In today's edition: Nigerian BNPL startup Klump shuts down || FNB fined $60,000 || Pick n Pay reduces store count to narrow losses || DStv cuts prices in Kenya
Egyptian prop-tech startup Aqar Exit has secured an investment of EGP10 million ($183,000) from businessman Ayman Mamdouh Abbas, executive chairman of Intro Holding Group, in return for a 10 per cent stake in the company. Founded in July, Aqar Exit operates a platform for transferring property purch
South African buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Happy Pay has publicly launched Happy Ads, an AI-powered performance media platform that only charges retailers when a campaign results in a sale. Happy Pay provides zero-cost installment payments through its ad-subsidised payments network. Its platfo
Bamburi Cement Plc won three top honours at Kenya’s Road Safety Excellence Awards 2026, recognising its use of technology, driver welfare programmes and transport safety management to improve road safety. The cement maker took first place in the Driver Safety & Wellness, Road Safety Champion and Roa
Safaricom Plc is expanding M-PESA from a payments service into savings, investment and insurance, Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said, while a court dispute over who controls the Kenyan operator remains unresolved. “We want to broaden and democratise access so you can either pay, you can save,
Endeavor Catalyst, the venture capital arm of global entrepreneurship network Endeavor, has raised $320 million for its fifth fund as it targets high-growth startups in markets beyond traditional technology hubs. The oversubscribed fund is the firm’s largest to date, lifting Endeavor Catalyst’s asse
Blockchain payments enable payments to content, game accounts, and digital goods. They can be used to transfer cryptocurrencies through blockchain networks that operate outside of banks and the conventional financial system. The security, speed, fees, and reliability of a blockchain payment will var
Saudi event-technology startup INVE has raised $300,000 in pre-seed funding from Outliers Venture Capital as it expands its digital invitation and event-management platforms for consumers and businesses. The funding will support the growth of INVE’s business platform, launched in August 2026, and it
Meta and This Is Digital have brought together 10 Kenyan startups developing artificial intelligence applications for local industries through the inaugural AI Academy Kenya Pitchathon, a competition offering two winning teams $5,000 each in equity-free funding. Held on October 16 at The Social Hous
Flutterwave employees can now borrow money with their shares and keep them, as the $3.25 billion fintech begins to offer loans to its entire workforce.
Egyptian agentic AI customer experience (CX) startup Tactful AI has secured investment from Hatem Dowidar, the former group CEO of e&, as part of an extension of its pre-Series A funding round. Founded by Mohamed Elmasry, Mohammad Hassan and Sherif Khairallah, Tactful is a unified customer experienc
Egyptian prop-tech startup Aqar Exit has secured an investment of EGP10 million ($183,000) from businessman Ayman Mamdouh Abbas, executive chairman of Intro Holding Group, in return for a 10 per cent stake in the company. Founded in July, Aqar Exit operates a platform for transferring property purch
South African ed-tech incubator Injini has launched a new two-year programme that will support 10 early-stage South African edtech startups building solutions that create or support employment pathways for young people. Founded in 2017, Injini, which is a member of the UVU Africa Group, is a registe
Her Startup, an accelerator for women-led technology startups in Africa, has opened applications for the second cohort of its programme. The Her Startup initiative, a partnership between the KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will select 10 early-stage women founders and he
South African buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Happy Pay has publicly launched Happy Ads, an AI-powered performance media platform that only charges retailers when a campaign results in a sale. Happy Pay provides zero-cost installment payments through its ad-subsidised payments network. Its platfo
Disrupt Africa, a pan-African tech media platform, has partnered with app development firm Touch Inspiration to launch Disrupt Launchpad, to offer founders technical development support and access to potential customers and investors. The two will aim to help entrepreneurs turn app ideas into market
Corporate productivity metrics often mask severe operational risks. When departmental managers face rigid central procurement, slow helpdesk response times, or clunky legacy software, they rarely wait for official approval to fix their immediate workflows. Instead, tech-savvy teams take matters into
