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A new Kenyan startup called Abacus (www.abacus.co.ke) is a licensed data vendor with the Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE).Its been in existence since 2015 and just early this year,in partnership with Genghis Capital and Chase bank,they began offering subscribers the ability to deposit,buy,sell and trade unit trusts,bonds and equities on their platform.

A new Kenyan startup called Abacus (www.abacus.co.ke) is a licensed data vendor with the Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE).Its been in existence since 2015 and just early this year,in partnership with Genghis Capital and Chase bank,they began offering subscribers the ability to deposit,buy,sell and trade unit trusts,bonds and equities on their platform.

All in all,Abacus allows you to easily get started on the road to investing in the NSE,its available on the web through www.abacus.co.ke and the android app is available on the Google play store,A basic subscriber account is easy to set up and allows one to easily get started with practise trading with virtual funds and realtime NSE data on market open so that one can learn.

What to watch out forMaximum daily limits. Transaction limits depend on how you are sending the money, while a total 24-hour cap of $9,000 applies to all transactions being sent by you out of the US.Changing fees. Depending on where you are sending to, how you are paying and how you are transferring money, your fees may vary. Although a base fee of $3.99 is applied to most transfers, keep an eye on this category when actually completing your transfer to make sure it doesn’t change.No hedging options. WorldRemit only offers one-off transfers, unlike some of its competitors that offer additional tools to help you save money. Hedging tools are most often used to lock in an exchange rate, helping you save money on future transfers if the market shifts against your position.Inconsistent markups. Exchange rates vary through WorldRemit and depend not only on the currency you are sending to but also on the destination country. Expect mid-market markups anywhere from 1-4%.

Easy-to-use website. Signing up and sending money can be done in as little as a few minutes, and support can be accessed through phone, email, live chat and FAQs.Worldwide network. Customers in more than 50 countries can send funds to over 150 countries using a variety of methods, including bank transfers, cash pickup at thousands of locations, door-to-door delivery, delivery to services like Alipay and more.Flexible payment options. Pay with a credit or debit card, from your bank account, through Apple or Google Pay and even with prepaid cards.Fast transfers. Cash pickups, WorldRemit Wallet transfers and airtime top-ups are typically available instantly after sending, while mobile money and bank deposits may take one or more business days to process.

Cash pickups, WorldRemit Wallet transfers and airtime top-ups are typically available instantly after sending, while mobile money and bank deposits may take one or more business days to process.

A consortium of international financial investors comprising the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund (“EAEF”), Helios Investment Partners (“Helios”, acting on behalf of funds it advises) and the MENA Long-Term Value Fund (“MENA LTV”) (together, the “Consortium”) today announced it has acquired a majority stake in Fawry, the leading electronic bill presentment and payment platform in Egypt at a purchase price valuing the company at EGP 773 million, approximately US$ 100 million.Headquartered in Cairo, Fawry provides users with a secure electronic bill presentment and payment services solution, connecting consumers, merchants, governments and financial institutions on a consolidated gateway that is accessible through multiple channels, including Point of Sale (POS) machines, ATMs, post offices, online and through mobile wallets.  Since its establishment in 2009, Fawry has been at the forefront of electronic payments in Egypt, providing pioneering, innovative and convenient payment solutions to its customers. The company today processes over one million transactions a day and operates a network of over 50,000 collection points in 300 cities and suburbs across the country.

In order to prevent fraudulent transactions, Paga has put certain measures in place to protect its users. A user logging into an unrecognized device, for example, will have to answer a couple of security questions before proceeding. Again, every transaction using Paga has to be finalized with a personal PIN known only to the user.

The HiPipo chief executive officer Innocent Kawooya expressed his excitement about JUMO’s financial inclusion efforts, saying that its products are taking a lead in democratising lending and borrowing.“We are excited to interact with JUMO, a company that is enhancing financial inclusion in over 10 countries and serving more than 16 million customers.”

Reimagining finance in emerging markets by extending financial services to the underserved and the excluded has been JUMO’s goal since inception.

Reimagining finance in emerging markets by extending financial services to the underserved and the excluded has been JUMO’s goal since inception. This explains why it chose to specialize in social impact financial products where small businesses that are financially excluded can access loans and savings products.

M-Pesa is a branchless banking service; M-Pesa customers can deposit and withdraw money from a network of agents that includes airtime resellers and retail outlets acting as banking agents.

African agriculture, especially small farms, have not had it easy over the past few years. Droughts, pests, floods, and local conflict have exacerbated challenges for many food producers. This is why insurtech startup Pula is working to provide small farmers with insurance to help manage the implications of climate change and other environmental uncertainties. The startup begins the farming season by sending representatives to farms to gauge the potential yield of the season. Pula then sends this estimate to insurance companies to generate a policy offer. According to Pula, the initiative has been so successful because in every African country they have worked in, there are insurance companies willing to support their initiative.

“With Masterpass, we’re enabling consumers to make secure and simple everyday payments wherever they are and from any connected device, without needing to physically carry their bank cards with them,” says Mark Elliott, Division President, Mastercard, South Africa. “Thanks to our collaboration with SnapScan, we are pleased to offer consumers even more places to pay using Masterpass, which is now the most widely accepted digital wallet in South Africa.”Since its launch in 2013, SnapScan has grown its acceptance exponentially, especially among small businesses that traditionally did not have access to traditional Point of Sale devices and relied on cash payments. It makes accepting digital card payments cheap and easy, with merchants simply needing to display a QR code at the till, online or on a bill.“Given SnapScan’s extensive acceptance footprint, the ability to offer merchants a single QR code, which will accept payment from multiple mobile wallet solutions such as Masterpass, is the driving force behind creating interoperability,” says Lincoln Mali, head of group card and payments at Standard Bank. “We believe that interoperability between digital payments platforms is one of the keys to driving digital payments usage and acceptance in South Africa.”

Each Masterpass transaction is classified as an Authenticated Mobile Transaction by South African banks, ensuring that consumers enjoy the highest protection from fraudsters.

The startup will initially offer a small range of service and products that will be expanded quickly, with the interface being developed by the Bismart team allowing the distribution of insurance products across Africa, facilitating the rapid roll-out and scaling of the business. Bismart will also use blockchain-based smart contracts in order to facilitate policy management and offer the security of decentralised databases

In the framework of its concern in making it easy for citizens to pay for accessing its e-services via the Internet, in order to reach a society more dependent on electronic payments; WATCH iT! has announced signing a partnership agreement with Fawry the leading Fintech network in Egypt to offer its services through “Fawry Pay” to the public. WATCH iT! It is the first of its kind in Egypt and the newest in the Middle East and North Africa, where the number of its users reaches 1.5 million users and has a huge library the most diverse, containing more than 650 thousand entertainment hours of movies, series and programs that suit all ages.

In the framework of its concern in making it easy for citizens to pay for accessing its e-services via the Internet, in order to reach a society more dependent on electronic payments; WATCH iT! has announced signing a partnership agreement with Fawry the leading Fintech network in Egypt to offer its services through “Fawry Pay” to the public.

How to Use SnapScan: 1. Download. The SnapScan app can be downloaded onto your iPhone or Android device. Open the app and link your card details (SnapScan works with any South African Bank).In less than 5 minutes, you’re good to go! 2. Order. Go to the Le Creuset website and place an order for your desired items. At checkout, select SnapScan as a payment method. This can be used in conjunction with other payment methods such as eBucks, credit card or EFT, as well as Le Creuset Gift Vouchers. 3. Snap. Open the app to scan the SnapCode displayed at checkout on the Le Creuset website. 4.Pay. Confirm payment with your 4-digit PIN

Le Creuset is proud to offer SnapScan as a convenient new payment solution. With this easy checkout option, you only have to load your card details once, when you download the SnapScan app. With your information already securely encrypted on your phone, you don’t need to enter them on the website again. And if you’re paying from your phone, it’s as easy as clicking a button!

They use advanced data science and machine learning to create the fastest and leanest financial services infrastructure, according to Joel Muhumuza, the country manager JUMO Uganda.

Our Digital Banking business is anchored on a transactional banking model  with the following key services – Micro-loans, Savings, Agent Banking (designed to reach the previously excluded), Device Financing and Diaspora Banking. The Digital Bank’s flagship platform is branded “Square”.   The Square Mobile App is an integrated mobile banking solution that gives customers the ability to transact wherever they are, on services such as bill payments, funds transfer, banking services, nano loans, airtime and so forth. In line with our Diaspora thrust, we have also launched the Square World App, targeting diaspora customers anywhere in the world, offering remittances, and other suite of services as if they were back home

Capiter, according to its website, offers on-demand cash flow solutions to small businesses and vendors, paying vendors immediately for the goods they sell to small business buyers and then collecting payments from the buyers using flexible payment plans. There are not a lot of details on the website but it would be safe to assume that Capiter makes money by charging a fee, interest, or a combination of both from the small businesses using its solutions.

“Capiter’s unique technologies and sophisticated ML models empower businesses to increase their sales, grow their customer base and improve their cash flow,” the startup notes on its LinkedIn page.

For the first time in Egypt, MasterCard Worldwide has teamed up with Fawry, the nationwide Electronic Bill Payment and Presentment (EBPP) network, to launch MasterCard Bill Pay services to enable MasterCard cardholders to use their cards for bill payments and mobile top-up via Fawry’s retail network. MasterCard cardholders can now settle their Internet, mobile and fixed line bills and also utilize the top-up payment services through Fawry-MasterCard enabled retail locations across Egypt.

For the first time in Egypt, MasterCard Worldwide has teamed up with Fawry, the nationwide Electronic Bill Payment and Presentment (EBPP) network, to launch MasterCard Bill Pay services to enable MasterCard cardholders to use their cards for bill payments and mobile top-up via Fawry’s retail network. MasterCard cardholders can now settle their Internet, mobile and fixed line bills and also utilize the top-up payment services through Fawry-MasterCard enabled retail locations across Egypt.

For the first time in Egypt, MasterCard Worldwide has teamed up with Fawry, the nationwide Electronic Bill Payment and Presentment (EBPP) network, to launch MasterCard Bill Pay services to enable MasterCard cardholders to use their cards for bill payments and mobile top-up via Fawry’s retail network. MasterCard cardholders can now settle their Internet, mobile and fixed line bills and also utilize the top-up payment services through Fawry-MasterCard enabled retail locations across Egypt.

M-Pesa offers a safe, fast and low-cost way to pay, receive, transfer and store money. M-Pesa, works in real time and digitally, making it faster and cheaper than traditional informal money transfer services (e.g. sending money on a bus) and safer since every transaction is protected and signed with a PIN.

M-Pesa is specifically designed to benefit customers who have no access to banks - either because they do not have a bank account or because they live too far away from a bank branch. Each transaction is made with a mobile handset, enabling our customers to send money from any location.

Capiter is a financial technology company that offers smart cash flow & credit solutions to businesses. Capiter empowers businesses to increase their sales, grow their customer base and improve their cash flow. We’re building and scaling our products in the F&B and agri sectors. We’re hiring top talents. We offer competitive packages, unique growth opportunities and an environment of a highly talented and diverse team. Specialities: Cash flow & credit solutions to businesses

First investmentsFoundation Ventures has already made four investments – only one of which has been announced publicly. It led or co-led all the four rounds it invested in. The investments include:Capiter: A B2B ecommerce marketplace co-founded and led by Swvl’s co-founder and former COO Mahmoud Nouh. The startup had started with a lending product, offering cash flow solutions to small retailers but has recently expanded its offering to launch a B2B marketplace as well for grocery stores in Egypt. Foundation Ventures led Capiter’s recently closed investment round.