Category: FINANCE

Vodacom and Safaricom in a bid to buy M-Pesa brand from parent company Vodafone

Dianne Jacobs
Vodacom

Vodacom and Safaricom are in the process of buying the M-Pesa brand from parent company Vodafone, in a deal reportedly worth over R190 million. Vodacom mentioned the deal in its recent full year results announcement, saying it expected the acquisition of the popular mobile money service to “further accelerate our mobile money growth plans in Africa”. Vodacom group CEO Shameel Joosub confirmed the plans in an interview with ITWeb, saying Vodacom, through a joint agreement with Safaricom, has done a deal with Vodafone to “take over M-Pesa completely”. “So, Safaricom…

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Facebook looking to launch own crypto-currency in 2020

Editor

By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, LONDON, United Kingdom, May 24 – Facebook has been in contact with US and British financial regulators with a view to launching its own crypto-currency next year, the BBC reported on Friday. “GlobalCoin” would work with a new digital payments system in about a dozen countries, starting in the first quarter of 2020, the broadcaster said on its website. Previous reports have said Facebook is taking a serious look at blockchain technology under its “Project Libra”, in part to tackle doubts about privacy among its many…

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Tencent and Alibaba licenced to compete world’s biggest banks to offer Hong Kong banking

Editor

Tencent and Alibaba are set to compete with some of the world’s biggest banks including HSBC and Standard Chartered as Hong Kong opens up its market to online competitors. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has issued virtual banking licences to China’s top technology groups, adding to the growing number of companies that have already been approved to provide digital services in the Asian financial hub. China’s Xiaomi, the world’s fourth largest smartphone maker, and PingAn, the world’s largest insurer, were also granted a licence on Thursday by the city’s banking…

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Ethiopians in diaspora allowed to invest in banking, insurance sectors after a precedence setting court victory in 2017 by Sophia Bekele

Editor

“Sophia took up the gauntlet and headed to the court to vindicate her right” The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), the agency in charge of regulating the financial sector of the country, will soon introduce a new regulation that will allow Ethiopians in the diaspora to invest in the financial sector that includes banking, insurance and micro finance. The Council of Ministers during its extraordinary meeting approved the Draft Banking Business Proclamation, allowing Diaspora citizens to establish banks in Ethiopia. This was indicated by Yinager Desse (PhD), Governor of NBE,…

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

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…

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

Editor
M-Gas Mpesa Central Bank of Kenya

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…

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

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…

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

Editor
Banking Crisis

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…

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Women VCs investments explains the inequality in their field

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…

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

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.…

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