World Mobile Token Set to be Listed on Three Crypto Exchanges
Nigerian Mobility-tech MAX Lands $31m Series B Funding
Nigerian mobility tech startup MAX (Metro Africa Xpress) has plans to break into new markets across Africa after raising $31million in a Series B round. The funding will be used to enter into the Ghana and Egypt markets at the end of the first quarter of 2022. The startup will also enter more markets such as Francophone, East and Southern Africa by the end of 2022.
MAX was founded in 2015 (by Adetayo Bamiduro and Chinedu Azodoh) as a delivery startup, completing customer orders using motorcycles; then it started its ride-hailing service and later ventured into automobile subscription with financing services.
MAX took another giant leap forward by introducing vehicle financing services in 2018. The startup’s bank-partners grant vehicle purchase loans to drivers using a credit risk assessment. “It became clear that the fundamental issue that drivers face is consistent access to vehicles. And that is when we realized that if we are to be successful at solving the challenge of mobility across the continent, we have to first address the issue of vehicle access,” said the CFO, Guy-Bertrand Njoya.
MAX plans to build electric automobile infrastructure in the new markets its entering, in a bid to introduce electric vehicles to its growing customer base. As of now, the mobility company designs and assembles its own line of electronic motorcycles; kick-starting this in 2019.
The funding round was led by Lightrock and Global Ventures; and saw other participants including Novastar Ventures and Proparco.
According to Njoya, MAX aims to be the “go-to” platform for vehicle subscription and financial services for millions in Africa. MAX recently partnered with ride-hailing company Bolt to provide lease-to-own options to 10,000 drivers in Nigeria who want to acquire energy-efficient vehicles.
The GWNF Women in Tech Seminar
GWNF (Global Women Network Foundation) presents its women in tech seminar 2022 edition.
The Women in Tech seminar is a designed chart of a future path for women in the ICT sector. The seminar will enlighten participants how to go about unemployment and entrepreneurship taking advantage of free tech skills training available.
About GWNF (Global Women Network Foundation)
The Global Women Network Foundation (GWNF) is a non-governmental organization registered in the UK and Nigeria. Similarly, it is established to mentor and train young women in Africa, especially in Nigeria.
The mission is to create a global network of business women and organizations that will empower women with life-changing information, marketable skills, and the confidence required to succeed in life.
The core objective of the NGO is to create opportunities for African women, helping to realize their full potential of becoming financially independent.
Details of the Seminar
Date: Thu, 24 March 2022
Time: 11:00am – 15:00pm WAT
Location: Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, No. 1 Uke Street, Garki II, Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Please Note: This event is strictly for women ages 18- 35 years old.
About the GWNF Women in Tech Seminar
Business and professional women from various sectors who want to give back to their communities were the ones who created the Global Women Network.
The women in tech seminar will consist of mentoring sessions through which members share their knowledge, time,resources & experience.
Also, the program will be providing training session, business support in terms of funds and advice for participants.
After successfully completing the training, the foundation will help to secure befitting roles successful participants. In terms of business enterprise, there will support (funds and advice) provided through implementation for participants.
As part of the Global Women Network Foundation’s on-going efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and economic growth, the GWNF welcomes you to participate in this seminar.
Kindly click Here to register.
Built With Bitcoin Foundation Partners Satoshibles Non -fungible Token (NFT)
The Built With Bitcoin Foundation has announced a partnership with the team behind Satoshibles Non -fungible Token (NFT), a successful crypto collectable project on the Ethereum blockchain.
The Built With Bitcoin Foundation (BWB) is a humanitarian organization dedicated to ensuring equal opportunity by providing clean water, quality education, sustainable farming, and humanitarian assistance, all of which are supported by bitcoins.
Built With NFT is an NFT collection created by BWB and Satoshibles that will donate hundreds of ETH to humanitarian activities.
Students from BWB campuses around Africa, notably the Nursery and Primary schools in Rwanda, Kenya, and Nigeria, contributed artwork to the NFT collection.
From this artwork, 10,000 unique NFTs will be up for purchase.
The Foundation’s ongoing efforts to create schools and communities around the world will be funded entirely by the earnings, with their next projects beginning in West Africa and Central America in 2022.
This launch is timed to coincide with #GivingTuesday, a day dedicated to encouraging others to donate to charity organizations and causes.
The Built With Bitcoin Foundation has so far constructed six schools (two in Rwanda, two in Kenya, and two in Nigeria), ten water projects, and dozens of farms. By 2030, the Foundation hopes to have built 100 schools and communities.
While this campaign is still in its early stages, Satoshibles has already donated 10 ETH to BWB to help them start Phase I of their project, which includes installing a water well, solar system, computer lab, laptops, landscaping, and fencing at the site of two existing nursery and primary schools in Kaduna State, Nigeria, which serve a community of over 2,000 people.
The project is already in the works, with BWB aiming to finish by the end of December 2021.
“We think that with access to education, water, and finance, individuals can build the life they want,” stated Ray Youssef, Executive Director of Built With Bitcoin.
“Over the years, we’ve had the honour of delivering critical resources to tens of thousands of people all over the world, not just by building schools, but also by forming strong and long-lasting communities.”
“We intend to create a passion for giving back while redefining how the world views crypto by launching the Built With NFT line with Satoshibles on Giving Tuesday.” He further said.
“These students have made it possible to create a large amount of funds while improving the lives of communities all around the world,” Built With Bitcoin’s Director of Philanthropy, Yusuf Nessary, stated.
“Through this project, these young kids have the power to contribute to the education of other pupils like themselves,” Yusuf explained.
“We believe this emphasizes the critical nature of humanitarian activities.” Serving one community has a cascading effect that provides the community with resources.
“This is the first initiative to harness NFTs for social good at this scale,” Satoshibles creator Brian Laughlan stated. We’ve created a one-of-a-kind collection with a captivating story using the Built With Bitcoin Foundation’s community and our expertise in launching NFT initiatives.”
“With this launch, we intend to kickstart new initiatives and demonstrate how NFTs can be utilised to promote change.”
Aladdin Rebrands to Become Africa’s First Super app Serving the SMB Economy
The Rebranding of Aladdin
TE Markets Launches Its Cryptocurrency and Africa’s First Consolidated Exchange Platform
TE Markets, an investment firm, has developed the first digital exchange allowing African local producers to sell their products, set a competitive price, and earn direct benefits for their efforts.
The platform is called African Consolidated Exchange, and it’s for actors in the financial markets and Africa’s digital finance ecosystem, according to the company (ACEX).
ACEX would act as a digitalized general store for all forex dealers, crypto traders, stakeholders, and investors in the financial industry on the African continent and beyond, according to the company.
According to the corporation, ACEX will be a pan-African and multi-asset trading platform that will allow consumers to buy and sell equities, ETFs, Bonds, Forex CFDs, Cryptocurrencies, and Commodities, among other things.
“ACEX will be a lively exchange with Liquidity Providers, Merchants, Traders, and Investors alike, as a market that never sleeps.”
“On the African continent, there is no one exchange where natural minerals and agricultural products native to the continent are traded.”
“ACEX will be the first exchange where African native producers may advertise their goods, set a competitive price, and receive direct compensation for their efforts.” TE Markets stated that “African items like cobalt, cocoa, and lumber will be synthetically indexed and supplied as quotes for traders to take advantage of.”
While recognizing that processes throughout the world have been digitized, TE Markets believes Africa, with its vast territory, vibrant young population, and enormous economic potential, must enter the fray.
It went on to say that ACEX would bridge the digital divide between what is and what should be in the financial markets, particularly on the African continent.
Invictus Capital Unveils First NFT Collection
Invictus Capital through the Invictus NFT Lab, has released its first non-fungible token collection, named “Out of Africa.” Invictus Capital will use blockchain technology to display fine art and link African artists with the rest of the world through this collection.
Invictus and NFT Collection
According to the It Online report, the distribution of NFT posters is anticipated to commence in January as part of this effort. An auction for NFT representations of the original, physical artworks will take place in February.
Stakeholders in the art world have praised Invictus Capital’s move to release the NFTs. Marelize van Zyl, the curator of the Out of Africa NFT collection, praised Invictus Capital’s efforts, saying, “The Out of Africa Collection is made up of 100 unique NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain and is the first time many of the artists have worked in the NFT arena.” This collection is a victory for these artists, as it features some of the best new, emerging, and established talent available.
NFTs allow artists direct access to “a genuinely global audience and a royalty-driven business model made feasible by blockchain,” according to another stakeholder, Charl Bezuidenhout of Worldart.
Invictus Capital CEO Daniel Schwartzkopff said an NFT collection like the one his business revealed, “would go a long way toward introducing NFTs into mainstream investing portfolios.” Traditional art collectors, current NFT collectors, and everyone in between will enjoy the collection, according to Schwartzkopff.
Prospective investors who wish to be a part of this project can receive information on collaborating artists and artworks via a subscription newsletter, according to the report.
TECNO Security Response Center’s Commitment to the InfoSec Community
SRC Improves TECNO Technologies and InfoSec Community
Digital Mobile Overdraft Facility Fuliza Outshines Loan Apps in Kenya
Digital mobile overdraft facility Fuliza outshines loan apps in Kenya. This is barely three years after its launch.
The digital mobile overdraft facility named Fuliza by Kenya’s biggest telco Safaricom Plc has started giving the country’s popular loan apps a run for their money.
Fuliza enables Safaricom clients to obtain unsecured credit by overdrawing on M-Pesa, the telecommunications company’s mobile money wallet that enables users to pay bills, transfer, receive and withdraw money using their phones.
According to a study conducted by the country’s monetary authority, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in collaboration with Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSD) Kenya, the uptake of Fuliza is currently at 18.3 percent across the country, while that of loan apps has decreased by 6.2 percentage points to 2.1 percent in the last two years.
When compared to other financial goods and services offered by credit unions, banks, and microfinance institutions, digital lending apps had the biggest drop in utilization, according to the current bi-annual FinAccess Household Survey study.
According to the research, “this may be explained by competition from official digital credit products like Fuliza, (and) unjust debt collection techniques by digital lending apps.”
The CBK’s rule prohibiting unlicensed digital lenders from disclosing personal information about loan defaulters with credit reference bureaus (CRBs) may have stopped the apps from lending to problematic individuals, according to the research.
Furthermore, at the COVID-19 peak, the ambiguity surrounding the CBK’s regulation of the apps may have deterred them from offering loans to new borrowers.
In a previous interview with TechCrunch, the Digital Lenders Association of Kenya, which represents roughly 25 of Kenya’s more than 100 digital lenders, said that its members typically send out loans worth $40 million per month, a sum that was half during COVID.
Fuliza is a fully registered and regulated business that works in collaboration with two local banks, KCB and NCBA. The product appears to have filled a regulatory void in mobile lending, increasing competition for mobile loan apps like the Silicon Valley-backed Branch, which launched in Kenya in 2015, and the PayPal-backed Tala, which launched in Kenya in 2014 — one of the first digital lenders to enter the East African country.
According to a report from Safaricom, the telco extended $3.1 billion in Fuliza credit in the 2020/21 fiscal year, up to a 43 percent increase from the previous year. Fuliza gives an estimated $12 million credit to Kenyans every day. M-Pesa is used by 23.8 million Safaricom customers.
Mobile lending in Kenya began in 2012 when Safaricom launched M-Shwari, a mobile-based savings, and loans product that is still operational today in cooperation with NCBA Bank. Since then, Kenya has seen a surge in the number of digital and micro-lending apps, which now number in the hundreds.
Loan apps and services like Fuliza provide quick, collateral-free credit, eclipsing loans from traditional banking institutions, which require lengthy approval processes and often considerable collateral. These fintech advancements could possibly be one of the reasons Kenya’s formal financial inclusion rate has increased from 26.7 percent in 2006 to 83.7 percent in 2021.
While the lending apps have helped people who have been denied credit by traditional banks, they had functioned in an unregulated environment for years until the president approved a new law granting CBK the authority to license and oversee their activities a fortnight ago.
Because of the lack of regulation, predatory pricing has flourished, with some applications charging annualized interest rates of over 800 percent, rendering many borrowers bankrupt.
Vibra Begins VIBRAnt Stars Reward Programme
Vibra (styled VIBRA), a crypto trading app launched by African Blockchain Lab, has started a programme to reward “VIBRAnt Stars.” VIBRAnt Stars are volunteers from the Vibra community who will provide assistance to users with questions and other concerns.
Vibra claims that its mission is to empower Africans with their finances and as such it makes cryptocurrency easy enough for beginners to understand, invest and trade cryptocurrencies. Vibra wants to build a community of people who are interested in crypto and that will help Vibra move to the next level. Vibra has opened up an invitation and says that anyone can participate.
The belief is that having a “welcoming community” that is available to assist beginners or new users will facilitate the adoption of cryptocurrency in Nigeria, and Africa.
Vibra plans to reward the most active VIBRAnt Stars with a range of benefits. The benefits are financial and non-financial; VIBRAnt members will earn points upon completion of given tasks, which will be accumulated by the end of that month. A VIBRAnt star can also make up to 1,000 naira for every 2 people referred. The tasks include referring new users to download the Vibra app and join the Vibra community, as well as onboarding.
The VIBRAnt Stars programme is part of a larger Vibra partnership programme wherein Vibra seeks publishers, promoters, influencers, agents, and merchants.
African Blockchain Lab recently raised $6million in a Series Pre-A round to fund the launch of Vibra. Vibra is the first product from African Blockchain Lab, as part of its mission to “drive the mass adoption of digital assets and blockchain technologies in Africa,” as articulated by Vincent Li, the co-founder of African Blockchain Lab.
