Author: Kaluka wanjala

Visa has announced the appointment of Michael Berner as the Head of Southern and Eastern Africa (SEA), effective immediately. He will oversee all Visa operations in 24 markets in SEA and will report to Visa’s Regional President of Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), Andrew Torre. Michael will continue to be part of Visa’s CEMEA regional leadership team and will be based in Johannesburg. Michael has held previous roles at Visa, including Senior Vice President, Head of Merchant Sales and Acquiring, CEMEA, having joined the company in 2019 as Country Manager. Michael is a highly experienced executive…

Africa Tech Summit Awards announced the 2025 winners, recognising the leading entrepreneurs and ventures shaping the tech industry across the continent. The awards ceremony was held last week during the seventh edition of Africa Tech Summit Nairobi. Lauren Adair, Director of Africa Tech Summit, said: “The Awards were created to celebrate tech companies driving business and growth across a range of sectors and it was fantastic to host so many finalists doing this, all in one room. A huge thank you to our independent judging panel and to everyone who joined us in recognising their achievements, cheering them on and closing the…

WhatsApp has made some changes to its app introducing WhatsApp chat themes that allow users to customize their chats. With chat themes, you can change the colors of your chat bubbles and wallpapers.  WhatsApp chat themes and the new wallpapers are available on all WhatsApp versions but not on the WhatsApp for Business app yet.  Steps to change WhatsApp Chat Theme With WhatsApp chat themes, you can turn your chat bubbles and background to your favorite colors. There are some pre-set chat themes that you can apply by following these steps; You can apply the same chat theme to all…

Last week at the Africa Tech Summit, we talked to Ed Aitken, Global Head of Public Affairs at dLocal, and Ferdinard Wambua, Country Manager for Kenya. DLocal is a global payment platform founded in 2016 and listed on NASDAQ. It operates in over 40 emerging markets, connecting top global merchants to more than 900 local payment methods, including mobile money services like M-PESA.  They highlighted dLocal’s role in enabling seamless cross-border transactions for underbanked populations, addressing high cart abandonment rates in Africa, and ensuring compliance with diverse regulatory frameworks. We also talked about their collaborative approach with local authorities, including…

Intreensic, a payments education and advisory group, has launched with a mission to bridge Africa’s payment and fintech talent gap, by equipping professionals and businesses with world-class payments expertise. Founded by Nkebet Mesele, a globally recognised payments expert and thought-leader, Intreensic aims to address the critical need for structured training and certification in the payments sector across Africa. “The payments ecosystem is evolving rapidly, yet many professionals struggle to access structured learning and industry-recognized credentials,” said Nkebet Mesele, Founder and CEO of Intreensic. “At Intreensic, we bring together a world-class faculty with deep industry expertise, combining global best practices with localized…

Qme, an Egyptian B2B SaaS startup, has raised US$3 million in a seed funding round with participation from AHOY, a leading multi-sector technology company, alongside a group of strategic angel investors in the GCC region. Qme is an AI-driven platform addressing a critical issue in MENA, where inefficient queuing systems and outdated appointment booking methods cause individuals to lose an average of six months of their lives standing in line. Moreover, the reliance on phone bookings, which account for 92% of appointments in key sectors, leads to a no-show rate of 31%, creating further inefficiencies. “Our partnership with AHOY is…

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series has been on pre-order in Kenya for the last couple of weeks. The phone is now available in stores across the country starting from Ksh 108,300. Have a look at the breakdown of the prices below: The Galaxy S25 series will be available through authorized Samsung stores and e-commerce partners across Kenya. To celebrate the launch, customers who purchase a device within the first four weeks will receive a complimentary Samsung case. “The Galaxy S25 series marks a transformative leap in mobile AI, bringing intuitive and intelligent experiences to users in East Africa and beyond,”…

Visa has announced the launch of a new report, ‘Value of Acceptance: Understanding the Digital Payment Landscape in Kenya,’ which reveals growth opportunities for digital payments, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The report highlights a thriving digital payments ecosystem in Kenya, with 84% of surveyed SMEs recognizing that investing in payments technologies is crucial to drive business growth. This positive outlook is reinforced by the fact that 68% of SMEs currently accepting digital payments plan to invest further in payment technologies, including contactless solutions. The report underscores a compelling opportunity to transition cash-only SMEs to digital payments by…

Ethio telecom has unveiled its newly built EV charging station in Addis Ababa. The telco says this initiative aligns with its vision as a leading digital solutions provider and its slogan, “Bringing New Possibilities.” The EV charging station is designed to meet the growing demand by EV users for fast, efficient, and smart charging solutions. The station can simultaneously charge up to 32 electric vehicles. The charging station operates 24/7 and is fully powered by telebirr SuperApp, Ethio telecom’s digital payment platform. Customers can pay charging services quickly, easily and conveniently with telebirr. The newly launched station includes: Also Read:…

The adoption of smart household appliances, including popular products such as LG’s InstaView refrigerators, is set to experience a notable increase by 2029, according to the latest consumer data on the segment, reported by Statista. Projections indicate that smart home appliances will reach a 5.8% penetration rate across households in the country, marking a significant shift from the estimated 2.8% in 2025. As a result, at least 831,700 households will have active smart appliances. This increase shows a growing trend towards home automation, driven by consumers’ increasing demand for convenience, energy efficiency, and advanced technological features. As a result, smart appliances, which are…