Author: Kaluka wanjala

Djamo, a neobanking startup serving the underbanked market in Francophone West Africa, has announced the close of a $17 million funding round. This equity round is the largest ever for an Ivorian startup and surpasses Djamo’s $14 million Series A round it closed in 2022. Djamo focuses on Francophone West Africa, specifically the Ivory Coast and just recently Senegal. It is available to both consumers and small businesses and reportedly has 1 million users. Its target is a growing segment of users, mostly younger customers, who’ve outgrown mobile money wallets but still find traditional banks expensive, outdated, or inaccessible, the…

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch of the first AWS Skills Center community classroom in Kenya. This AWS Skills Center has successfully concluded a three-day in-person cloud computing skills initiative at the University of Nairobi (UoN). The initiative’s aim was to provide hands-on training to 125 first-and second-year students. “We are thrilled to have collaborated with the University of Nairobi to bring in person AWS instructor-led training to Kenyan students,” said Nondumiso Zibi, AWS Director for Support Engineering, EMEA. “Cloud computing is at the core of digital transformation, and we believe access to high-quality training is essential to…

SEACOM has announced the appointment of two senior executives to bolster its leadership team. Effective 1 April 2025, Mandisa Ntloko-Petersen joins as the new Group Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), while Charl Slabbert assumes the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role. Alpheus Mangale, the Group Chief Executive, expressed his enthusiasm for bringing these accomplished leaders into the Group Executive Committee. “Both Mandisa and Charl bring considerable astuteness and insight to their fields. Their previous international experience in C-suite roles will greatly benefit SEACOM. They are well-acquainted with the industry, having worked with other leading brands in South Africa and beyond. We…

Raxio Group has signed an agreement for $100 million in financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). This funding will accelerate  Raxio’s expansion of facilities powering key technologies like AI, cloud computing and digital financial services.  The debt funding from IFC will help Raxio double its deployment of high-quality colocation data centers within three years, addressing growing demand in underserved markets across the continent. The company is developing a Sub-Saharan African regional data center platform in countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and Angola. “Raxio’s business model shows how digital infrastructure can empower businesses,…

Visa has announced the appointments of John Njoroge as the new Country Manager and Senior Business Development Leader for Kenya, South Sudan, and Somalia. In this role, John will drive Visa’s strategic growth, enhance client relationships, and spearhead the expansion of digital payment solutions across the three markets. John has extensive knowledge of the digital payments sector, with expertise in financial technology, strategic partnerships, and innovative banking solutions. He will oversee a dynamic portfolio of clients, strengthening Visa’s strategic value in the region by fostering executive relationships, identifying growth opportunities, and increasing both client and Visa revenue. Speaking on the…

Google has announced the introduction of Gemini 2.5, its most intelligent AI model to date. It is designed to tackle increasingly complex problems. Unlike traditional models that rely on straightforward pattern recognition, Gemini 2.5 is a “thinking model”—it carefully processes information, analyzes context, and makes logical decisions before generating a response. This results in more accurate, nuanced, and reliable outputs across a wide range of tasks. What Makes Gemini 2.5 Special? The Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, the first release in this series, has already set new industry standards. It tops the LMArena leaderboard—a benchmark that measures human preferences—by a significant…

Samsung has announced the availability of two new smartphones, the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A56 5G in Kenya. These two phones were unveiled globally in March at MWC 2025 and you can finally get them in Kenya. They pack the latest AI-powered features as well as comprehensive security and privacy protections to provide a safe and long-lasting mobile experience. “The new Galaxy A series brings advanced AI-powered features to more users across the region, providing them with tools to boost their creativity, improve user convenience and enhance productivity with durable, seamless and secure mobile experiences,” said Anthony Hutia, Head…

The use of digital payments is on the rise and about 74% of consumers expect to use them more in the next 12 months. The convenience of mobile banking apps, e-commerce transactions, and contactless payments is helping to drive this change. With this growth, online scams present a challenge as they are becoming more sophisticated and target unsuspecting consumers. The Visa Stay Secure Study 2025 shared some insights into how scams have evolved over the years. It shares how consumers perceive trust in digital payment and why digital transactions are gaining popularity in Africa. Despite increased awareness, fraudsters keep changing…

Safaricom Emerald is a premium customer engagement platform designed for high-value customers. This exclusive offering provides a personalized experience, rewards and premium services. This ensures Safaricom’s top-tier customers receive unmatched benefits. The platform was unveiled this past weekend at the Karen Country Club. At the event, Safaricom shared its commitment to providing high-value customers with custom connectivity, financial services and lifestyle experiences. Safaricom wants to build deeper customer relationships beyond just offering products and services with the launch of Emerald.  What are the Benefits of Safaricom Emerald? Safaricom Emerald isn’t just another loyalty program, according to the telco. It is…

Family Bank Profit after tax surged by 38% from KES 2.5 billion to close at Kes 3.4 billion in the year 2024. Profit Before Tax closed at KES 3.9 billion representing an impressive 22.5% growth from KES 3.1 billion recorded in 2023.  The remarkable performance was driven by robust and sustainable revenue growth, a strong capital base and liquidity position and cost and operational efficiency. Total revenue grew by 12.5% to KES 15.0 billion. This was supported by a 28.8% surge in total interest income to KES 20.3 billion, fueled by a 20.5% rise in earnings from loans and advances and a 62.1%…