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Nigerian Fintech Founder: ‘African Fintechs Have a Greater Scale Potential Than Other Tech Startups’
9.5.2022
The African fintech industry has grown rapidly over the past few years and this has caught the attention of some well-resourced venture capital (VC) firms. As one would expect, Nigerian fintech startups have dominated the continent in terms of funds raised or the number of transactions performed....
Fintechs See Strongest Payments Challenge From Stablecoins and CBDCs, Not Bitcoin: Cowen
29.3.2022
The team at Cowen recently held fireside chats with executives from PayPal and Visa, among others
Qatar Central Bank Studying Digital Banks and CBDCs
18.3.2022
Qatar Central Bank is presently examining the possibility of issuing a digital currency as well as digital bank licensing, an official has said. The official adds this study will help the central bank get an understanding of what its area of focus should be. The Growing Significance of CBDC...
Report: Africa Fintech Startups Raised $2 Billion in 2021
15.3.2022
Africa’s fintech startups are reported to have raised $2 billion in the past year alone. This amount dwarfs the $231 million that was raised in the year 2020. Nigerian startups continue to account for the biggest share of funds raised by the continent’s fintechs in 2021. 2021...
Flutterwave Raises $250 Million in Series D Funding Round, Startup Now Valued at Over $3 Billion
19.2.2022
Fintech startup Flutterwave announced recently that it has raised $250 million from its Series D funding round. The funding round, which attracted international investors, saw the startup’s value rise to over $3 billion. Capital Raised to Fund Flutterwave’s Expansion Plans...
Arab Federation of Capital Markets Partners With UAE to Launch Blockchain Innovation Challenge
16.2.2022
United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s Ministry of Economy has joined hands with the Arab Federation of Capital Markets (AFCM) to kickstart a challenge that encourages fintechs to create a know-your-customer (KYC) verification system based on blockchain technology. Trustworthiness of Data on...
Report: Fintech Firms Received 62% of the $4.9 Billion Raised by African Tech Companies in 2021
11.1.2022
Fintechs account for nearly two-thirds of the $4.9 billion that was raised by African technology firms during the past year. Fintech groups also dominate in terms of funding that exceeds $50 million, with a 40% share of the total number of tech firms. The Covid-19 Factor Out of the $4.9 billion...
Report: Nigerian Fintechs Account for Nearly 91% of $417.5 Million Raised by Tech Startups in the Country
30.11.2021
According to an analysis of the $417.5 million that was raised by Nigerian tech startups during the first nine months of 2021, fintech firms accounted for about $379 million or 90.78% of the total. Nigerian Fintechs Dominate the African Continent Nigerian fintechs currently account for more than...
Nigerian Central Bank Wants Financial Institutions to Develop Products Based on Its CBDC
29.11.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it wants players in the country’s payment industry to develop and help introduce products based on its central bank digital currency, the e-naira. Central Bank Open to Suggestions In its bid to deepen the adoption of the e-naira, the Central Bank...
Report: Traditional Banks in Africa Hold Trust Advantage Over Fintechs
13.11.2021
A recent report by CR2 on Africa’s fintech transformation suggests traditional financial institutions can still be a part of the fintech financial revolution if they leverage one of their most significant assets: client trust. Partnerships Between Banks and Fintechs The report urges...
Digital Euro Should Be Attractive But Not ‘Too Successful,’ ECB’s Panetta Says
7.11.2021
The digital euro should be an attractive means of payment but its design should prevent it from becoming so successful as a store of value that it threatens banks and private money, according to Fabio Panetta, a high-ranking executive at the European Central Bank. Panetta stressed that both this...
African Fintech Giant Raises $150 Million in Funding Round Led by FTX, Firm Now Valued at Over $2 Billion
4.11.2021
Chipper Cash, one of Africa’s biggest fintechs, recently concluded a Series C extension funding round in which it raised $150 million, a report by Techcrunch has revealed. New Investors Participate in Latest Round According to the report, this latest funding round — which was led...
Up to 12 Million Iranians Own Cryptocurrency, Traders Choose Local Exchanges
1.11.2021
Cryptocurrencies are a popular investment among Iranians and estimates suggest that the number of those who already own one coin or another may be as high as 12 million. The majority of Iranian traders prefer the services of local crypto exchanges, the chief executive of one of them claims....
Nigerian Judge Rules in Favor of Accused Crypto Startup, Accounts to Be Reopened
27.10.2021
A Nigerian Federal Court judge recently ruled that the two frozen bank accounts belonging to Rise Vest Technologies, which is accused of trading cryptocurrencies, must be reopened. CBN’s Bank Account Freeze Order Dismissed In a ruling that overturns the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s...
Where Banks, Financial Institutions, Fintechs & Startups Meet
14.10.2021
The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, from the way we live and work to the way we consume and get basic services. Financial services will never look the same again. In this new reality, financial services companies will have to accelerate the development of their digital services...
Nigerian Central Bank Freezes Bank Accounts of Fintech Firms, Accuses Them of Violating Forex Regulations
19.8.2021
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to four fintech firms for up to 180 days after a Federal High Court in Abuja acceded to an “ex parte motion.” The ex parte motion, which is a form of temporary suspension, was granted after a Nigerian chief...
Africa Fintech Start-up Growth: Nigeria Dominates in ‘Big Three’ Markets
10.7.2021
According to the findings of the latest study by Disrupt Africa, the number of fintech start-ups based on the African continent grew to 576 in 2021. This figure represents a 17.3% jump from the 491 start-ups that were operating on the continent in 2019. Overall, the number of fintech start-ups...
Korean Banks Elevate Cybersecurity to Deal With Crypto-Related Risks
7.7.2021
South Korean banks are taking steps to bring cybersecurity to a new level as they try to keep up with fintechs and address new threats arising from their interaction with the crypto space. A number of institutions are adopting unprecedented measures including the integration of blockchain...
Report: Fintech’s Growing Popularity a Threat to Profitability of Nigerian Banks
7.7.2021
Financial technology companies (fintechs) are now among the biggest threats to the overall profitability of Nigerian banks, analysts from the country’s Coronation Merchant Bank (CMB) have warned. The Efficiency of Fintech As a report carried by local media explains, this threat from fintech...
Bank of Tanzania Hints at Possible Crypto Ban Reversal as Spokesman Confirms Bank Is ‘Working on the Directives Given’
28.6.2021
In a hint that Tanzania might soon reverse its 2019 crypto ban, an unnamed spokesperson of the Bank of Tanzania (BOT) recently suggested the apex bank is “working on the directives given.” The remarks by the spokesperson follow Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s call on...