Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Bitcoin’s price surged above $54,000 on Monday, waking from a week of subdued trading. The leading cryptocurrency was up by 5% at $54,460.00, according to Coin Metrics. At its peak in the session, bitcoin reached $54,965.26, its highest level since December 2021. Analyst at Bitwise Asset Management, Ryan Rasmussen, attributed…

On Monday, Microsoft announced a new alliance with Mistral AI, a French start-up often billed as Europe’s counterpart to OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. This partnership arrangements comes as Microsoft is aiming to broaden its influence in the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence. As part of its investment, Microsoft…

MultiChoice, a prominent South African digital satellite and terrestrial television business, has formally entered into a licensing agreement with Paramount Global Content Distribution. This company is globally renowned for its distribution of premium content across diverse media platforms. The primary objective of this deal is to facilitate the global expansion…

In response to policy changes targeting Bureau de Change (BDC) operators, currency traders and operators have been avoiding street trading due to fears of arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to three operators who spoke to TechCabal on Monday. Over 100 currency traders in Lagos were…

To facilitate its expansion plans in Europe, Central Asia, and the United Kingdom, Nigerian fintech firm OjirehPrime has rebranded itself as Pryme. The company is in the process of applying for a European banking license, which aims to reach the 12 million Africans, out of which 5.8 million are Nigerians,…

Botswana-based e-commerce startup, Ponatshego, continues to owe customers approximately P350,000 (~$25K) for goods that were bought but not delivered, a year after it ceased operations due to lack of funds. One patron, who had spent P7,000 (~$505) on a gaming console in January 2023 expressed dissatisfaction with the continuous excuses…

Flutterwave, the most valuable startup in Africa, has appointed Olajumoke Adenowo, a Nigerian architect, to its global board of directors. This move forms part of Flutterwave’s strategy for international expansion. Adenowo is the first independent non-executive board member at Flutterwave and is anticipated to aid the company in bolstering its…

Seacom, a provider of telecommunications and subsea cable, is facing a disruption in the Red Sea region where a subsea cable system has been out for more than 48 hours. This incident affects the connectivity linking Africa and Europe, notably impacting clients situated in the Eastern and Southern part of…

Mastercard and Awash Bank, a leading commercial bank in Ethiopia, have disclosed a newly planned international prepaid card and Payment Gateway Service. The announcement was made at a press release staged at Awash Bank’s head office based in Ethiopia. This novel development denotes a significant advancement for the Ethiopia’s card…

X is gradually initiating the roll-out of audio and video calling features to users who do not subscribe to its premium service formerly known as Twitter Blue. The announcement was made by Enrique Barragan, an engineer at the company, via a post on the platform. Twitter first introduced this feature…

President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi has made a significant announcement regarding a breach in the country’s national security. The issuance of passports in Malawi has been temporarily halted as the government grapples with a cyberattack. Hackers have assumed control over the country’s passport printing infrastructure and are demanding an indeterminate…

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been awarded an over R8.1 million ($417,435.49) grant from the European Union to help drive digital transformation in South Africa’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The grant was provided by Erasmus+, a European Union programme dedicated to education, training, youth, and…

Telecommunication companies Airtel Gabon and Moov Africa Gabon Telecom have announced plans to expand radio coverage to 200 villages located in white zones within Gabon. These are regions that currently lack mobile phone and internet services. This initiative follows a meeting held on February 16, 2024, which was attended by…

Uber Technologies Inc., the US ride-hailing giant, is currently in negotiations to invest in African auto-financing startup Moove, according to sources privy to the matter. The proposed investment could be part of a funding round worth up to $100 million. However, the final amount raised could change, landing potentially anywhere…

In 2023, the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) compensated some customers of the 132 microfinance banks whose licenses were revoked by Nigeria’s Central Bank in May of the same year. The Central Bank revoked these licenses due to the banks’ inactivity, insolvency, failure to render returns, closure, or not providing…

Ford has suspended deliveries of its all-electrical F-150 Lightning pickups and has been subjecting them to quality checks since February 9th, a move that is not uncommon in the vehicle manufacturing industry as new models are rolled out. Emma Bergg, a Ford spokesperson, refrained from pointing out any specific quality…

The European Union (EU) has initiated a formal probe into TikTok to scrutinize whether the social media giant is sufficiently safeguarding the interests of minors using its platform, in accordance with the Digital Services Act. This investigation comes amidst growing concerns over other potential violations, putting the company’s practices under…

Samsung recently confirmed that it is extending the reach of its Galaxy AI, an advanced artificial intelligence model, to a wider array of devices – and it’s happening sooner than you might think. During an announcement made on Thursday, Samsung revealed that its Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5,…

We are now reaching the two-year anniversary of Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Despite the devastating challenges brought about by the war, specifically the widespread destruction and the difficulties in receiving aid from the West, Ukraine and its tech startup industry have admirably pressed on, truly embodying resilience.…

Google has signed an agreement with Reddit to use its vast swathe of user-generated content to help train Google’s AI algorithms, according to an announcement by both companies. The agreement gives Google access to Reddit’s Data API, which will help the search engine company to better understand and utilize content…