African Fintech Start-up Chipper Cash Raises $100 Million — CEO Says No Crypto Services for Nigeria

Chipper Cash, an African fintech firm that specializes in facilitating cross-border payments, recently closed a $100 million Series C funding round. Taking the lead in what is now Chipper Cash‘s third fundraising round in the past twelve months is the venture capital (VC) firm, SVB Capital. The VC firm is an investment arm of U.S. … Read more

Zimbabwe’s Biggest Bank Looks at Methods to ‘Leverage Cryptocurrencies’

One of Zimbabwe’s biggest financial institutions, CBZ Holdings says it is looking at ways it could “leverage cryptocurrencies and other emerging digital innovations.” According to the financial institution’s chairperson, Marc Holtzman, CBZ “is open-minded about new innovations, as these could open up new opportunities going forward.” Innovations Opening up New Markets Speaking in an interview … Read more

Kenyan Regulator Commends Its Regulatory Sandbox— Says the Test Phase Enables It to Have Interactions With Innovators

According to a new report published by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) of Kenya, the country’s regulatory sandbox has now received 24 applications, queries, and proposals since March 2019. From this total, only seven firms have been admitted into the sandbox, and “a few more (are now) in the final stages of review.” However, just … Read more

Kenya Based Technology Firm Switches to Pancakeswap, Cites High Gas Fees on Uniswap

In its bid to help users avoid high gas fees on Uniswap, a Kenya-based fintech firm, UTU, recently launched a liquidity pool on the decentralized exchange (dex), Pancakeswap. This launch enables prospective UTU coin buyers to acquire the token “with low fees and fast confirmation times.” In a statement posted on the firm’s blog, UTU, … Read more

Mastercard Payment Index: More Consumers in Three African Countries Plan to Use Crypto Based Payment Methods

According to a recent Mastercard payment index report, the Covid-19 related lockdowns helped spread the use of cryptocurrency in three African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The report also reveals that a greater number of consumers from these countries are “likely to use one emerging payment method in the coming year.” More Respondents … Read more