Author: Brand Spot

straitPay has completed its pre-seed funding round, raising approximately £1 million. The new investment will accelerate straitPay’s mission to enhance financial connectivity throughout Africa and its diaspora whilst expanding into new markets. The funding round was led by a family office known for its investments in Eastern European fintech ventures. This significant milestone reflects investors’ confidence in straitPay’s innovative solutions to address the financial challenges faced by individuals, SMEs, and investors across Africa and beyond. In just its early stages, straitPay has demonstrated a remarkable impact across African financial ecosystems. With 57% of Africa’s 1.48 billion population remaining unbanked, straitPay’s…

Microsoft has announced the launch of its Advancing Regional Cybersecurity (ARC) Initiative, a new effort aimed at boosting regional preparedness, resilience, and coordination in the face of increased cyber threats.  The announcement was made at the second Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) held in Geneva, Switzerland. The initiative kicks off with a flagship partnership with Kenya’s National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4), a move that underscores the importance of multistakeholder collaboration in the digital era. “In today’s digital age, no nation can tackle cyber threats alone. Our partnership with NC4 reflects Microsoft’s belief in building strong, local…

Bolt has concluded its first Accelerator Program in South Africa, awarding €20,000 (over R400,000) in funding to ten standout participants. The initiative marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to support entrepreneurial growth within its driver and courier community. Launched in December 2024 in partnership with business academy Pranary, the program attracted over 578 applications nationwide, with Gauteng submitting the highest number. Women made up 7% of the applicant pool, an encouraging signal in a traditionally male-dominated industry. “When we empower everyday entrepreneurs with the tools to build, we don’t just ignite businesses, we transform communities and shape the future…

By Christopher Saul, Territory Sales Lead for East Africa at Red Hat Around the world, many AI discussions are driven by business leaders who don’t have full oversight over their IT teams, which can lead to said teams facing intense pressure to deliver. Enterprise AI adoption in East Africa depends not only on a willingness to explore this new technological frontier, but also on the necessary infrastructure, access to resources and existing capabilities to actually do so. The truth is that this is not always the case, especially when AI adoption differs significantly from cloud adoption, even though the latter…

National Bank of Kenya (NBK) has posted a KShs 275 million profit after tax for Q1 2025. The bank’s Managing Director, George Odhiambo, said the results reflect NBK’s resilience amid macroeconomic headwinds, especially given the decline in non-interest income and a reduced loan book. “The performance for this first quarter demonstrates the bank’s continued resilience in the face of economic uncertainties. We have maintained stability in our core interest income and managed our costs effectively, despite a dip in non-funded income and a reduction in the loan book size. We remain focused on executing our strategic  priorities, deepening customer relationships,…

 NTT DATA has announced the appointment of Asokan Moodley as Head of GenAI and Industry Advisory for Middle East and Africa (MEA), effective 1 May, 2025. In this role, Moodley will spearhead NTT DATA’s artificial intelligence initiatives across the MEA region, focusing on client-facing offerings, AI-driven delivery, thought leadership, and enterprise-wide skilling. Additionally, he will serve as an industry advisor for vertical client engagements, focusing on the financial services industry and public sector. “We are delighted to welcome Asokan to the NTT DATA team,” said Alan Turnley-Jones, CEO of NTT DATA for Middle East and Africa. “His extensive experience in…

Thndr has raised an additional $15.7 million, bringing its total current capital to $37.76 million. The round was led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from BECO Capital, JIMCO Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, and a prominent U.S. university endowment, among other new global investors. These funds will now be strategically deployed to support Thndr’s regional expansion — with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia as key priority markets. Thndr is currently focused on deepening its operational presence in the UAE while simultaneously laying the groundwork for entry into Saudi Arabia. The goal is to replicate its success in Egypt across…

Red Hat and Oracle have announced an expanded collaboration to break down barriers to hybrid cloud adoption. This latest joint effort delivers a more consistent, cloud-native foundation that is critical for next-generation workloads including AI by bringing Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenShift support to more deployment options on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), including government, sovereign, and distributed cloud services. According to Gartner: “Gartner predicts that 90% of organizations will adopt a hybrid cloud approach through 2027, and the most urgent GenAI challenge necessary to address over the next year will be data synchronization across the hybrid cloud…

Uganda has rolled out its first collaborative, shared-infrastructure broadband network. This is designed to bring fast, secure, and inclusive internet access to every corner of the country. This initiative is the product of a partnership between local telecom Sombha Solutions Store, global tech company Veea Inc., and infrastructure firm BG Titan Group (BGT). Dubbed the “Internet-for-All” network, the project marks a clear shift in how connectivity is delivered. It moves away from isolated telecom competition to a shared model that allows every licensed operator to access the same infrastructure. This results in a rapid, cost-efficient, and widespread digital access for…

A new report by SAP is sounding the alarm as African companies are not ready for the AI revolution, at least not from a skills perspective. The report, titled ‘Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed’, offers a timely look into how organisations across Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are gearing up for an AI-driven future — and where the cracks are already starting to show. “The data is clear: African companies expect demand for AI skills to surge this year,” says Nazia Pillay, Interim Managing Director for SAP South Africa. “Six in ten organisations view AI skills as extremely important to…