Author: John Nyabuto

Flutterwave has announced a strategic investment from Circle Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Circle Internet Group. The investment is an extension of Flutterwave’s involvement in the launch of the Circle Payments Network in 2025, and will support the company’s efforts to embed USDC settlement directly into the payment flows that businesses already use. The integration will allow merchants to accept payments in local currencies while settling in USDC. Flutterwave said the move is part of its broader strategy to position stablecoins as core financial infrastructure for Africa while maintaining a compliance-first approach that aligns with regulatory requirements and enterprise…

Swedfund has announced an additional USD 5 million investment in the TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund II (TLG II). The new commitment brings Swedfund’s total investment in the fund to USD 20 million. This is in addition to an initial USD 15 million investment in 2025. The funding forms part of TLG II’s second close, alongside investments from Proparco, Calvert Impact Capital and several existing investors. The investment will help remove one of the key barriers to business growth on the continent: limited access to appropriate financing for SMEs. While SMEs are critical to employment and economic development, many SMEs…

Visa is expanding access to Visa Pay for additional issuers across Africa and Central Asia through a software development kit (SDK) that helps banks, mobile money operators and fintechs embed Visa Pay capabilities into their existing mobile applications and launch virtual cards and payment experiences quickly and securely. Visa Pay is an interoperable and secure way for banked and unbanked consumers to pay, get paid, and move money across participating banks, fintechs and mobile networks. With integrated issuer processing capabilities, built-in customer experience, tokenization readiness and Visa-certified security and compliance components, the SDK helps accelerate and simplify the deployment of…

Pathways Technologies has unveiled Pathways Innovate 2026, a new initiative designed to help businesses, government agencies and organizations rapidly transform operational challenges into practical AI and data-driven solutions. The program was launched under the theme “Build The Solution Your Business Has Been Waiting For,” and is inviting organizations to submit real-world business challenges that can be developed into scalable AI or data prototypes within an accelerated six-week innovation cycle. According to the company, the initiative is intended to bridge the gap between ambitious digital transformation strategies and deployable solutions by allowing participants to collaborate directly with its engineering and AI…

OPPO Kenya has expanded its retail footprint with the opening of a new Experience Shop at The Hub Karen. The new outlet becomes OPPO’s 14th Experience Shop in Kenya and its eighth in Nairobi. The Experience Shop is designed to give customers an opportunity to test the latest OPPO devices, receive expert product advice, purchase genuine accessories and access after-sales support and repair services in one location. The opening comes shortly after OPPO introduced its latest smartphone lineup in the Kenyan market, including the Reno 15 Series, the A6 Series and the Find N6 foldable smartphone. “The Hub Karen is…

Specialist development finance agency FSD Africa and Jubilee Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop innovative insurance and investment solutions aimed at expanding financial inclusion across East Africa, beginning with Kenya. The partnership will bring together FSD Africa’s flagship insurtech accelerator, BimaLab and J-Hub, Jubilee Group’s innovation and technology division, to design, pilot and scale digital insurance products targeting previously underserved customers. Using BimaLab’s Insurtech-Insurer Partnership Framework, selected insurtech startups will collaborate with Jubilee to build and launch new technology-enabled insurance products in real market environments. The initiative will initially launch in Kenya before being scaled across…

Sanara, a creative economy initiative supported by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by HEVA Fund, SNDBX Ubuntu, Baraza Media Lab and GoDown Arts Centre, has deployed more than KES 1.2 billion through a combination of commercial financing and grants, supporting the growth of creative businesses across the country. The initiative has financed more than 330 creative enterprises, equipped over 20,000 young creatives with business and technical skills and supported more than 3,000 creative startups across Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kakamega and Turkana. The milestones were presented during the Sanara Creative Economy Learning Forum in Nairobi, where investors, policymakers, financial institutions,…

 Binance has announced that stock trading on its platform has surpassed $1 billion in assets under management (AUM) in 30 days since launch. The milestone is accompanied by more than $3 billion in total trading volume since the product went live on June 1, 2026.  Stock trading on Binance gives users access to over 7,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs, settled in stablecoins, directly within the Binance app alongside their existing crypto holdings. Key figures since launch include: “A billion dollars in 30 days is a sign of the demand that has been waiting decades for a door to walk through. The…

TLG Capital announces the second close of Africa-focused private credit fund, AGIF II. It raised $120 million from 22 institutional investors to expand financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the continent. The milestone comes just 12 months after the fund’s first close and points to a growing institutional interest in Africa’s private credit market, an asset class that is increasingly being viewed as an alternative to traditional venture capital and commercial bank lending. Unlike equity investments where businesses have to give up ownership, private credit provides companies with debt financing. This makes it particularly attractive to established SMEs…

Pan-African EdTech startup Craydel has announced its expansion into Ghana. The expansion gives Craydel access to one of West Africa’s largest outbound student markets. Ghana becomes the fifth new market the company has entered since late 2024. With the latest launch, Craydel now operates in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Tanzania and Ghana. “Ghana has one of Africa’s strongest traditions of investing in education and global talent. We have seen tremendous demand from Ghanaian students looking for trusted, technology-driven guidance as they explore study opportunities abroad,” said Manish Sardana, Co-founder and CEO of Craydel. Founded in 2021 by Manish…