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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...
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...
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...
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...
Speculators and Crypto Traders Blamed for Naira’s Plunge, Kenyan Institutions Told to End Dealings With Nigerian Fintechs, CAR Token Sale off to Slow Start
4.8.2022
In this week’s Africa news highlights, the Nigerian central bank blames speculators for causing the local currency’s plunge to a new all-time low on the parallel market. In Kenya, the central bank has told financial institutions to cease having dealings with two Nigerian fintechs...
Kenya Central Bank Orders Financial Institutions to Stop Dealing With Two Nigerian Fintechs
1.8.2022
In a letter addressed to the CEOs of financial institutions, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has said financial institutions operating in the country must cease and desist from dealing with two Nigerian fintechs, Flutterwave and Chipper Cash. The letter reiterates the CBK governor Patrick Njoroge...
Report: Nigerian Crypto Restrictions and Twitter Ban Have ‘Crippled Foreign Direct Investment in the Fintech Industry’
10.5.2022
A new report has concluded that restrictions on cryptocurrency trading, as well as the banning of Twitter by Nigerian authorities, may have “crippled foreign direct investment in the fintech industry.” Foreign Direct Investment ‘Crippled’ A new report has found that...
Nigerian Fintech Founder: ‘African Fintechs Have a Greater Scale Potential Than Other Tech Startups’
9.5.2022
The African fintech industry has grown rapidly over the past few years and this has caught the attention of some well-resourced venture capital (VC) firms. As one would expect, Nigerian fintech startups have dominated the continent in terms of funds raised or the number of transactions performed....
Qatar Central Bank Studying Digital Banks and CBDCs
18.3.2022
Qatar Central Bank is presently examining the possibility of issuing a digital currency as well as digital bank licensing, an official has said. The official adds this study will help the central bank get an understanding of what its area of focus should be. The Growing Significance of CBDC...
Flutterwave Raises $250 Million in Series D Funding Round, Startup Now Valued at Over $3 Billion
19.2.2022
Fintech startup Flutterwave announced recently that it has raised $250 million from its Series D funding round. The funding round, which attracted international investors, saw the startup’s value rise to over $3 billion. Capital Raised to Fund Flutterwave’s Expansion Plans...
Report: Nigerian Fintechs Account for Nearly 91% of $417.5 Million Raised by Tech Startups in the Country
30.11.2021
According to an analysis of the $417.5 million that was raised by Nigerian tech startups during the first nine months of 2021, fintech firms accounted for about $379 million or 90.78% of the total. Nigerian Fintechs Dominate the African Continent Nigerian fintechs currently account for more than...
Nigerian Central Bank Wants Financial Institutions to Develop Products Based on Its CBDC
29.11.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it wants players in the country’s payment industry to develop and help introduce products based on its central bank digital currency, the e-naira. Central Bank Open to Suggestions In its bid to deepen the adoption of the e-naira, the Central Bank...
Digital Euro Should Be Attractive But Not ‘Too Successful,’ ECB’s Panetta Says
7.11.2021
The digital euro should be an attractive means of payment but its design should prevent it from becoming so successful as a store of value that it threatens banks and private money, according to Fabio Panetta, a high-ranking executive at the European Central Bank. Panetta stressed that both this...
Up to 12 Million Iranians Own Cryptocurrency, Traders Choose Local Exchanges
1.11.2021
Cryptocurrencies are a popular investment among Iranians and estimates suggest that the number of those who already own one coin or another may be as high as 12 million. The majority of Iranian traders prefer the services of local crypto exchanges, the chief executive of one of them claims....
Nigerian Judge Rules in Favor of Accused Crypto Startup, Accounts to Be Reopened
27.10.2021
A Nigerian Federal Court judge recently ruled that the two frozen bank accounts belonging to Rise Vest Technologies, which is accused of trading cryptocurrencies, must be reopened. CBN’s Bank Account Freeze Order Dismissed In a ruling that overturns the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s...
Nigerian Central Bank Freezes Bank Accounts of Fintech Firms, Accuses Them of Violating Forex Regulations
19.8.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to four fintech firms for up to 180 days after a Federal High Court in Abuja acceded to an “ex parte motion.” The ex parte motion, which is a form of temporary suspension, was granted after a Nigerian chief...
Africa Fintech Start-up Growth: Nigeria Dominates in ‘Big Three’ Markets
10.7.2021
According to the findings of the latest study by Disrupt Africa, the number of fintech start-ups based on the African continent grew to 576 in 2021. This figure represents a 17.3% jump from the 491 start-ups that were operating on the continent in 2019. Overall, the number of fintech start-ups...
Report: Fintech’s Growing Popularity a Threat to Profitability of Nigerian Banks
7.7.2021
Financial technology companies (fintechs) are now among the biggest threats to the overall profitability of Nigerian banks, analysts from the country’s Coronation Merchant Bank (CMB) have warned. The Efficiency of Fintech As a report carried by local media explains, this threat from fintech...
Bank of Tanzania Hints at Possible Crypto Ban Reversal as Spokesman Confirms Bank Is ‘Working on the Directives Given’
28.6.2021
In a hint that Tanzania might soon reverse its 2019 crypto ban, an unnamed spokesperson of the Bank of Tanzania (BOT) recently suggested the apex bank is “working on the directives given.” The remarks by the spokesperson follow Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s call on...