Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

FSD Africa has announced the creation of the Inclusive Insurtech Investment Fund (3iF), a pan-African venture capital initiative worth $25–30 million. The fund aims to accelerate insurance innovation and close the continent’s significant protection gap by supporting early-stage insurtech startups. Insurance penetration in Africa remains among the lowest globally, driven…

South African private equity firm Summit Africa has secured a significant investment commitment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), marking a major milestone for its second private equity fund, Summit Private Equity Fund II (SPEF II). IFC has committed $20 million to the fund and approved an additional $5 million…

French development finance institution Proparco has finalized an investment in BasiGo, a Nairobi-based e-mobility start-up that is transforming public transportation in Kenya and Rwanda through electric bus solutions. BasiGo currently operates a fleet of 100 electric buses across the two countries. The company not only assembles electric buses locally but…

Incoming TymeBank CEO Cheslyn Jacobs has announced that the bank now serves 12 million customers, a milestone that positions it alongside South Africa’s largest banking institutions and underscores the rapid rise of digital banking in the country. This achievement comes amid intensifying competition in South Africa’s financial sector, historically dominated…

AXIAN, a pan-African infrastructure and services group active across five sectors including telecom and digital finance, has announced the rebranding of its fintech cluster from Axian Open Innovation & Fintech to AXIAN Digibank & Fintech. This marks a strategic evolution from a mobile-money operator into a comprehensive digital banking ecosystem…

OceanHub Africa, a leading accelerator dedicated to ocean sustainability, has opened applications for the seventh edition of its 12-month program, which will support up to 24 of Africa’s most promising for-profit impact startups focused on preserving and restoring ocean health. The cohort will be split across two intakes in March…

Google’s long-rumored plan to merge the best of Android and ChromeOS into a single operating system is coming into sharper focus, thanks to a recently discovered job listing for a Product Manager role. The listing refers to the project as “Aluminium OS”—or ALOS—and describes it as “a new operating system…

Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI chatbot will no longer be available on WhatsApp after January 15, 2026. After this date, users will need to switch to Microsoft’s Copilot mobile apps or access the chatbot via the web to continue using the service. The decision follows WhatsApp’s recent policy…

OpenAI has announced a major update to ChatGPT’s Voice mode, changing how users interact with the feature on both the web and the mobile app. The new experience allows users to engage in voice conversations directly within their ongoing chat, rather than switching to a separate interface. With this update,…

AI search and assistant platform Perplexity is rolling out a new shopping feature designed to make buying products through its AI assistant more personalized and seamless. The feature, available free to all Perplexity users in the U.S., builds on the company’s existing partnership with PayPal to enable secure transactions. How…

Global design software leader Canva, headquartered in Australia, has deepened its investment in South Africa by opening a regional office in Johannesburg and expanding its local workforce as part of a broader Africa growth strategy. The new office, located in Rosebank, houses Canva’s nine-person South African team and represents the…

Tiger Brands, South Africa’s leading packaged goods and food producer, has announced a significant increase in earnings for the 2025 financial year, alongside a bold corporate brand refresh signaling a new chapter for the group. Despite a constrained consumer environment, Tiger Brands delivered robust earnings growth and sustained cash generation.…

South Africa’s largest e-commerce player, Takealot Group, expects to report its first full-year profit in the 2026 financial year, a milestone achievement 15 years after its launch. The company traces its roots to the early 2010s when Kim Reid and Tiger Global Management acquired the e-commerce business Take2, rebranding and…

After weeks of speculation, Paystack has officially addressed the controversy surrounding the exit of its Co-founder and former CTO, Ezra Olubi, stating that his employment was terminated due to “significant negative reputational damage.” In a statement, the company explained that the decision followed the resurfacing of damaging posts on X…

Revolut, the London-based financial technology powerhouse offering free and subscription-based digital banking services via its mobile app, is gearing up to enter the South African market as part of its ambitious global growth strategy. Founded in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko, Revolut has rapidly evolved into one of…

South African banking group Nedbank and state-owned logistics company Transnet have agreed to a confidential commercial settlement, bringing an end to their protracted legal battle over transactions dating back to the state capture period. According to a joint statement released on Tuesday, the settlement was reached without any admission of…

South African discount retail giant Pepkor Holdings has received regulatory clearance to establish a banking presence, marking a significant step in its diversification beyond retail and financial services. The company announced on Tuesday that the Prudential Authority granted approval in November, paving the way for Pepkor to enter South Africa’s…

CI Capital PE for Fund Management and Investment (CIPE), a subsidiary of CI Capital Holding, has announced the appointment of Karim Badr as Chief Executive Officer. This strategic move underscores the Egyptian financial services group’s ambition to broaden its footprint in non-traditional asset classes, including private equity and closed-ended fund…

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $15 million equity investment in the Adenia Entrepreneurial Fund I (AEF I), a growth-focused fund managed by Adenia Partners. This strategic investment aims to provide growth capital to small- and mid-cap companies across multiple African markets, particularly those operating in sectors that…

Chui Ventures, a pan-African seed-stage venture capital firm with a strong gender-inclusive mandate, has announced the final close of its inaugural Fund I at $17.3 million, surpassing its original fundraising goal of $10 million. The fund is dedicated to backing African founders who are building mass-market, technology-enabled solutions across Sub-Saharan…