Author: Kaluka wanjala

M-KOPA has once again secured a spot on the Financial Times’ “Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies” list. This marks its fifth consecutive appearance and placing it among a select group of just five companies to achieve this milestone. M-KOPA is close to reaching the 10 million customer milestone. The company also sees more than 10,000 new customers joining its platform every day. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The company saw its revenue frow by over 65% year on year in 2024. This is up from a 42% compound annual growth rate…

Westcon-Comstor has announced its global involvement in Microsoft Marketplace resale-enabled offers programme (REO).  The REO programme is designed to support channel-led selling within Microsoft Marketplace. This allows software vendors to authorise approved partners to create and manage private offers on their behalf. Microsoft handles billing and payment collection. This helps to simplify transactions and allows partners to focus on customer relationships and value-added services. Westcon-Comstor is positioning itself as a key enabler in this ecosystem by layering additional services on top of the REO framework. These include partner enablement, tools to drive incremental revenue and support across renewals and the…

Nairobi is set to host one of Africa’s biggest AI events next week  and if you’re looking to attend AI Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya 2026, here’s a quick guide on how to register, what to expect and how to get 50% off your ticket. Event Details The three-day event will bring together global tech leaders, investors, policymakers and startups to accelerate AI adoption and investment across East Africa. Why Attend? How to Register Get 50% Off Your Ticket TechArena readers can get 50% off using the promo code: MEDIAKENYA50 This is a limited media partner offer, so it’s best…

KCB Bank has reduced the cost of sending money via Pesalink, introducing a flat fee of KSh20 for transactions above KSh1,000 and waiving charges entirely for transfers below that threshold. With this announcement, the bank joins DTB and GTBank who both recently lowered their fees. Under the revised structure, customers can send between KSh1,000 and KSh999,999 at a fixed cost of KSh20. Smaller everyday transfers will from now be processed at no cost. Annastacia Kimtai, Managing Director at KCB Bank Kenya, said the initiative is part of a broader push to expand access to financial services by lowering transaction costs…

Africa’s fintech sector may be one of the most dynamic globally, but according to M-PESA’s Head of Product – Digital, Jason Masai, much of that innovation is missing the mark where it matters most, the everyday user. Speaking during a panel discussion at Africa Fintech Live, Masai pointed to a growing disconnect between the industry’s rapid technological advancement and the real-world needs of consumers. “There’s a lot of exciting technology that doesn’t work for the ordinary user,” he said, highlighting what he sees as one of the sector’s biggest challenges. Despite years of innovation in digital payments, Masai noted that…

Microsoft has released new insights showing that organizations across the world, including in Africa, are fundamentally redesigning how they operate in response to artificial intelligence (AI). This gives rise to a new category of businesses it calls Frontier Firms. The findings have been published in the latest 2026 Work Trend Index report. They point to a significant shift in how work is structured, managed and executed as AI adoption accelerates across industries. According to Microsoft, this transformation is about rethinking entire operating models. Frontier Firms. “AI is rapidly reshaping how organizations operate at a fundamental level, evolving far beyond its…

Mastercard has partnered with Yellow Card in a move that aims to acccelerate the adoption of stablecoin-powered payment solutions across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EEMEA). The partnership will explore new use cases for stablecoins in four areas including cross-border remittances, B2B payments, digital loyalty programs and treasury management. As part of the partnership, both companies will partner with banks, financial institutions and regulators to test out safe and compliant stablecoin solutions. Initial rollout markets include Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. “Emerging markets represent the greatest opportunity for payment innovation, but success requires…

Cloud9 has announced the acquisition of Mtickets. With this acquisition, Cloud9 and Mtickets are positioning themselves to build a more integrated ecosystem that combines ticketing, payments and access to financing for both consumers and event organisers. The companies say the long-term vision extends beyond events into travel and entertainment ticketing, including air travel, buses, rail, pay-per-view content and cinema, with early pilots already in motion. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. For consumers, the integration is expected to reshape how people discover and attend events. Through the Cloud9 Money app, users…

Absa Bank has just unveiled a new asset financing proposition in Kenya. It aims to deploy KES 100 billion over the next three years. Dubbed ABF 2.0, this enhanced offering is targeted at key sectors of the Kenyan economy including manufacturing, trade and logistics, infrastructure, healthcare and education. At the core of the new proposition is a shift toward faster, simpler and more predictable financing. Absa says it has restructured its financing parameters to better align with how assets are actually used and how different sectors generate cash flow. This is expected to reduce friction in the financing process and…

dLocal and inDrive have announced a new partnership to roll out card payments and local driver payouts in South Africa. The integration allows inDrive to support local card payments, real-time payment splitting and domestic disbursements all through a single connection powered by dLocal’s infrastructure. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Cards account for 63% of all digital payments Iin South Africa, while eWallet adoption continues to rise and cash usage declines. Enabling a fully cashless system in emerging markets presents unique challenges. Platforms must split each fare between drivers and the…