Author: Staff Writer

Here are the top five acquisition stories that were of interest in the Nigerian sector this year. The first position of course goes to Stripe’s acquisition of Paystack. Read about the five stories we chose for 2020. Stripe’s acquisition of Paystack for $200 million This is one story that gives…

2020 has been a very eventful year in the innovation landscape as it ushered in new ways of thinking and doing business. Here are five events that you could say, defined the new way of doing things in innovation and business. COVID-19 Pandemic The Corona virus (COVID-19) is said to…

Watching the robots from Boston Dynamics dance makes you think they are ready to take over the world. In the spirit of the holiday season and to usher in the New Year, the team from Boston Dynamics have released a dance video showing their robots dancing to the song, “Do…

Kabiru Rabiu, Bella Disu lead the pack of fourteen Nigerians selected in the 2020 edition of The Choiseul 100 Africa. Kabiru Rabiu is the Managing Director of BUA Group while Bella Disu is the Executive Vice Chairman of Globacom. The other Nigerians include: Ladi DelanoMohammed Usman Adbu-RazaqJason NjokuAdebola WilliamsAda OsakweHalima…

Payment service provider, OPay, is aiming for a $2 billion transaction value by end of 2020. The company started with $363 million in January and grew to a whooping $1.4 billion in November According to the Managing Director, Iniabasi Akpan, this performance was due to spike in transactions emanating from…

Instant messaging service, Telegram, has revealed that it is close to reaching the 500 million user mark and it will be monetizing the app next year. According to founder Pavel Durov in a Telegram message, “A project of our size needs at least a few hundred million dollars per year…

While some kids at nine are still trying to figure out Maths in primary school, Ryan Kaji is one kid that has already earning millions in Dollars. Ryan has emerged the highest paid YouTube star of 2020, earning about $29.5 million according to Forbes. Ryan also took the title in…

In November this year, Twitter announced that it was planning to bring back its public verification program in 2021 and shared a policy draft. The social media giant also asked for public feedback to help shape its approach. Based on the feedback it received, it has now unveiled the updated policy. Twitter…

Sony Interactive Entertainment says it is pulling down Cyberpunk 2077 from its Playstore due to technical bugs and negative reviews about the bugs. It is also offering full refunds for anyone who bought the game from the digital storefront, so says the company. “SIE strives to ensure a high level…

Two mobile operators, Airtel and MTN, have set up USSD codes to assist mobile subscribers to link their National Identification Number with their phone number. This was done to help customers meet up with the 2-week deadline set by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). The telecoms regulatory body instructed mobile operators…

African digital bank, Umba, has raised $2 million in a round led by new investors including Lachy Groom, ex-Head of Issuing at Stripe; Ludlow Ventures; Frontline Ventures and Act Venture Currently operational in Kenya and Nigeria, Umba offers free bank accounts and financial services to its customers. It was founded…

Giwa-Tubosun is recognized for LifeBank’s COVID-19 efforts, including launching testing centers.

Facebook today released its “2020 Year in Review: Highlights” an infographic showcasing some of its key investments and work across Africa in 2020 Supported by an animated video celebrating and showcasing a few people across the continent rising against the challenges of this unexpected year, the campaign aims to highlight the successes,…

OnePipe, a Fintech startup building a seamless gateway between fintechs and financial institutions, has raised $950,000 in a pre-seeding funding round led Techstars, Atlantica Ventures and a host of others. The other participating firms include DFS Lab, Future Perfect Ventures, Ingressive Capital, P1 Ventures, Raba Capital, Sherpa Ventures Africa, Techstars, and Zedcrest Capital.…

Verifying a job applicant’s qualifications is by far not the only reason to do a pre-hire background check. It has many additional benefits that can add value to an organization. Professional screeners like Check People will make sure you glean these. What’s more, they offer a host of additional advantages…

Recently there has been disclaimers issued by some of the commercial banks concerning two money transfer companies namely Azimo and TransferWise. The first notice was from First Bank of Nigeria. Then Fidelity, Zenith and others followed. Now the Central Bank of Nigeria has now issued a disclaimer also stating that:…

Bitcoin, the world’s most-valuable virtual currency, breached the $20,000 mark for the first time in history today during trading. According to CoinDesk data, the Bitcoin price traded 5.6% higher to a price of around $20,600,  taking its year-to-date gains to more than 180%. The gains for the digital asset was supported…

Estonian based on-demand startup, Bolt, has raised €150 million ($182 million at current rates) in an equity round to expand its operations in Europe and Africa. The round was led by D1 Capital Partners with participation from Darsan Capital Partners. Bolt (formerly known as Taxify) was founded by Markus Villig…

Decagon, a Nigerian software engineering and leadership training institute, founded by Chika Nwobi is partnering with the Edo State government to build a world-class tech park, the Edo Tech park, and train 15,000 people in Edo state to become software engineers over the next 5 years. Edo Tech Park is…

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has provided up to $500 million loan to the Vodafone-led Global Partnership for Ethiopia that will finance the design, development, and operation of a new private mobile network provider and the acquisition of a mobile network provider license. This loan is part of…