Author: Kaluka wanjala

Safaricom has unveiled Fintech 2.0, a major upgrade to M-PESA. This latest upgrade incorporates AI, improves reliability and expands cross-border payments Speaking at the media briefing, Safaricom’s Chief Financial Services Officer, Esther Waititu, said the transformation is critical to meeting the platform’s growing scale. “We have to move to technology and infrastructure that allows us to process well beyond the one billion transactions we’re handling today. We must ensure M-PESA is always on and available for our customers,” she said. Artificial intelligence (AI) will be central to Fintech 2.0. It will enable real-time fraud detection, better efficiency and personalized services…

Samsung recently introduced its new Vision AI platform. This is featured across the latest NEO QLED, OLED and The Frame TVs. You can see it in action on the 100-Inch NEO QLED AI TV that is available in Kenya. At the heart of Vision AI is Samsung’s latest generation of processors. Depending on the model, TVs come equipped with the NQ8 AI Gen3 or NQ4 AI Gen3 chipsets. These allow real-time upscaling to 4K or 8K resolution. The processors can analyse content scene by scene to enhance sharpness and color detail. It does this while adjusting brightness and sound to…

Samsung has officially unveiled one of its latest TV, the 2025 NEO QLED 100-inch AI TV, in Kenya. This TV’s model number is S-QA100QN80FUXKE. The company says this is its most advanced flagship TV yet and will be available in Kenya at Ksh 699,999.  The Samsung NEO QLED 100-inch AI TV combines cutting-edge display and audio technologies with the power of Samsung’s Vision AI platform. “Kenya deserves nothing less than the very best in television technology,” said Rahul Kochhar, Business Head, Consumer Electronics Division, Samsung Electronics East Africa. “With Vision AI, we are not just making pictures more vivid or…

Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy A17 smartphone and the Galaxy Buds Core in Kenya. The Buds Core are already available, while the Galaxy A17 will hit shelves on 22nd September 2025. “Giving more Kenyans simple, helpful technology is a priority,” said Eveline Munene, Head of Product and Marketing at Samsung Electronics East Africa. “The Galaxy A17 puts Gemini within reach through a dedicated side button for quick AI help. The Buds Core deliver clear, reliable audio and features for everyday use.” The Galaxy A17 Samsung is pushing its AI story into the budget segment with the Galaxy A17. This…

Uber has just celebrated 10 years in Kenya with the launch of Uber Safari, a first-of-its-kind service that lets you book a safari directly through the Uber app. The service offers on-demand Day and Night safaris at Nairobi National Park. What is Uber Safari? Uber Safari allows riders to book tailored safari experiences. It is currently available only in Nairobi National Park. Travellers can choose between a day Safari or a night Safari. How Uber Safari Works Booking is straightforward for anyone who has used Uber before: Each safari comes with a licensed guide. The service is supported by the Ministry…

 Nutanix has announced it has been recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure. The recognition marks Nutanix’s third time in this Magic Quadrant, and its second time as a Leader. Lee Caswell, SVP, Product & Solutions Marketing at Nutanix said, “We feel our positioning on both vision and execution in this year’s Gartner Magic Quadrant for Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure is a direct reflection of our relentless focus on innovation and customer success.” The Nutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) solution enables organisations to run applications and manage data anywhere, including through an expanded public cloud presence supporting Amazon…

M-PAYA Energy, a Kenyan prepaid electricity submetering company, has moved its core business systems to Servercore cloud. The company gains scalability, improved responsiveness, and predictable costs by moving to Servercore’s cloud. These are critical features for a startup expanding in a capital-intensive sector. “The ability to self-service stood out for us with Servercore. They gave us the confidence, control, and support we needed to make the transition seamless and future-ready,” said Mwai Mworia, CEO of M-PAYA Energy. The startup’s backend applications, including client management, payment processing, and meter management, now run on Servercore’s infrastructure. Mworia emphasised that predictable pricing and…

Absa Bank Kenya has appointed Mr. Mohammed Nyaoga, EBS, SC, as the Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective 1 October 2025. He takes over from Mr. Charles Muchene, whose nine-year tenure on the board, including as Chairman, concludes on 30 September 2025. Mr. Nyaoga brings over four decades of experience in legal practice, corporate governance and financial sector leadership to the role. He has previously chaired the Central Bank of Kenya, EcoBank Kenya, and served on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) External Experts Panel in Washington. He currently chairs the African Development Bank Group’s Disclosure and Access to Information…

Kredete, a Nigeria-founded fintech helping African immigrants access credit and affordable financial services, has raised a $22 million in a Series A round. The funding was led by AfricInvest through its Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and Financial Inclusion Vehicle (FIVE). Partech and Polymorphic Capital also took part in this round. This brings the company’s total funding to $24.75 million. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Kredete enables users to send money to more than 30 African countries while simultaneously building credit history in markets such as the United States. Kredete…

The Cortex Hub has announced that the MCP Hackathon Africa 2025 will run from September to November 2025. This initiative is designed to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by embedding African languages, legal systems and development priorities into the Model Context Protocol (MCP). If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The program will run in more than 40 cities across Africa. The initiative will unite developers, researchers, startups and students to create locally relevant MCP servers and applications that provide structured information to large language models. The hackathon will conclude…