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Jumia hits US$196-million in landmark New York IPO but investors may regret funding an elusive dream

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 Editor

Jumia billed as Africa’s first “tech unicorn”, is a venture-capital funded company valued at more than $1bn on the New York Stock Exchange. Its lack of a profitable model didn’t seem to matter much on the first day of trading on Friday, as the stock surged by 75%. Jumia filed S1 documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last month to launch its IPO, which was underwritten by banks such as Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. The stock went on sale on Friday 12 April 2019, initially valued at…

Digital now makes up 51% of US advertizing spending – Magna Report

April 8, 2019 Editor

Magna released a bullish assessment and forecast for US ad revenue in 2018 and 2019. The report covers all the major advertising and media categories including both digital and traditional media. Ad sales up, especially digital. Magna says that “net advertising sales” will grow by 6.9 percent this year to reach $207 billion, which is “a new all-time high.” And, for the first time, digital ad revenues surpassed 50 percent of total ad spending in the US. The company said that digital ad revenue in 2018 will reach $106 billion,…

Unregulated digital apps loans, consumer protection among emerging issues that require attention- CBK Kenya Study

April 4, 2019 Editor

The 2019 FinAccess Household Survey report presents results of data collected during October – December 2018 covering 11,000 households across the country. The survey targeted individuals aged 16 years and above, from scientifically selected households, designed to provide significant estimates at the national and regional level and by residence (rural and urban areas). The 2019 survey focussed more on the usage, quality and impact/welfare dimensions of measuring financial inclusion. In addition, the questionnaire incorporated a needs-based framework to the measure the relevance of financial services and products; financial health and…

Bitcoin cash latest huge price gains outstrips those made by its more famous rival bitcoin

April 3, 2019 Editor

Bitcoin cash has experienced huge price gains that have outstripped those made by its more famous rival bitcoin, amid a major revival of the cryptocurrency markets. The bitcoin spin-off rose in value by around 45 per cent over the last 24 hours, taking its market cap above $4 billion for the first time since November 2018. One unit of the cryptocurrency is now worth $262 (£200), which is still a long way off the peak it reached in late 2017 of around $4,000. Bitcoin’s recent gains of around 25 per cent appear…

Kenya accounts for 60 per cent of private equity investments to East Africa

April 2, 2019 Editor

Kenya accounted for more than half of funds pumped into the region by private equity (PE) and venture capital firms. A new report shows that Kenya received 59 per cent of the funds that private equity firms pumped into the region between 2013 and 2018. The report by the Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) indicates that there were 110 reported deals during the five years valued at Sh130 billion. Most of the money was invested in the consumer goods and technology sectors. Reports have in the recent…

Online Marketplaces has potential to create 3 million jobs in Africa by 2025

March 29, 2019June 19, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

Online marketplaces such as Jumia, Souq, Uber, and Travelstart could create around 3 million new jobs by 2025 across Africa. This is according to findings of a new report released today by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Titled ‘’How Online Marketplaces Can Power Employment in Africa’’ the report notes that these digital platforms, which match buyers and providers of goods and services, could also raise incomes and boost inclusive economic growth with minimal disruption to existing businesses and workforce norms. Speaking during the launch of the report, Patrick Dupoux, a senior…

MTN launches ‘world first’ WhatsApp-based Airtime Top-up service

March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 olivia Craig

MTN says it will become the first mobile network in the world to let customers buy airtime and data bundles and check their balances directly on Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp. The service, MTN Chat, will help customers manage their accounts “off a secure and convenient platform they already know and love”, said Mapula Bodibe, MTN SA’s consumer business executive. “It’s imperative that companies focus on improving self-service experiences to retain and grow customers and this is an important step for MTN,” Bodibe said. Calling it a world first for the…

Women VCs investments explains the inequality in their field

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 Editor

Female venture capitalists (VCs) have made steady progress over the past few decades, but still make up a small percentage of VCs overall. Data released today (Mar. 25) by grassroots initiative Women in VC reveals the limitations that female VCs are working under, and how they affect the progress of women in VC as well as female founders. The vast majority of female VCs are investing primarily in early-stage startups, in the seed and series A funding rounds. Part of the reason they are investing mostly in the early stages…

Africa’s e-commerce giant Jumia to list on the New York Stock Exchange

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 Editor

Reports of an initial public offering (IPO) by Jumia, the pan-African conglomerate of e-commerce businesses, have been finally confirmed but details of its financials do not paint a pretty picture. Jumia has filed to launch its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, documents from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) show. The intended IPO is a landmark first for e-commerce and tech businesses on the continent. It could also mark a possible exit by Rocket Internet, Jumia’s German parent company, divesting its remaining 28% stake in the company.…

MPESA option now available on Aliexpress App

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 olivia Craig

Shopping online can seem like a daunting task to some people, especially considering the limited payment options and security issues that bog online transactions. Alibaba-owned e-commerce platform, AliExpress, has slowly but steadily gained popularity in Kenya as the platform opens up the Chinese vast goods market to Kenyans. International shopping in Kenya has mainly relied on third-party services such a Vitumob or Something Random, that aim to connect locals to the well-established platforms like Amazon but recently we have seen these shopping websites make an effort to directly reach their…