Author: John Nyabuto

Binance Research, the market research arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has recently published a new weekly market commentary titled “Stock Market That Never Sleeps.” The report examined the structural expansion of the tokenized real-world asset market, how it is reaching investors previously excluded from global equity access, and what the data reveals about price discovery in a 24/7 trading environment. According to Binance Research, the tokenized RWA market crossed US$10B in total market capitalization in 2026, up tenfold from under US$1B in early 2024. Weekly traded volume averaged US$735M in 2026, and the asset class demonstrated capacity for institutional-scale flows…

The Kenyan government, through the ICT Authority, has opened applications for the AI Champions Recognition Programme. This is a new initiative aimed at equipping young people with practical artificial intelligence skills while supporting the country’s broader ambition of training 20 million citizens in digital skills by 2032. The programme is being implemented through a partnership between the ICT Authority, Microsoft and Pathways Technologies Limited. According to John Kipchumba Tanui, Principal Secretary for the State Department for ICT and Digital Economy, the initiative forms part of a wider effort to strengthen Kenya’s digital and AI talent pipeline through collaboration between government…

Spiro has announced the successful close of a $270 million funding round. The milestone includes a newly finalized $55 million investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese growth-stage investment firm focused on emerging markets, with operations spanning Shanghai, Shenzhen and Nigeria. The fresh capital will fuel Spiro’s expansion across Africa as it builds out an integrated ecosystem combining electric vehicles, battery swapping infrastructure and digital services. The company says it has already deployed over 100,000 electric vehicles and established 2,500 smart battery swap stations across seven markets. Spiro’s latest raise also attracted a mix of global investors, including Impact Fund Denmark,…

Absa Bank has announced a strategic partnership with Google’s Hustle Academy to deliver comprehensive business training and financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Kenya over the next 12 months. The programme is expected to reach and impact 3,000 SMEs, with three cohort sessions already completed and more than 600 entrepreneurs trained so far. The initiative is designed to support Kenyan entrepreneurs to develop their digital skills, strengthen their financial management and create sustainable growth plans. These are the skills that they need to formalise and expand their operations in an economy that is becoming more digital. The…

South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are demonstrating growing digital sophistication, with widespread adoption of online payments and business financial tools, according to a new study by Mastercard. Findings from the Mastercard SME Confidence Index reveal that 80% of South African SMEs now accept online payments. This is one of the highest rates across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EEMEA). Bank transfers on the other hand account for 64% of transaction volumes. Nearly half of SMEs expressed optimism about the year ahead and 43% expecting revenue growth despite ongoing economic pressures. Over half (55%) of businesses see…

Truecaller has announced the global rollout of Call-to-Cart, a new AI-driven advertising solution designed to shorten the path between product discovery and purchase. The feature was launched under Truecaller Ads and allows users to move from seeing an ad to completing a purchase in just two steps. It is built around the idea that traditional mobile commerce journeys often lose users due to multiple steps, app switching and friction between discovery and checkout. Call-to-Cart leverages two of the most engaged moments on mobile devices, when users receive a call and immediately after a call ends. The platform aims to capture…

AURA has announced a strategic partnership with Glovo Kenya aimed at improving safety and emergency response for independent riders operating on the delivery platform across Nairobi and other regions in Kenya. The collaboration introduces a fully digitised emergency response infrastructure that allows Glovo Kenya riders to access transparent, verifiable safety and support services in real time. Through AURA’s integrated platform, every rider-triggered alert is logged, timestamped and tracked from initiation to resolution. This replaces fragmented emergency processes with a structured, data-driven system that provides full visibility to Glovo Kenya’s operations team. From the moment an incident is reported, the system…

NCBA Investment Bank has partnered with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) to launch the 2026 NSE Investment Challenge. The programme is targeting more than 30,000 participants from universities and youth segments and will run until June 2027. It will combine gamified investing through the SokoPlay platform with structured financial education. Participants will have practical exposure to trading simulation, investment decision making and principles of wealth creation in a controlled learning environment. Top performers in the 2026 edition will receive cash prizes of KES 100,000, KES 60,000, and KES 40,000, respectively. The winnings will be credited directly into Central Depository System…

Kenya has been ranked sixth in the latest report on the state of digital rights and inclusion across the continent. The Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa Report-Londa is the most comprehensive continental assessment, covering 29 countries across Central, East, North, South, and West Africa. In the latest report, the country has jumped three places, up from 9th place in 2024. In the 2025 report, South Africa has retained its top position as Africa’s leading digital rights-respecting country for the second time in a row. It is followed by Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Nigeria in…

Launch Africa Ventures has made its first cash distribution to limited partners (LPs) in its Launch Africa Seed Fund I, returning approximately $2.5 million, about 7% of paid-in capital, following 11 successful portfolio exits. The milestone makes the 2020-vintage fund distribution-to-paid-in (DPI) positive, a notable achievement at a time when many global venture funds from the same period are yet to return capital to investors. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The development comes against the backdrop of a prolonged global slowdown in venture exits and liquidity that has persisted since…