Author: Kaluka wanjala

Last week, we reported that Cynthia Karuri-Kropac had stepped down from her position at Safaricom and had been replaced by Frankline Okata. At the time, there was no official communication from Safaricom. However, the telco has now provided more details. A statement from Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa read in part, “I wish to announce that I have appointed Frankline Okata, currently the Tribe Lead – Packaged Solutions, as the Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer, effective 5th July 2025.” It remains unclear why Cynthia Kropac left her role, or whether her exit was voluntary. The statement simply noted, “This change follows…

Yesterday, Absa Bank unveiled La Riba Timiza, Kenya’s first fully Shariah-compliant mobile banking platform by a Tier 1 bank. The bank plans to use this product to deepen financial inclusion among Muslims and other consumers. The bank also introduced a new Shariah-compliant payment solution dubbed La Riba Card. Absa was among the first banks to pioneer Islamic banking in Kenya 20 years ago. With the new launch, the bank strengthens its offering in ethical finance and expand access to previously underserved customers. Speaking during the launch of the enhanced La Riba banking offering, Absa Bank Kenya MD&CEO Abdi Mohamed reiterated…

Verto has launched an Auto Exchange feature to help rate-sensitive customers secure their target foreign exchange (FX) rates without constant monitoring. Through this tool, customers can set their desired exchange rate and trade amount within the Verto platform and have automatic execution when the Verto rate reaches their specified level. Recognising that many businesses prioritize achieving the most favorable exchange rates and often spend valuable time tracking market fluctuations, Auto Exchange provides a seamless and efficient solution. By automating the monitoring and execution process, Verto empowers customers to capture their target rates even when they are not actively logged into…

Safaricom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Cynthia Karuri-Kropac, has stepped down from her position and has been replaced by Frankline Okata. There has been no clear communication from the telco regarding why she has stepped down from the position she has held for the past two years.  With no official communication, it is unclear why she stepped down or where she will be heading.  Before joining Safaricom in 2022, she had a long stint at AT&T where she held several leadership positions. At Safaricom, she replaced Kris Senanu who had at that point held the position for about a year. Frankline…

Vertiv’s  AI Solutions Innovation Roadshow is set to take place in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday, 17 July, 2025.  The roadshow is part of a global series of events designed to educate and equip customers and consultants with essential expertise for deploying high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. It is set to take place Radisson Blu Hotel. At the event, Vertiv experts will introduce the key infrastructure imperatives to enable AI, sharing insights on key challenges and opportunities and providing participants with a deep understanding of the latest innovations supporting HPC infrastructure, as well as the impact on data…

Roam has partnered with Fortune Credit to launch the first-ever financing program for electric motorcycles for both individuals and businesses. The partnership begins with an initial order of 600 Roam Air Gen 2 motorcycles, marking one of the largest electric fleet financing deals ever recorded in Kenya. While demand for electric motorcycles continues to rise, particularly among delivery firms, access to financing has remained a major barrier, limiting many businesses to cash purchases and preventing scale. This new program removes that bottleneck and accelerates Kenya’s shift to clean, cost-efficient mobility. Fortune Credit has tailored the financing model to match the…

By Beth Moni, Partner Growth Manager & Howell Magondu, Vice President, Commercial at Onafriq Kenya is once again setting the pace for digital finance innovation in Africa. Building on the runaway success of M-Pesa, the country’s updated 2025 Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Billis poised to reshape the future of cryptocurrency regulation and usage. By providing a principled regulatory framework, the Bill bridges innovation with compliance, unlocking major opportunities for fintech players, SMEs, and diaspora communities alike. Here are five key ways the VASP Bill will transform crypto payments in Kenya: 1. Creating regulatory clarity and building investor confidence The VASP…

Red Hat has announced Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Business Developers to simplify access to the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform for business-focused development and testing scenarios. A new self-service offering through the Red Hat Developer Program, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Business Developers helps business development teams build, test and iterate on applications more quickly and on the same platform that underpins production systems across the hybrid cloud at no cost. IT complexity continues to grow, especially as applications deployed across physical, virtual, cloud and edge sites intermingle with AI, cloud-native and virtualised workloads. Further compounding this difficulty is…

 dLocal has announced the release of the second edition of its “Emerging Markets Payments Handbook.” This comprehensive guide is meticulously curated for international businesses, blending deep data analysis with authentic, on-the-ground insights to provide the understanding needed to expand into the world’s fastest-growing economies, especially given their projection to drive 65% of global growth by 2035. The 2025 dLocal Emerging Markets Payments Handbook delves into the complex landscape of preferred alternative payment methods (APMs), consumer behaviors, industry shifts, and regulatory updates across Africa & the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. It outlines key trends on how people’s payment habits will evolve, offering…

MultiChoice has announced that DStv and GOtv will get slightly more expensive in Kenya starting in August 2025. The price adjustments will take effect on August 1st, 2025. This marks another round of adjustments as the pay-TV provider cites rising operational costs and investments in local and international content. MultiChoice says the changes are part of its annual subscription review. The price hikes for DStv and GOtv will not sit well with most people who already see these products as being expensive and out of reach. MultiChoice is already seeing its earnings drop year-over-year and the price hikes will not…