis Player Serena Williams’ VC Firm Leads Ugandan Fintech’s $12.3 Million Pre-Series A Funding Round
2.10.2022
The Uganda-based digital lending fintech startup, Numida, has said it will start offering its services to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in other African countries. Numida’s plans to offer its services to businesses beyond Uganda’s borders came shortly after it...
Crypto Payment Infrastructure Firm Opennode to Test Bitcoin Payments in Bahrain
18.9.2022
Opennode, a bitcoin payment infrastructure firm, recently said it will run trials of its bitcoin processing and payout solution through the Central Bank of Bahrain’s regulatory sandbox. According to Dalal Buhejji, an executive director with the Bahrain Economic Development Board, the central...
DeFi Platform Credix Raises $11.25M to Connect Institutional Lenders With Emerging Market Fintechs
6.9.2022
The decentralized credit marketplace will use the capital to expand beyond Brazil