Home Blog Page 27

Mastercard and Yellow Card Partner to Expand Stablecoin Payments Across Africa and Emerging Markets

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Mastercard and Yellow Card Partner to Expand Stablecoin Payments Across Africa and Emerging Markets

Mastercard and Yellow Card have announced a new partnership aimed at expanding the use of stablecoin payments across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA), with plans to grow into other global markets over time.

The partnership will focus on building practical payment solutions using stablecoins, a type of digital currency designed to maintain a stable value by being linked to traditional currencies such as the US dollar.

Both companies said they plan to explore stablecoin use cases in four key areas: cross-border money transfers, business-to-business payments, digital rewards programmes, and treasury management for companies.

The collaboration will also involve banks, financial institutions, and regulators to test secure and compliant payment systems that combine traditional financial services with blockchain technology. The first markets targeted under the partnership include Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Chris Maurice said emerging markets present strong opportunities for payment innovation, especially in regions where access to traditional banking services remains limited.

According to him, Yellow Card’s experience building stablecoin infrastructure in African markets, combined with Mastercard’s global payment network, could help businesses and individuals move money across borders more cheaply and efficiently.

Mete Güney described stablecoins as a growing payment option that could improve efficiency in international trade and digital finance.

The companies also plan to strengthen payment security through Mastercard Crypto Credential, a system designed to improve trust and verification in blockchain-based transactions.

The agreement reflects growing interest in stablecoins across emerging markets, where businesses and consumers are increasingly looking for faster and lower-cost alternatives to traditional payment systems.

Yellow Card has become one of Africa’s leading licensed stablecoin operators, while Mastercard has continued expanding its blockchain and digital asset initiatives globally.

As regulations around digital assets become clearer in many countries, the partnership positions both companies to play a larger role in the future of blockchain-powered payments and financial services.

Pineapple Named Among Endeavor’s Top Global Scale-Ups

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Pineapple Named Among Endeavor’s Top Global Scale-Ups

South African digital insurance company Pineapple has been selected as an Endeavor Outlier, placing it among the top 10% of high-growth companies in Endeavor’s global network of entrepreneurs.

The recognition forms part of Endeavor’s 2026 Outliers cohort, an invite-only group made up of 238 companies from more than 50 countries. The programme highlights businesses showing strong revenue growth, market expansion, and the ability to scale successfully in difficult or fast-changing environments.

Pineapple earned its place alongside major African technology companies including Flutterwave, LemFi, Moniepoint, and Moove, all of which are recognised for building technology businesses with international reach.

Founded by Marnus van Heerden, Ndabenhle Ngulube, Sizwe Ndlovu, and Matthew Smith, Pineapple operates a digital-first insurance platform designed to simplify insurance through faster claims processing, improved transparency, and a mobile-based customer experience.

The company gained significant attention in 2023 after raising R400 million, one of the largest insurtech funding rounds in Africa. While Endeavor does not publicly release detailed financial figures for selected companies, Outlier status confirms that Pineapple met strict internal benchmarks linked to revenue growth, scale, and long-term business performance.

Endeavor supports founders building scalable businesses in emerging and complex markets. Companies selected into its network go through a rigorous review process led by experienced investors, founders, and business operators. Successful founders gain access to mentorship, strategic advice, and investment support through Endeavor Catalyst.

In South Africa, Pineapple joins a small group of companies that have previously reached Outlier status. These include GoTyme Bank, Onafriq, Hello Paisa, and Go1.

The 2026 programme grouped companies into different tiers based on revenue and compound annual growth rate over a three-year period. Some companies also qualified by reaching valuations above $1 billion.

Endeavor also considers non-financial factors during selection, including resilience, leadership, and a founder’s willingness to support other entrepreneurs within the network.

Pineapple’s inclusion reflects the growing presence of African technology companies in global business and investment networks. It also highlights how startups from the continent are increasingly building products that compete beyond their home markets while addressing local financial and insurance challenges.

Cybervergent Expands Into Kenya, Ghana and South Africa With New AI Security Platform

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Cybervergent Expands Into Kenya, Ghana and South Africa With New AI Security Platform

Cybervergent has launched version 3.0 of its artificial intelligence-powered security and compliance platform while expanding its operations into Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.

The company said the latest version of its platform introduces continuous posture management, replacing the older model of periodic governance, risk and compliance reporting with systems that monitor and verify risks in real time.

According to Cybervergent, the platform’s AI engine can independently verify 99.9 percent of audit and monitoring findings before they appear on company dashboards. The system is designed to help businesses improve how they manage cybersecurity, compliance, audits and data protection across both cloud-based and on-site environments.

The platform also maps more than 4,500 security and compliance controls across major regulatory frameworks. These include the Nigeria Data Protection Act, International Organization for Standardization ISO 27001 standards and SOC 2 compliance requirements.

Cybervergent said onboarding its first customer in South Africa marks an important step in proving the platform’s readiness for highly regulated industries, particularly in major financial and technology markets across Africa.

To support its regional expansion, the company is adopting a channel-first strategy by working with local partners and system integrators in Lagos, Accra and Johannesburg. The aim is to help enterprises deal with growing cybersecurity threats and stricter regulatory requirements.

Ayomide Daniels said the company built verification directly into the platform’s structure to improve trust and transparency.

“If a finding is not traceable back to source documentation, it does not reach the dashboard,” Daniels explained.

Cybervergent previously operated under the name Infoprivacy before rebranding in late 2023. The company originally focused on data privacy compliance in West Africa before shifting towards a broader AI-driven cybersecurity and posture management model.

The expansion reflects growing demand across Africa for stronger digital governance, cybersecurity infrastructure and automated compliance systems as more organisations move their operations online.

AGL and REasy Launch New China-Cameroon Trade Corridor for Small Businesses

Lindsay Eke
-
0
AGL and REasy Launch New China-Cameroon Trade Corridor for Small Businesses

Africa Global Logistics Cameroon (AGL Cameroon) and REasy have launched a new logistics and digital payments partnership aimed at making it easier for small businesses in Cameroon to import goods from China.

The new trade corridor officially began operations on April 29, 2026, with the arrival of the first consolidated container under the partnership. The project is designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local merchants overcome common import challenges such as high shipping costs, payment difficulties and limited logistics support.

At the centre of the initiative is a groupage shipping model, also known as Less than Container Load (LCL). This allows businesses to import smaller quantities of goods without paying for a full shipping container, making international trade more affordable for smaller companies.

The service combines four main features: secure digital payments, cargo consolidation in China, real-time shipment tracking and local logistics support in Cameroon. REasy provides the digital payment infrastructure, which complies with regulations from the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), helping ensure that transactions remain secure and transparent.

According to Thibaut Lamé, the partnership reflects a broader effort to provide integrated logistics solutions tailored to local business needs.

He said combining AGL’s logistics experience with REasy’s digital payment technology would create new growth opportunities for local businesses and help smaller traders participate more easily in international commerce.

The companies described the China-Cameroon corridor as the first phase of a wider plan to improve trade routes across Africa. They aim to expand the model into other strategic trade corridors on the continent in the future.

By addressing both logistics and payment challenges, the partnership hopes to modernise cross-border trade, improve supply chain transparency and strengthen the ability of African SMEs to compete in global markets.

Village Capital Invests $350,000 in Two Ghanaian Startups Through New Africa Fund

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Village Capital Invests $350,000 in Two Ghanaian Startups Through New Africa Fund

Village Capital has invested $350,000 in two startups from Ghana through its new Africa-focused investment facility aimed at supporting early-stage businesses building essential services.

The funding marks the first investments made through the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility (AECF), a $4 million fund launched in July 2025 with support from the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.

The fund focuses on startups working in areas linked to economic growth and climate resilience, especially businesses solving everyday challenges through locally developed solutions.

Under the latest deal, $200,000 will go to Rivia Clinics, a technology-driven healthcare startup, while VDL Fulfilment, an e-commerce logistics company, will receive $150,000. The investments are being provided through a mix of convertible debt and performance-based financing.

Village Capital said the investments come at a time when funding from development finance institutions has slowed across Africa. These institutions played a major role in supporting the continent’s startup growth over the past decade. Despite the slowdown, the latest deal suggests investors are still interested in startups providing practical services in sectors such as healthcare and logistics.

According to Heather Matranga, the two startups represent the kind of businesses emerging across Ghana, where founders are building solutions for real local problems.

Rivia Clinics plans to use the funding to expand its healthcare centres, improve sales operations and strengthen its virtual healthcare services. Meanwhile, VDL Fulfilment will invest in expanding its vehicle fleet and warehouse infrastructure to improve delivery and order fulfilment services.

Village Capital added that the investments were developed alongside local Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs), groups that help startups with mentorship, fundraising support, business development and investor readiness. These organisations often help identify promising businesses that traditional venture capital firms may overlook.

When the AECF fund was launched, Village Capital selected five venture partners across Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania. These included Reach for Change, Africa Fintech Foundry, Fate Foundation, Anza Entrepreneurs and Ennovate Ventures.

For the Ghana investments, Reach for Change and Innovation Spark helped build the investment pipeline and identify startups that matched local market needs.

Since it was founded in 2009, Village Capital says it has helped mobilise more than $7 billion in investment capital for around 1,800 startups worldwide. The Ghana investments are expected to be the first of several planned investments across Nigeria and Tanzania as the fund continues supporting African startups.

Coinbase Partners African-Founded Kemet to Expand Crypto Derivatives Trading

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Coinbase Partners African-Founded Kemet to Expand Crypto Derivatives Trading

Coinbase has partnered with Kemet, a crypto infrastructure startup founded by an Egyptian entrepreneur, to expand institutional access to crypto derivatives trading as global demand for digital asset products continues to grow rapidly.

The agreement allows institutional investors to trade across four Coinbase platforms through Kemet’s single trading interface. These include Coinbase Exchange, Coinbase Derivatives Exchange, Coinbase International Exchange and Deribit. Coinbase Ventures has also made an undisclosed investment in Kemet, showing deeper strategic ties between the two companies.

The partnership comes as crypto derivatives become one of the fastest-growing areas of the digital asset market. According to CoinGlass, the sector processed around $85.7 trillion in trading volume in 2025, far surpassing spot trading activity and highlighting rising institutional interest in crypto markets.

Founded in 2022, Kemet develops infrastructure that combines order execution, portfolio management and risk monitoring into one platform. Large trading firms often rely on several separate systems for these functions, which can make operations more complex. Kemet aims to simplify the process by bringing these tools together in a single interface.

The deal also builds on Coinbase’s $2.9 billion acquisition of Deribit in 2025, a move that strengthened its position in crypto options and derivatives trading. At the time of the acquisition, Deribit was handling more than $185 billion in monthly trading volume, showing the scale of institutional demand for derivatives products.

Rather than building all trading systems internally, Coinbase has increasingly chosen to work with specialised infrastructure firms as it expands its institutional business. This approach mirrors trends in traditional financial markets, where banks and exchanges often rely on third-party technology providers.

Although Africa has seen strong growth in cryptocurrency adoption, institutional trading activity across the continent remains limited. Countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia recorded $182.1 billion in crypto value between July 2024 and June 2025, according to Chainalysis. That represented a 72 per cent rise compared to the previous year.

However, most of this activity remains concentrated in peer-to-peer and spot trading markets. Institutional derivatives trading across Africa is still held back by unclear regulations and limited financial market infrastructure.

Kemet does not yet serve African institutional clients, reflecting those challenges. In many African economies, financial markets remain heavily focused on spot trading, while regulatory frameworks for crypto derivatives are still developing.

Even so, the partnership points to future opportunities. Coinbase has continued expanding its African presence through stablecoin payments and its Base blockchain network, which is gaining attention for lower-cost transactions. As regulations improve and infrastructure develops, Africa could become a larger participant in the global crypto derivatives market.

Zambia’s ZeroAI Brings AI and Robotics Lessons to Schools Without Internet or Power

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Zambia’s ZeroAI Brings AI and Robotics Lessons to Schools Without Internet or Power

A Zambian startup, ZeroAI Technologies, is expanding access to science and technology education by helping schools teach artificial intelligence and robotics, even in places without steady internet or electricity.

Founded in 2015 by Lottie Mukuka, the company focuses on schools that are often left behind, especially those in rural areas or with limited resources. Its goal is to make STEM education, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, practical and accessible for all students.

ZeroAI builds complete classroom setups that include both hardware and software. These “lab-in-a-box” systems come with tools such as Arduino boards and IoT sensors, along with offline simulation software, structured lesson plans and training for teachers. This means schools can run full lessons without needing a constant internet connection or stable power supply.

Mukuka said the idea came from a gap in the market. Many education tools are designed for well-equipped schools, leaving others unable to keep up. ZeroAI instead focused on creating a system that works offline and remains affordable for schools with fewer resources.

The company’s approach reflects a wider challenge across Africa, where many schools still lack basic digital infrastructure. Most education technology platforms depend on reliable internet and modern devices, which are not always available. By designing an offline, hardware-based system, ZeroAI has created a model better suited to these conditions.

Beyond classroom learning, the startup also works on robotics, automation and digital innovation projects. This allows it to link education with real-world applications, helping students build skills that can be used in future jobs.

So far, ZeroAI has introduced its solutions in several countries and trained more than 10,000 students across about 40 schools in Africa and other emerging markets.

The company’s work highlights a growing trend among African startups. Rather than simply bringing digital tools into education, they are adapting their solutions to fit local challenges, making it easier for more students to gain skills in fast-growing fields like artificial intelligence.

56 Startups Join SIA Startup Foundry 3.0 to Build Stronger Businesses

Lindsay Eke
-
0
56 Startups Join SIA Startup Foundry 3.0 to Build Stronger Businesses

A total of 56 early-stage startups from Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia have been selected for the latest cohort of the SIA Startup Foundry 3.0 programme, a one-month bootcamp designed to help founders turn ideas into solid, investment-ready businesses.

The programme started on April 7 and focuses on helping participants improve their business models, develop better products and test their ideas in real markets. At the end of the bootcamp, only 10 startups will move forward to a physical demo day, where they will present their businesses. From this group, six startups will be chosen to receive funding support.

This year’s cohort shows clear progress in the region’s startup space. About 58 percent of the selected companies are already at the seed stage, meaning they have moved beyond basic ideas and are beginning to grow their operations. In addition, 70 percent of the startups were founded within the last two years, showing a strong rise in new businesses across the three countries.

There has also been a shift in the type of startups taking part. While last year’s programme focused more on green energy and sustainability, this year’s group includes more technology-driven companies working across a wider range of industries.

The programme comes at a time when many African startups are finding it harder to raise funds. By helping founders build stronger businesses and prove their ideas, the SIA Startup Foundry aims to improve their chances of attracting investors and growing over time.

Overall, the new cohort highlights both the growing number of young founders in Africa and the need for structured support to help them succeed.

Tivvio Launches Community-Focused Ticketing Platform for South Africa’s Event Creators

Lindsay Eke
-
0
Tivvio Launches Community-Focused Ticketing Platform for South Africa’s Event Creators

A new South African startup, Tivvio, is aiming to change how events are organised and experienced by focusing on small, community-driven gatherings rather than large-scale shows.

Launched in 2026 in Durban, the platform was founded by Siyabonga Ngcobo. It offers a simple digital ticketing system that allows event organisers to create and manage events quickly without needing advanced technical skills.

Through the platform, users can set up event pages, sell tickets, and track attendance. It also supports local payment methods and provides fast payouts, making it easier for organisers to manage their cash flow.

Ngcobo said the current ticketing market in South Africa focuses mainly on transactions, with little attention given to user experience or community building. He explained that Tivvio aims to go further by helping people discover events, connect with others, and build a sense of identity around the events they attend.

Unlike many established ticketing platforms, Tivvio focuses on small and medium-sized events. These include recurring gatherings such as community meetups, creative showcases, and local experiences that are often overlooked by larger platforms.

The startup says this approach fills a gap in the market, where existing tools may not offer the flexibility or features needed by independent organisers.

To support this vision, Tivvio has built social features directly into its platform. These include event feeds, attendee profiles, and discovery tools designed to make events more interactive and engaging, rather than just a one-time transaction.

The company operates on a commission-based model, charging a fee for each ticket sold instead of requiring subscriptions or fixed costs. This lowers the barrier for entry, especially for smaller creators and community-led events.

Although still in its early stages, Tivvio is currently focused on growing its user base within South Africa. The company has plans to expand into other cities and eventually into wider African markets, with a system designed to adapt to different local payment methods.

Tivvio’s approach reflects a broader shift in the ticketing industry, where platforms are moving beyond simple sales tools to become spaces that support communities and shared experiences.

10 Nigerian Startups Receive $560,000 to Tackle Rising Heat Crisis

Lindsay Eke
-
0
10 Nigerian Startups Receive $560,000 to Tackle Rising Heat Crisis

Ten Nigerian startups have secured a total of $560,000 in funding to develop solutions that help people and businesses cope with rising temperatures across the country.

The funding was awarded under the TECA Heat Action Wave programme, supported by BFA Global, FSD Africa, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in Nigeria.

Each startup received $56,000, along with technical and business support. The programme focuses on building practical tools to help sectors already affected by extreme heat, including agriculture, healthcare, energy, and climate data services.

Nigeria has been facing more frequent and intense heatwaves, which are putting pressure on food systems, health services, and power supply. Farmers are dealing with faster spoilage of crops, damaged soil, and loss of livestock. At the same time, hospitals and outdoor workers face growing health risks linked to heat stress and unstable electricity.

Organisers say the initiative aims to show that climate adaptation can also attract investment, not just aid.

Tyler Ferdinand, TECA director at BFA Global, said extreme heat is becoming one of the biggest risks to African economies but has received little funding. He explained that the programme supports businesses building tools and services that allow people and industries to operate safely in hotter conditions.

The selected startups are based in cities including Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo, and focus on solving urgent challenges linked to heat.

Several of the startups are working in agriculture. Ofemini Global is developing a logistics platform that helps farmers move perishable goods more efficiently, reducing losses caused by heat. Agiletech Operations Consulting is building local alert systems that warn farmers and small businesses about extreme weather, helping them prepare in advance.

Farmxic is using artificial intelligence to analyse soil conditions and guide farmers on how to respond to heat stress. Doorcas Africa is working on systems to detect diseases early in livestock, while Farmslate 

Technologies uses satellite and weather data to provide useful insights for farmers and financial institutions managing climate risks.

In healthcare, Emplaris is creating systems that help hospitals prepare for heat-related power failures and equipment strain. TheHyWing is combining artificial intelligence with telemedicine to support outdoor workers and vulnerable groups affected by heat-related illnesses.

Other startups are focusing on infrastructure challenges. Let-It-Cold is providing solar-powered cooling systems to preserve food during extreme temperatures and power cuts. Pod is designing sanitation systems that can function in both high heat and flooding conditions.

The programme highlights how climate challenges are shaping innovation in Nigeria, with startups stepping in to fill gaps in critical services. Organisers have indicated that supporting such solutions could help build stronger, more resilient systems as temperatures continue to rise.

1...262728...82Page 27 of 82