Author: Kaluka wanjala

I&M Bank has been named winner of two prestigious awards at The Asian Banker Africa Awards 2026, Best Retail Bank in Kenya and Best SME Bank in Kenya. Following the announcement during the virtual awards ceremony, the awards reinforce I&M Bank as one of Kenya’s most dynamic and customer-focused financial institutions.  The Asian Banker Africa Awards recognise excellence in areas including retail, SME and digital banking across African markets. Institutions are assessed under TAB Global’s international awards programmes, which recognise institutional performance, service capabilities, innovation and achievements in financial services. Speaking at the virtual ceremony, Director of Retail & Business…

NTT DATA has announced the global expansion of NTT DATA AI Factories, which provide hands-on environments where organizations can determine how priority AI use cases can be deployed, secured, governed and operated at scale. The environments help business and technology leaders evaluate AI workloads against real-world requirements including infrastructure architecture, performance, workload placement and cost.  NTT DATA’s market research shows enterprise leaders want greater confidence about performance and business value before scaling AI investments. For many organizations, the shift from AI pilots to production is stalled by infrastructure bottlenecks, governance concerns, security requirements and uncertainty around operational costs and performance.…

The Asante Global Card, launched in August 2026 through a partnership between Visa, Kenya Airways and Absa Bank Kenya, is designed to connect everyday spending with travel and lifestyle rewards. The card allows customers to earn Asante Rewards Points on purchases, which can be redeemed for Kenya Airways flights, seat upgrades and other benefits, alongside access to selected premium travel experiences. In this interview with TechArena, John Njoroge, Visa’s Country Manager for Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, and Julius Thairu, Kenya Airways’ Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, discuss changing consumer payment habits, the evolution of airline loyalty programmes and how…

Ecobank Kenya has appointed Risper Alaro as a Non-Executive Director following approval by the Central Bank of Kenya. This brings women’s representation on the bank’s nine-member board to five. Alaro brings more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership, business transformation and corporate governance. She currently serves as Group Finance Director at Centum Investment Company PLC, overseeing financial strategy across its diversified investment portfolio. She also serves on the boards of Kenya Climate Ventures and the Nairobi Securities Exchange, having previously held board positions at Bank of Kigali and Population Services Kenya. “As Ecobank advances its growth ambitions and…

Westcon-Comstor has partnered with Palo Alto Networks to launch the Partner Growth Circle. This is a new initiative designed to help selected channel partners across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) grow their cybersecurity businesses. The programme will support partners through joint business planning, sales and technical enablement, demand generation and pipeline development. Participating partners will work with Westcon-Comstor to develop business plans targeting priority solutions, customer accounts and sales opportunities. Those that meet their agreed objectives will gain access to exclusive benefits, including tailored services workshops, certification support and demand-generation funding. The initiative will also leverage Westcon-Comstor’s Tech…

Madica has announced it has secured an additional $6 million from Flourish Ventures to extend its investment pilot by three years and support 25–30 more companies across the continent. Madica started operationj in 2022 and provides early-stage startups with capital and hands-on company-building support. It focuses on founders and markets often overlooked by traditional venture capital networks. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The programme has backed 18 startups across 10 African countries and 12 sectors. Madica says its portfolio companies have attracted additional funding averaging twice the amount of Madica’s…

Datacentrix has announced a strategic partnership with global cybersecurity company Utimaco, to offer hardware security modules (HSMs), cryptographic key management and data protection technologies to organisations across Africa. Demand for these types of solutions is rising as regulators tighten requirements and more business goes online. From financial services companies and telecommunications operators to government departments, healthcare providers, automotive businesses and agricultural organisations, highly regulated enterprises must protect sensitive information, secure transactions and demonstrate compliance. “As local organisations embrace cloud adoption, digital banking, connected vehicles, 5G networks, smart agriculture and e-government initiatives, the need to secure data at every stage has never been…

At NVIDIA GTC Berlin, Vertiv and NVIDIA today introduced an AI factory approach that combines rapid configuration and virtual validation of pre-engineered reference architectures with factory-built deployment. The approach is designed to move AI factories from project kickoff to productive capacity faster and, under defined assumptions, generate up to 30% more cumulative token output within the first 12 months with the same installed capacity1. Polar Data Centers is applying the factory-built deployment approach to the first 41 MW phase of its multiphase AI data centre at Herøya, Norway. For AI factory operators, securing compute is only part of the challenge. Traditional infrastructure…

OPPO has launched the Reno16 Series in Kenya, introducing two new smartphones: the OPPO Reno16 5G and OPPO Reno16 F 5G. The two devices feature OPPO’s new 3D Pop Planet Design. This combines distinctive finishes with a streamlined rear design. The Pop White variant uses HoloVerse 3D Technology to create a visual effect inspired by nebulae that changes with light and movement. “Design has become an important part of how people express their individuality, and with the Reno16 Series, we wanted to bring that expression to life through a smartphone that stands out,” said Fredrique Achieng, PR Manager at OPPO…

Safaricom has announced the launch of Family Share. This is a new connectivity plan that combines Home Fibre and mobile services. It allows customers to share mobile data or voice minutes with up to five family members under a single proposition. Starting at KES 3,749, customers can access internet speeds of 40Mbps and share either 750 voice minutes or 14GB of mobile data with up to five family members. The plan is available to both new and existing Safaricom Home Fibre customers and brings together mobile voice, data and SMS benefits alongside home internet connectivity. Safaricom says the proposition will…