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Seven South African startups and one from Lesotho are selected for the Grindstone Africa accelerator, aimed at fostering high-growth entrepreneurship. The program supports innovative companies in scaling operations, with a focus on market access readiness.

SWIFT has announced that it will add a blockchain-based shared ledger to its technology infrastructure, a pivotal step for global finance that promises to make instant, always-on cross-border transactions possible at unprecedented scale.
SWIFT already has kicked off work with a group of more

Nigerian retail app Patricia has converted customer Bitcoin into its stablecoin, Patricia Token (PTK), pegged to the U.S. dollar. Following a security breach in May 2023, withdrawals were suspended, raising user concerns about fund access. Despite challenges, the platform, established in 2017, aims to enhance security.

Ethereum's Dencun upgrade introduces proto-danksharding, enhancing scalability and lowering transaction costs. Activated on key testnets, it aims to improve transaction capacity, supporting decentralized applications and introducing efficient data handling through 'blobs.'

Tunisian fintech startup EasyBank has raised $370,000 to enhance its platform and expand into underserved markets in MENA and France. Founded in 2023, it aims to improve banking accessibility using AI for personalized financial solutions.

Sam Altman highlights ChatGPT's significant impact on coding, healthcare, and education, boosting productivity in coding, aiding educators with personalized curricula, and enhancing drug research, though caution is needed in healthcare due to current inaccuracies.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa is currently running 30 investigations into unauthorized crypto-related financial services within the country.
This is according to the organization’s latest regulatory actions report that outlines the measures they have put in place to

Sony Bank plans to launch a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin by 2026 for payments within the Sony ecosystem, targeting its significant U.S. customer base. This initiative is part of Sony's broader Web3 push, aiming to improve transaction efficiency and reduce reliance on traditional payment methods.

Safaricom’s M-PESA platform is undergoing a major upgrade to handle unprecedented transaction volumes – planning to double its current peak capacity from 4,000 transactions per second (TPS) to 8,000 TPS by the end of 2026,

In May 2024, Solana saw a surge in token creation with nearly 455,000 new tokens, primarily memecoins, due to simplified processes via the Pump.Fun platform. This trend follows strong performances from other networks like Base and BNB Chain, indicating a shift in token launch preferences.

AI systems are only as good as the data they’re trained on, yet most of this data comes from digital-first countries, creating a global imbalance.
When AI is trained on narrow, incomplete datasets, it reinforces systemic inequalities, produces flawed insights, and excludes billions from the

Egyptian fintech Qardy has raised a 7-figure USD pre-seed investment, becoming the first digital lending marketplace in Egypt and the MENA region for MSMEs. With over 1,000 clients, Qardy facilitates significant loan transactions and plans to expand in KSA and beyond.

Moniepoint Inc., a Nigerian fintech firm, plans to acquire Kopo Kopo Inc., a Kenyan provider of digital financial services. The acquisition has received approval from Kenya's Competition Authority, marking Moniepoint's entry into the Kenyan market to enhance financial service delivery.

Crypto.com has significantly reduced its workforce by over 2,000 employees, contradicting earlier reports of smaller cuts. The company is also scaling back major sponsorship deals, including some in sports, while still planning to sponsor FIFA World Cup 2022.

Ethio Telecom surpassed its revenue target for the year, generating 75.8 billion birr. Key drivers included mobile voice and data services, alongside significant growth in its digital finance platform, Telebirr, which now supports millions of subscribers.