Author: Brand Spot

Insurance. The word itself can evoke a mix of emotions, from confusion and skepticism to a sense of security. Unfortunately, misconceptions about insurance often overshadow its true purpose: protecting you from financial hardship in times of unexpected events. Let’s debunk some common myths and shed light on why insurance is essential for every Kenyan. While cost is a valid concern, insurance offers significant financial protection for a relatively small, predictable investment. Consider the potential financial devastation of an uninsured medical emergency, car accident, or house fire. Suddenly, that “expensive” premium seems like a small price to pay. Furthermore, Equity insurance,…

The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) has officially opened applications for its newly evolved Training Program; the MEST AI Startup Program. This Program is built to prepare Africa’s most promising tech talents to build, launch, and scale world-class AI startups. For over 17 years, MEST has trained and supported software entrepreneurs across the continent, contributing to Africa’s innovation economy. Now, as artificial intelligence transforms industries at a very rapid pace, MEST is positioning Africa’s tech entrepreneurs at the forefront of this shift. “Africa has world-class tech talent, and it’s time AI solutions built on the continent reach users…

Ecobank and Google Cloud today announced a collaboration aimed at transforming financial services with advanced analytics and AI and driving digital empowerment across Africa. Through this collaboration, Ecobank plans to leverage Google Cloud’s cutting-edge technology to deliver innovative payment and remittance solutions that are frictionless, secure, and universally accessible, empowering individuals and businesses across the continent and beyond. This collaboration will focus on leveraging Google Cloud’s advanced technologies and AI to enhance Ecobank’s digital offerings to accelerate the digital transformation of the Bank. The partnership agreement is designed to empower individuals, support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the…

Safaricom Ethiopia has announced that it is now serving 10 million 90 days active customers across Ethiopia, just four years after receiving its license to operate. Wim Vanhelleputte, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom, said: “Achieving an active customer base of 10 million is a significant milestone for us, but it also brings with it great responsibility. Behind each SIM card there is an individual, a family, a business, and a future. Our mission is to serve, enable, and support Ethiopia’s development through world-class connectivity and innovation. We are proud of our accomplishments and remain committed to further connecting people, creating…

By Wojtek Piorko, managing director, Africa at Vertiv Kenya is entering a new digital era, one defined by accelerated connectivity, data growth and the move towards artificial intelligence (AI). But to fully make use of these opportunities, the country must address the infrastructure demands driving tomorrow’s digital economy. Across Africa – and notably in Kenya – connectivity has surged. The country is home to some of the continent’s fastest-growing mobile and internet penetration rates, and with 4G already dominant, 5G is poised to accelerate that trajectory. The Communications Authority of Kenya’s (CA) recently released quarterly Sector Statistics report covering July to September…

Cassava Technologies has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the South African AI Association (SAAIA), an industry body focused on growing responsible AI adoption, to deliver artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaas) across the African continent.   In terms of the agreement, SAAIA’s more than 3,000 AI practitioners, comprising entrepreneurs, researchers, and members of the wider business community in South Africa, will have access to Cassava’s data centre GPUs to develop and deploy local AI solutions and initiatives. The two organisations will also collaborate on initiatives aimed at supporting the regional and broader African AI…

Wave Mobile Money has announced it has secured $137 million in debt financing. This will help the startup scale its affordable mobile-first financial services across Africa. The latest financing round was led by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). It also saw the participation of British International Investment (BII), Finnfund and Norfund. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Wave was founded in 2018 by Drew Durbin and Lincoln Quirk. It has over 150,000 agents and more than 29 million monthly active users across markets like Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. “We started…

As Kenya’s digital economy matures, cybercriminals are taking notice and targeting businesses across the country – with significant financial consequences. In April 2024, Equity Bank faced a significant cyber incident that resulted in in Sh179-million ($1.3-million) stolen directly from customer accounts. Kenya’s largest supermarket chain, Naivas, was also previously a victim of a serious ransomware attack that disrupted operations nationwide. These aren’t isolated incidents – they represent a growing pattern of attacks against businesses who are unprepared to meet modern cybersecurity challenges. “Cybersecurity frameworks offer a blueprint for digital safety and data regulation compliance – but as these develop and…

Sally Kimeu, Territory Manager – Sales East Africa & IOI, Nutanix The biggest challenge to Africa’s digital transformation isn’t infrastructure, investment, or even access to technology—it’s leadership. For decades, we’ve looked at technology as the solution to Africa’s most pressing challenges, from financial inclusion to public service delivery. But technology alone doesn’t transform industries—people do. Without strong, visionary leadership at all levels—from government to boardrooms to grassroots initiatives—Africa’s digital future risks being fragmented, underutilised, and unevenly distributed. This is particularly true in East Africa, where some of the continent’s biggest digital success stories have emerged—yet the full potential of the…

Mastercard has introduced Account Intelligence Reissuance, an advanced fraud prevention service to efficiently manage the card reissuance process, in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) region. The product leverages Mastercard’s proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and network purview to assess the level of risk associated with a card and provide AI-driven actionable recommendations about which cards need to be monitored or replaced. Card fraud costs card issuers and merchants billions of dollars each year. Issuers often sort primary account numbers (PANs) based on risk level and reissue their compromised cards to prevent further unauthorized transactions. This is costly…