The TECH25 Roundup (Feb. 8 – Feb. 21)
Every fortnight we compile a list of important news updates and events covering the African FINTECH, MFGTECH, CLNTECH, and AGRTECH sectors.
FINTECH Roundup
Standard Chartered Bank Kenya announces a new mobile traded bond, via CIO East Africa.
Standard Chartered Bank announced its launched the SC Mobile App which allows clients to sell or buy local currency government bonds and treasury bills without visiting a branch to fill in forms.
Kenyan fintech startup WApi pay raises capital to scale across Africa, via Techtrends KE.
A Singapore and Kenyan based Fintech startup ‘Wapi Pay’has raised seed capital through the accelerator Future Hub (first Chinese accelerator in Africa) making it its first Fintech Investment in Africa.
Taxi-motos togo cashless by May in Rwanda, via The New Times.
Government extended for the Taxi-moto operators to go cashless by May 2020. Payments to be made by only cards or Mobile Money to pay to help end unnecessary haggling for fares between the riders and passengers.
A Nigerian fintech targets Kenya SMEs for growth, via Business Daily.
San Francisco and Lagos-based fintech start-up Flutterwave plans to grow its customer base in Kenya twofold and increase the volume of annual transactions by targeting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Is fintech in Kenya too successful?, via African Banker magazine.
Kenya’s fintech revolution has positioned it as one of Africa’s top performing economies and helped achieve total financial inclusion, But are consumers really benefiting and are they protected?
JointPesa, FinServe Africa collaborate to bolster e-commerce safety in Kenya, via itwebAfrica .
Kenyan FinTech firm JointPesa, in partnership with local finance solutions provider and virtual network operator FinServe Africa, has launched an e-commerce platform designed to facilitate secure interaction between buyers and sellers.
Digital lending to spur MSME growth in 2020, via The STAR.
Tough conditions set by commercial banks has seen small businesses turn to informal credit channels thus digital lending predicted to be a game changer for small traders owing to positive regulatory environment and progressive government initiatives.
NMB Bank Tanzania, Fintech in New Service Strategy, via The Citizen.
One of the biggest banks in Tanzania, NMB will work with Smart Lab (locally-grown innovation and acceleration lab) and individuals to come up with products that will benefit late-stage startup companies.
AGRITECH Roundup
Kenyan agri-tech start-ups share $856k UK grant funding, via Disrupt Africa.
The three start-ups secured the grant from the UK’s innovation agency to develop Africa’s first solar powered smart sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) and a machine learning technology.