Author: Kaluka wanjala

That was the message from Daniel Mainda, CEO of the Nairobi International Financial Centre Authority (NIFC), speaking at the Kenya Blockchain and Crypto Conference. Mainda challenged a long-standing narrative that Africa is merely a follower in global technology trends. He said the continent’s real-world innovations, particularly in digital finance, are proof that Africa is already building the future. Unlike in many developed markets where innovation often begins in labs and boardrooms, Africa’s fintech revolution was born out of necessity. “In Kenya, if someone tells you they only accept cash, that is the exception—not the norm,” Mainda noted, highlighting how digital…

Safaricom is making a quiet but strategic bet that Kenyan businesses may not need global cloud giants to scale. At a time when most enterprises default to global hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, Safaricom is positioning its own cloud offering as a viable alernative built specifically for the local market. The company’s argument is not based on scale. It is based on proximity. At the center of Safaricom’s pitch is a growing regulatory and operational reality of data sovereignty. With Kenya’s evolving data protection framework, businesses are increasingly expected to store and process sensitive data within the…

Kenya’s crypto conversation is entering a new phase that is defined more by institutional adoption, regulatory engagement and financial infrastructure. VALR is one of the companies positioning itself at the center of this shift. Speaking at the Kenya Blockchain and Crypto Conference, Peter Mwangi, Country Manager – Kenya at VALR, shared the vision that places institutions at the centre of the next wave of crypto growth in the country. Crypto adoption in Kenya has for years been driven by retail users who include traders, freelancers and early adopters navigating an unregulated and often volatile market. Mwangi said there is a…

At the Kenya Blockchain and Crypto Conference, fintech leaders painted a clear picture of where Africa’s payments ecosystem is heading.This will include faster, cheaper and increasingly invisible. From stablecoins to mobile money infrastructure, the consensus was that blockchain is no longer a fringe experiment as it is becoming core financial infrastructure. Freddie Omany, Country Director-Kenya, Pawapay, said one of the most practical use cases already in production is in settlement. He revealed that traditional cross-border settlement timelines can sometimes take up to four days. This has already been reduced to near-instant using crypto rails. “We’ve seen settlement times move from…

Nutanix is set to highlight how East African organisations can move from AI ambition to practical deployment at GITEX Kenya 2026, as the global tech event makes its debut in the region. The company says its participation will focus on helping enterprises, governments, and startups deploy artificial intelligence in a way that balances sovereignty, security, cost control, and operational simplicity. Taking place in Nairobi from May 19 to 21, GITEX Kenya 2026 is expected to bring together technology leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators at a time when the region is positioning itself as a growing hub for AI and digital…

Africa Tech Summit London has revealed the 13 startups that will showcase their solutions at the London Stock Exchange on May 29, 2026. The summit will convene over 350 startups, investors, corporates, and regulators. Key partners and participants include Shekel Mobility, Goodwin, Tola, Verto, Loobv and HubSpot, among others. The selected ventures reflect a growing diversity of sectors across Africa’s innovation ecosystem. They include: Over the past decade, Africa Tech Summit London has showcased more than 100 high-growth African startups to global investors, helping unlock funding and cross-border partnerships. According to Marc Mugenwa, Business Development Manager at Africa Tech Summit,…

Bolt has announced a 6% fare increase that is aimed at cushioning drivers against the rising fuel costs. The adjustment follows sustained feedback from drivers who have raised concerns over increasing operational expenses. Bolt says it has been engaging drivers and industry stakeholders to better understand these challenges and strike a balance between driver earnings and rider demand. Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior General Manager said: “Our driver partners are at the heart of our platform, and their ability to earn sustainably is critical to the entire ecosystem. This fare adjustment responds to their concerns, particularly around fuel prices, while ensuring our…

Stanbic Bank Kenya has reported a 5% year-on-year increase in profit after tax to KES 3.5 billion for the first quarter of 2026. The lender’s performance which is up from KES 3.3 billion in Q1 2025, was driven by double-digit balance sheet growth and disciplined cost and risk management. Loans and advances grew by 6%. There was also increased demand for foreign currency lending coming from sectors such as trade, energy and construction. This growth comes as the Central Bank of Kenya continued to ease monetary policy. Stanbic’s balance sheet expanded by 23% to KES 552 billion, up from KES…

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…