AFS and Nsano Partner to Transform Card Payments in Africa

AFS

AFS (Arab Financial Services), the Middle East and Africa region’s leading digital payment solutions provider and fintech enabler, signed a strategic partnership with Nsano, a leading pan-African payment processor and mobile money aggregator headquartered in Accra. This collaboration aims to expand digital payment options across Sub-Saharan Africa by leveraging the combined expertise of both companies.

Eliminating Technology Debt in Digital Payments: Why SaaS is the Future

As digital payments evolve, financial institutions face a major challenge: balancing innovation with maintaining existing IT assets. However, as Dr. John Wamai, Director at Equity Bank, warns in his recent LinkedIn post: “The pressure and urge to ‘sweat’ and maximize IT assets often lead to outdated and inefficient systems, temporary fixes, and poor integration—ultimately misaligning

MoneyHash Raises $5.2 Million Pre-A Funding

MoneyHash

MoneyHash, the first and leading payment orchestration platform operating in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), has secured $5.2M in pre-A funding. The round was led by Flourish Ventures, a global fintech investor known for backing industry leaders such as Chime and FlutterWave. New investors include Saudi’s Vision Ventures, Arab Bank Venture Capital, and Emurgo

AWS to Accept Naira Payments, Shaping Nigeria’s Cloud Services Market

AWS

AWS (Amazon Web Services), a global leader in cloud computing and a key provider for numerous Nigerian startups and commercial banks has announced it will now accept payments in Naira, in addition to seven other local currencies for European clients. This change is expected to reduce cloud expenses for many Nigerian companies, which often host

Mastercard Grows West Africa Footprint with First Ghana Office

Mastercard

Mastercard has opened its first office in Accra, Ghana, to support the country’s growing digital economy. This expansion strengthens its footprint across Africa, with existing offices in Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, and Mauritius. This move is part of Mastercard’s strategy to reinforce relationships with local stakeholders and foster inclusive growth in West Africa. “Opening

USTDA Advances U.S. Digital Banking Technology in Nigeria

USTDA

USTDA Supports Zenith Bank’s Transition to Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Platform The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced that it has awarded a training grant to Zenith Bank Plc (Zenith) to support institutional skill set transformation as it adopts the Azure hyperscale cloud platform from Washington-based Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft). Zenith’s switch to this technology will increase

Bidvest Bank Sold to Nigerian Giant Access Bank

Bidvest Bank

Bidvest Bank is being sold to Nigerian-based Access Bank, which is set to expand the latter’s operations in South Africa substantially. In December 2024, JSE-listed Bidvest announced that it would dispose of 100% of Bidvest Bank Holdings Limited to Access Bank plc. Bidvest is expected to raise R2.8 billion from the sale, which will then

Tranglo Expands Remittance Services to Seven African Countries

Tranglo

Tranglo, a Cross-border payment hub, has expanded its services in Africa. Tranglo now facilitates payments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, and Zambia. Remittances are crucial for African households and businesses. Tranglo offers efficient and cost-effective solutions to address high remittance fees. The World Bank estimates that remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa reached US$ 54

IFC Teams Up With Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank to Boost Local Currency Financing in Africa

IFC

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has partnered with Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) to help expand local currency financing for private businesses across Africa. IFC will collaborate with Standard Bank and RMB on cross-currency swaps to manage currency exposure related to its local currency lending. This hedging allows IFC to

Orange MEA & Mastercard to Digitise Payments Across Africa by 2025

Orange

Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) and Mastercard have announced a strategic partnership to expand access to mobile financial services across Sub-Saharan Africa. This collaboration, one of the largest of its kind in the region, will enable millions of Orange Money wallet holders to access digital payments through Mastercard’s global network of merchants by 2025.