Business/Brands & Marketing
TECH ROUNDUP: Flutterwave, Microsoft announces new partnership
- Flutterwave has announced a partnership with Microsoft
- Bluesky has published a moderation manifesto
- Apple is working on finishing up Vision Pro’s software
- Absa Bank Botswana has introduced the Absa Mobi Tap app
Flutterwave has announced a partnership with Microsoft to build its next-generation platform on Microsoft Azure, to power payments infrastructure in Africa and beyond.
EMURGO Africa, in strategic partnership with PwC, unveiled the “State of Web3.0 in Africa” report, which stated that Blockchain funding soared by a stunning 1,668% in 2022 compared to the preceding year, accumulating a total of USD91 million in countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Also Read: TECH ROUNDUP: Elon Musk seeks ‘Cage Match’ with Mark Zuckerberg
Absa Bank Botswana has introduced the Absa Mobi Tap app, which allows merchants and SMMEs to use their phones instead of traditional point-of-sale devices to process contactless card transactions.
According to data from the Communications Authority, 5G is now in 21 counties across Kenya. Based on data from Q3 of FY22, 373,573 Kenyans are using the technology.
POLITICS
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a new regulation that mandates banks to collect and verify customers’ social media handles as part of their Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.
South Africa’s Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has warned that South Africa must be wary of adding too much solar generation capacity to the grid too soon.
The Communication Authority (CA) in Kenya issued a warning to the public about the return of the Wangiri Scam. Based on the latest reports from Q3 FY 22/23, Kenyans faced significant cyber threats. In total, 187,757, 659 cyber threats were detected. Additionally, the authority issued a total of 3,584,966 cybersecurity advisories.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Decentralised Twitter alternative Bluesky has published a moderation manifesto. A Friday blog post details the Bluesky team’s moderation proposals for “a shared public commons,” using things like lists, hashtags, and even “per-thread” tools that would give moderation power to each poster.
Google is looking at online games as a new possible source of income for YouTube, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. The video hosting platform has reportedly invited employees to test a new product called Playables, which gives users access to online games right on YouTube itself.
WORLD NEWS
After debuting the Vision Pro, Apple is working on finishing up the device’s software, expanding testing, and finalising the rollout strategy.
Amazon plans to more than double its investment in India in the next seven years, the e-commerce group said, joining a roster of other high-profile American giants ramping up commitment to the South Asian market after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
