Author: Kaluka wanjala

Absa Bank Kenya has announced the first winner in the Change Your Story card campaign that kicked off in September. The campaign is ongoing and will end on 31st December 2024.  The campaign seeks to encourage consumers to use digital channels and card payments. This is part of Absa’s broader commitment to advancing financial inclusion and improve customer convenience. Speaking during the awarding at the Sarit Centre Branch, the Absa Bank Kenya Customer Network and Distribution Director Peter Mutua said, “This campaign extends beyond simply rewarding our customers; it’s an invitation for both customers and non-customers to engage with us meaningfully.…

DStv is making some changes to DStv Stream starting this month. The company has announced the introduction of an improved Watch from Start Functionality and Cloud PVR Recordings. This will allow DStv Stream viewers to rewind up to 24 hours on selected channels and save live shows to watch within 30 days. These improved features are currently rolling out for web users and gradual roll out should be expected for those on mobile apps including Android and iOS among other platforms. Both features will roll out with automatic updates. The DStv Stream app is available for all existing DStv customers…

Watu Simu, the smartphone financing company, has announced that it has sold over 1 million mobile devices in Kenya. The company works by providing end user with smartphones that they have to pay for in weekly installments over 52 weeks. At the moment, Watu Simu works with Samsung and those are the devices you can get financed and repay in weekly installments. The company says the millionth customer purchased a smartphone at the end of October. This comes about 23 months after the company entered the mobile device asset financing market. This shows the appetite for this solution in the…

Nium has announced a partnership with Ecobank to enable seamless cross-border payments across 35 African markets for more than 32 million customers. This partnership is set to revolutionise the region’s payments landscape by enabling faster, more efficient international payments for businesses and consumers alike. Nium’s real-time payments infrastructure will be integrated into Ecobank’s existing banking operations, empowering Ecobank to enhance its services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ecobank will connect its existing Swift workflows to Nium, gaining access to real-time transfers, updates, clearing, settlement, and payment tracking, without the need for complex API integrations. This will significantly reduce waiting times…

The Kenyan government plans to widen the tax base and one of the ways it will do so is by using mobile money paybills as virtual electronic tax receipts. The government says this will weed out tax evaders and boost the revenue collected by billions of shillings every year.  The government says there are an estimated 200,000 firms that have the electronic tax registers (ETRs) yet there are 2 million businesses that use paybills to accept payments. It says this indicates that there are so many businesses that don’t pay their dues and those are the ones it is targeting.…

If you are in Kenya, you may have had some issues recently when trying to access Telegram. This is happening as the four main telcos, Safaricom, Airtel, JTL and Telkom are blocking access to the service following a directive by the Communication Authority of kenya (CA). Back in October, the CA sent out a letter to the 4 mentioned telcos saying that some individuals were planning to use Telegram to aid with exam cheating. The letter read in part, “It has come to the attention of the Authority that the Telegram platform is being misused to perpetrate criminal activities, including…

Absa Bank Kenya has today hosted 200 business leaders in Kisumu for a Business Club Forum as part of the Bank’s Western Kenya Caravan. The forum concluded the week’s activities across the region with other engagements held to empower Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) in Bungoma, Busia, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, and Homabay. The sessions focused on networking and engaging SMEs with industry leaders to enable them to thrive and grow. Speaking during the forum in Kisumu, Absa Bank Kenya Head of Small and Medium Enterprise, Erastus Muthura, highlighted the Bank’s commitment to supporting SMEs, including women, youth and persons with…

 Lendsqr has launched its lending-as-a-service platform in Kenya, a move that will enhance loan processes for banks, microfinance institutions (MFIs), and digital lenders. This launch provides Kenyan lenders with an efficient solution to improve loan operations and expand their capacity to serve more borrowers. Lendsqr aims to support banks, SACCOs and lenders of all sizes with tools to manage and grow their operations, ultimately helping to increase access to credit and further financial inclusion in Kenya. “Kenya has one of the most vibrant lending sectors in Africa, but we recognize the challenges many banks, SACCOs and lenders face in managing…

Family Bank has appointed Mr. Lazarus Muema as the new Chairman following regulatory approval. Mr. Muema joined the Family Bank Board in 2017 and has been serving as a Non-Executive Director for the last seven years. During this period, he has chaired various board committees including the Board Strategy Committee, Board Audit Committee and Board Risk Committee. Mr. Muema holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from the University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA(K)). He is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of expertise in finance, insurance and pensions. He is the Founder of Penplan…

Bolt has committed to invest Ksh 14 billion over the next 3 years to raise awareness of its safety features as well as introduce measures  to help prevent safety cases before they happen. Previously, Bolt faced a number of safety incidents and some riders were harassed by drivers and the app being labeled as unsafe. The ride hailing app wants this to change and hopes it will communicate the changes effectively to its users.  Bolt has also revealed that its safety team has over 500 people who come come together to tackle some of the most complex challenges in ride-hailing.…