Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

TLcom Capital, a leading venture capital firm with a strong footprint across Africa, has announced that it has deployed 50% of its $5 million pre-seed fund, marking a significant milestone in its strategy to support the continent’s earliest-stage tech entrepreneurs. The fund, known as TIDE Africa Pre-Seed Investments (TAPSI), reached this halfway…

Igor Babuschkin, a co-founder of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI, has officially stepped down from his role to establish a new venture capital firm, Babuschkin Ventures. The announcement was made via a post on X (formerly Twitter), where Babuschkin reflected on his journey with xAI and shared his vision for…

Standard Bank has revised its expectations for South Africa’s economic growth in 2025, lowering its GDP forecast to just 0.9%, down from the 1.7% it projected earlier in March. Despite this downgrade, the bank remains confident in its ability to deliver robust financial results and maintain solid earnings growth. In its interim financial results for…

Street Wallet, a South African fintech startup focused on mobile payments, has raised $350,000 (R6.2 million) in funding at a valuation of $2 million (R35.5 million). The round, led by undisclosed investors, marks a significant milestone for the company as it aims to deepen its presence in South Africa’s vast informal economy, accelerate…

South Africa’s largest retail bank by customer base, Capitec, has issued a bullish trading update, forecasting a significant rise in earnings for the six-month period ending 31 August 2025. The bank expects headline earnings per share (HEPS) to increase by between 22% and 27%, reaching between 6,764 cents and 7,041 cents per share, respectively. This anticipated…

pawaPay, a leading mobile money payment aggregator focused on Africa, has announced an extended partnership with Airtel Africa aimed at streamlining and accelerating international money transfers for millions of users in Malawi and other key markets across the continent. The collaboration is set to enhance the efficiency of cross-border transactions by enabling licensed international money…

Global IoT solutions provider floLIVE has announced the launch of a transformative connectivity service designed to revolutionize transport and logistics operations across Sub-Saharan Africa. The new offering aims to address long-standing challenges in fleet monitoring, cargo tracking, and cross-border communications by delivering cost-effective, high-bandwidth cellular connectivity tailored to the region’s unique needs. floLIVE’s solution enables…

In a bold and unexpected move, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI worth $18 billion has submitted a $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, the world’s most widely used internet browser with over 3.5 billion users globally. The bid comes at a time when Google is under intense regulatory scrutiny and facing potential…

Yamify, a Democratic Republic of Congo–based AI infrastructure startup, has raised $100,000 in pre-seed funding from Felix Anane, an early backer of Paystack. The company is also seeking an additional $100,000 to close the round. The capital will be used to launch its flagship Managed Cloud Prototypes (MCP) feature, which…

The Enko Capital–Oronte consortium has completed its 100% acquisition of Société Générale Mauritania (SGM), following the final regulatory approval granted by the Central Bank of Mauritania. The closing of this transaction marks the complete exit of the Société Générale Group, which had been the bank’s reference shareholder since 2007. With…

Nedbank has announced plans to acquire payments fintech iKhokha for R1.65 billion ($94.3m), marking one of the bank’s largest fintech investments to date. The deal, which is structured as an all-cash transaction, represents a significant step in Nedbank’s ongoing strategy to strengthen its offering to South Africa’s small and medium-sized…

The Competition Commission has given the green light for Cell C to acquire Comm Equipment Company (CEC), marking an important milestone in the mobile operator’s restructuring plans. The transaction received unconditional approval, meaning it can proceed without any regulatory constraints. CEC is currently owned by The Prepaid Company (TPC), a…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a new policy under its Corporate Governance Guidelines 2025, introducing a mandatory cooling-off period for former senior officials before they can take up roles with telecom operators. The rule stipulates a five-year restriction for commissioners, executive vice-chairpersons, and the chief executive officer, and a three-year restriction for departmental directors. This measure is…

HoneyCoin, a Nairobi-based fintech startup specializing in stablecoin-powered payment rails, has raised $4.9 million in seed funding to accelerate its expansion into new markets across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The funding round was led by Flourish Ventures, with participation from a diverse group of global investors including TLcom Capital, Stellar Development Foundation, Lava, Musha Ventures, 4DX Ventures, Antler, and Visa…

In a landmark move aimed at accelerating digital connectivity across Africa, Airtel Africa and Vodacom Group have entered into a strategic agreement to share fibre and tower infrastructure in Mozambique, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The partnership, which is currently pending regulatory approval in each country, is expected to significantly enhance the rollout of 4G and…

Creation Capital, a South African-based private credit asset manager, has finalized a R75 million (approximately $4.2 million) debt investment into Quest Capital Solutions, a specialist provider of rent-to-own financing for trucks and trailers in the SME transport sector. Founded in 2012, Quest Capital Solutions has built a comprehensive offering that includes financing, asset management, servicing…

Thomas Dohmke, the Chief Executive Officer of GitHub, has officially announced his decision to step down from his role by the end of 2025. In a heartfelt blog post, Dohmke shared that he intends to return to his entrepreneurial roots and “become a founder again,” marking the end of a…

MTN Uganda recorded a robust performance in the first half of 2025, with data revenue surging 31.3% year-on-year to Ush 490.2 billion ($133.7 million). This sharp rise highlights the growing shift in customer preferences toward digital services. In contrast, voice revenue inched up by just 0.4%—a steep slowdown compared to…

Kenya’s banking regulator is taking a two-pronged approach to monetary management, loosening interest rates to spur lending while simultaneously tightening supervision of the country’s financial institutions. In 2024, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) fined 11 commercial banks for breaching key rules on lending limits, capital adequacy, and governance. The…

Teraco, Africa’s premier data centre operator, has successfully completed the expansion of its JB4 hyperscale facility located in Johannesburg, South Africa. This milestone firmly establishes JB4 as the largest standalone data centre on the continent, underscoring Teraco’s pivotal role in shaping Africa’s digital infrastructure landscape. The expansion follows a significant…