👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Warranty imeisha
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Happy pre-TGIF. This week, Substack made an interesting move. The newsletter platform partnered with Pangram, an AI-writing detection software, to enable users to scan articles and comments to see how much estimated content was written by AI. I still don’t know how I feel about it. It’s borderline AI-shaming. The same tools that the tech bros of the world—running on high caffeine—built to increase productivity are now being treated like contraband. And I’m actually curious to see what use this serves. If this is about research on AI dependence, I think there’s an obvious endline, and we’ll discover that a lot of Substack authors use AI for framing and getting brilliant arguments across. No harm in that. But tell me, are you excited at the prospect of counting Substack posts that use AI? Full disclosure: at least this opening lede is 100% human-written. Even Pangram says so. —Emmanuel Get smarter about Francophone Africa with our newsletter, Francophone Weekly—the startups, tech policies, and institutions building the pipelines for ecosystem growth. Subscribe Pepkor creates new business: FintechCo Kenyan phones must now come with one-year warranty M-KOPA crosses 10 million user mark Dolphin Telecoms’ cross-border MVNO play World Wide Web 3 Events companies Pepkor merges two businesses to create FintechCo, its new super financial rail Image Source: Tenor Walk into a spaza shop almost anywhere in South Africa and chances are you’ll find a Flash terminal selling airtime, electricity tokens, or betting vouchers. If the stars align, you could also find a Shop2Shop device helping the same merchant accept card payments, deposit cash, or manage stock. Pepkor, the South African retailer behind brands such as PEP and Ackermans, wants those two businesses to become one. On Wednesday, Pepkor announced it will merge its fintech subsidiary, Flash, with merchant platform Shop2Shop in a deal that values the combined business at R21.3 billion ($1.3 billion). Pepkor will inject R1.57 billion ($95 million) in cash and fold Flash, valued at R10.6 billion ($640 million), into the combined business, giving it a 57.1% controlling stake in the new company. The retailer said the merged entity will be called “FintechCo.” What’s changing? Flash built one of South Africa’s largest value-added services (VAS) networks, allowing merchants to sell products like airtime, data bundles, prepaid electricity, gaming vouchers, and bill payments. Shop2Shop tackles a different problem: helping the same merchants accept digital payments, manage cash, order inventory, and access other business services. Both businesses process more than R200 billion ($12 billion) in annual transaction value across the formal and informal economy. State of play: The deal is another step in Pepkor’s plan to become more than a discount retailer. While clothing and household goods remain its biggest business, financial services have become an important growth engine for the South African retailer. In the first half of its 2026 financial year, Pepkor’s “Financial Services” business generated R3.0 billion ($182 million) in revenue, up 41.6% year-on-year. Flash now sits under Pepkor’s Informal Market Platform, where transaction volumes grew 20.3% to R34.7 billion ($2.1 billion). Connectivity is another pillar of Pepkor’s ecosystem strategy. By September 2024, the retailer had sold 11.5 million handsets, creating more opportunities to cross-sell lending, insurance, airtime, and other financial services to customers already in its network. Between the lines: This is ultimately a merchant acquisition play. South Africa’s informal retail economy, made up of hundreds of thousands of spaza shops and independent traders, still handles large volumes of cash despite steady growth in digital payments. Flash already reaches many of those merchants through prepaid products, while Shop2Shop helps them digitise everyday operations. Combining both gives Pepkor a stronger foothold in the businesses that millions of South Africans rely on daily. Zoom out: Pepkor isn’t hiding the endgame. The retailer says it plans to separately list FintechCo, the combined fintech business, in the medium term—likely on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)—which will create a standalone payments company while keeping control through its majority stake. If that happens, South Africa could soon have another publicly listed fintech, built not around affluent bank customers, but around the small merchants who power the country’s informal economy. Getting paid in cedis just got easier for African businesses operating in Ghana. Fincra now issues dedicated GHS virtual accounts to enable businesses to collect payments. See how Fincra GHS virtual accounts work. policy Kenya just made it harder for smartphone vendors to say “sorry, no warranty” Image Source: Tenor Bought a phone in January. It stopped charging in March. You walked back into the shop, receipt in hand, only to hear the dreaded words: “Warranty imeisha.” That conversation is about to get much shorter in Kenya. What happened? From now on, every mobile phone, laptop, tablet, and several other communications devices sold in Kenya must come with at least a one-year warranty and a return policy. The new rules from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the country’s telecom regulator, also require sellers to repair faulty devices during that period or risk penalties starting at KES 500,000 ($3,900) or 0.2% of annual turnover, whichever is higher. Explain like I’m new here: Until now, your warranty often depended on where you bought the phone. Walk into an official Samsung or Apple store, and you’d likely get a manufacturer’s warranty. Buy the same phone from a smaller electronics shop or an online seller, and you might only get a 30- or 90-day shop warranty, especially if it was imported through unofficial channels or refurbished. The new rules level that playing field. Whether the phone is brand new or refurbished, sellers are now responsible for standing behind what they sell for at least 12 months. Refurbished devices must also be clearly labelled as refurbished, online sellers must provide a physical address customers can visit, and every receipt must include the device’s serial number and warranty details. But here’s the interesting part: Beyond providing warranties, Kenya is tightening control over its electronics market. On Tuesday, the regulator introduced
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M-KOPA reaches 10 million customers, six years after its first million
M-KOPA, the pan-African asset-financing startup, says it now serves 10 million customers across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, six years after crossing the one million-customer mark. The company said on Wednesday that it now onboards about 10,000 customers daily as it scales its lending business beyond its Kenyan roots. The milestone builds on M-KOPA’s strong run over the past year. In October 2025, the company reported its first-ever annual profit alongside a 66% jump in revenue. One month later, its Kenyan subsidiary crossed $1.6 billion in credit given to its customers, underscoring growing demand for credit products targeting underserved consumers. “Every Day Earners are why we do this,” M-KOPA chief finance officer (CFO) Faraimose Kutadzaushe said in a statement. “From our very first customer to this year’s ten millionth, this is proof that a model built for Africa’s Every Day Earners doesn’t just work, it scales and endures. It’s a proud moment for our team, and we’re already looking to the next 10 million.” The milestones reflect how M-KOPA’s business has evolved since expanding into smartphone financing in 2020. Rather than simply selling financed devices, the company now uses smartphones as a gateway to a suite of financial services for customers largely excluded from formal banking, including device protection. Nigeria has emerged as a key driver of that strategy. Since entering the market in 2019, M-KOPA has disbursed more than ₦231 billion ($170 million) in credit to over one million customers. The country also became the fastest market in the company’s history to reach the one million-customer milestone. M-KOPA operates in a competitive asset-financing market where companies including Sun King, d.light, and EasyBuy use smartphones and consumer electronics to extend credit to first-time borrowers. To support its expansion, the company noted that it built its own distribution network of more than 40,000 sales agents across its five markets. M-KOPA said it has maintained average annual revenue growth of 50% since 2020 while processing more than two million customer repayments every day. “Every Day Earners have always been creditworthy. What they needed was credit built around how they really make a living, not a payslip. Informal has never meant unviable,” said Jesse Moore, co-Founder and chief executive of M-KOPA. “10 million customers on, that’s no longer a belief. It’s proven.” True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Everything announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2026
Table of contents Galaxy Z Fold8 Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Galaxy Z Flip8 Galaxy Watch9 Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Galaxy Glasses One UI 9 Flex Titanium Display Galaxy Card Samsung just wrapped up its Galaxy Unpacked event in London. You get new foldable phones, new watches, new software, and a first look at Samsung’s smart glasses. This article breaks down everything Samsung announced, device by device, so you know what changed and what it costs. Every device also got more expensive this year. Samsung and several outlets point to the ongoing memory chip shortage as the reason. Here is what you are getting for the extra money. 1. Galaxy Z Fold8 Image source: Samsung on YouTube The Galaxy Z Fold8 is Samsung’s new mainstream Fold. It is shorter and wider than any Fold before it, and folded, it looks more like a passport. Unfolded, the screen takes on a shape closer to that of a small tablet, so reading and watching video feel more comfortable. At 201g, it is the lightest Fold Samsung has made. Main screen: 7.6 inches, 120Hz Cover screen: 5.5 inches, 120Hz Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery: 4,800mAh, with 45W fast charging Cameras: 50MP wide and 50MP ultra-wide (no telephoto lens) Water and dust resistance: IP48 Price: starts at $1,899 in the US and £1,699 in the UK It costs less than the Z Fold 7 did at launch. That is because the Fold8 is a brand new shape, not a direct replacement for last year’s phone. It also has a bigger battery and lighter body than the Fold 7, though it drops the telephoto camera the Fold 7 had. 2. Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Image source: Samsung on YouTube The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the true follow-up to last year’s Z Fold 7. It keeps the taller, narrower shape you already know, but it is now Samsung’s thinnest Fold ever at just 4.1mm when unfolded. A new hinge, called Armor FlexHinge, makes it easier to open. Main screen: 8.0 inches, 120Hz Cover screen: 6.5 inches, 120Hz Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery: 5,000mAh, with 45W fast charging (charges to 67% in about 30 minutes) Cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultra wide, and 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom Water and dust resistance: IP48 Price: starts at $2,099 in the US and £1,899 in the UK That is $100 more than the Z Fold 7 cost at launch. Samsung and other outlets point to the memory chip shortage as the reason prices went up across the lineup this year. 3. Galaxy Z Flip8 Image source: Samsung on YouTube The Galaxy Z Flip8 looks a lot like the Flip 7 from the outside, but it is now Samsung’s slimmest and lightest Flip yet at 180g. A new hinge makes it open and close more smoothly. Main screen: 6.9 inches, 120Hz Cover screen: 4.1 inches Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the US and Canada, Exynos 2600 in Europe, the UK, and South Korea Storage: 256GB or 512GB Battery: 4,300mAh, with 25W fast charging Cameras: 50MP wide and 12MP ultra wide Water and dust resistance: IP48 Price: starts at $1,199 in the US and £1,149 in the UK Your Flip8’s chip depends on where you buy it, so check your region’s version before you compare notes with a friend abroad. 4. Galaxy Watch9 Image source: Samsung on YouTube The Galaxy Watch9 keeps the same cushion-shaped case Samsung introduced with the Watch 8. What changes is what is inside it, plus a bigger battery. Sizes: 40mm and 44mm Chip: Snapdragon Wear Elite Battery: up to 20% bigger than the Watch 8 Water and dust resistance: 5ATM and IP68 Health features: Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, Fitness Index, and improved sleep apnea detection Software: Wear OS 7 with One UI 9 Watch Price: starts at $379 in the US and £319 in the UK 5. Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Image source: Samsung on YouTube The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is built for people who push their bodies hard, on the trail or underwater. It is now 12% thinner than the original Ultra, even with a much bigger battery inside. Size: 47mm Chip: Snapdragon Wear Elite Battery: 35% bigger than the original Ultra, rated for up to 60 hours Display: up to 5,000 nits, the brightest Samsung has put on a watch Durability: 10ATM, IP69K, and dive rated New features: professional diving mode built with Mares, trail running tracking, hydration alerts, and all the health features from the Watch9 Price: starts at $699 in the US and £649 in the UK 6. Galaxy Glasses Image source: Samsung on YouTube Samsung closed the event with a preview of its first smart glasses, officially called intelligent eyewear. Samsung is not selling them yet. They arrive this fall. Built with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for the design, and with Google for the software Chip: Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Battery: up to 9 hours, plus 7 more full charges from the case No display. The glasses use audio and a built-in camera instead Runs on Gemini, so you can ask questions, get translations, and save notes just by talking You can use the glasses to summarize messages and read them out loud, translate conversations as they happen, save whiteboard notes straight to Samsung Notes, get walking directions, and share what you see during a video call. Pricing has not been announced yet. 7. One UI 9 The new foldables are the first phones to run One UI 9, built on Android 17. A new AI Assistant Activity dashboard that shows you what your phone has automated for you Smart Switch now moves your passwords, passkeys, and call history over from an iPhone Quick Share now works with AirDrop Gemini can now handle 40 or more apps for you, from booking a table to ordering food A free 6-month trial of Google AI Pro, which normally comes with 5TB
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MTN’s $9.1 million network push takes South Africa’s 5G race beyond metros
MTN South Africa, the telecoms giant, is investing R150 million ($9.1 million) in 2026 to expand and modernise its network in the North West province this year, doubling down on the belief that the next phase of the country’s telecoms battle will be won far beyond Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Yolanda Cuba, MTN South Africa’s deputy chief executive officer (CEO), said the investment will upgrade more than 1,000 network sites, expand 4G and 5G coverage, and deploy new towers in towns including Mahikeng, Klerksdorp and Taung. The announcement comes as South Africa’s largest mobile operators increasingly shift capital expenditure towards secondary cities and rural provinces where demand for high-speed mobile broadband is growing, but network quality remains uneven. The move underscores a broader shift in South Africa’s telecoms industry: the race to build the country’s best 5G network is no longer confined to affluent urban centres. As smartphone adoption rises, enterprises digitise operations and public services move online, operators are under pressure to improve coverage in underserved regions where millions of potential customers remain. “The next phase of competition is less about who launches 5G first and more about who delivers reliable, high-capacity connectivity where it has historically been limited,” said Cuba. “Strong partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential in driving inclusive growth and ensuring that the benefits of the digital economy reach every community.” MTN’s investment also highlights the economics of network expansion outside metropolitan areas. While R150 million ($9.1 million) is significant for a single province, the figure raises a broader question on how much infrastructure investment is required to meaningfully close South Africa’s rural connectivity gap. Cuba said the funding will improve network capacity across more than 1,000 existing sites while adding new towers in selected locations. That suggests much of the investment will be directed towards upgrading existing infrastructure rather than building entirely new networks, a faster and more cost-effective approach as operators seek to improve customer experience while controlling capital expenditure. “This will improve customer experience, increase 4G and 5G coverage, and ensure that communities, businesses and public institutions have access to world-class digital connectivity,” stated Cuba. The strategy mirrors a wider industry trend. MTN, Vodacom, Telkom and Rain have all continued investing in 4G and 5G expansion following South Africa’s spectrum auction, using newly acquired frequencies to improve coverage and network speeds. Vodacom has continued expanding its rural 5G footprint, while Telkom has invested in fixed-wireless broadband outside major metros, highlighting how operators are increasingly competing for growth beyond saturated urban markets. For operators, better rural connectivity is becoming a commercial imperative. Improved coverage enables more consumers to stream video, use digital financial services and access cloud-based applications, while businesses in sectors such as mining, agriculture and retail are increasingly dependent on reliable mobile broadband. In North West, a province with significant mining activity and dispersed communities, the economic opportunity extends beyond individual subscribers to enterprise connectivity and digital public services. The investment also strengthens MTN’s position as competition intensifies. As subscriber growth in mature urban markets slows, expanding high-quality connectivity into underserved regions could become one of the industry’s most important competitive differentiators. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Audrey Chanakira believes the best technology begins with listening
A month after uploading BunnyNest Tracker to Apple’s App Store, Audrey Chanakira opened its dashboard expecting little more than confirmation that her brother had downloaded it. Instead, she found strangers. The rabbit farming app she had built in three days was attracting users in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. “I saw people downloading the application,” she recalls. “I wondered where the downloads were coming from.” BunnyNest Tracker was never intended to become a product. Her brother had asked her to recreate a printable PDF he had found online to help him keep track of breeding schedules and rabbit stock. Chanakira, a software engineer, thought software would do the job better. So she built him an iOS application in three days, uploaded it to Apple’s App Store so he could download it while he was abroad, and moved on. The app, created for a single rabbit farmer, quietly found users around the world. That unexpected success came to define Chanakira’s career. “Most people like hype,” she says. “But for me, it’s really laying a foundation and living a legacy that matters.” Long before software became her calling, Chanakira’s first love was football. Growing up in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, as one of three children, she says she was a quiet child who was often bullied because she rarely spoke. Football became an escape. She played for her school’s girls’ football team throughout school, and the confidence she gained on the pitch gradually replaced the shyness that had defined much of her childhood. “I gained popularity as I played football,” she says. “That boosted my confidence.” Computers entered her life not through a classroom but through play. On her uncle’s computer, she spent hours playing FIFA. Before long, she found herself exploring Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Paint, clicking through menus to understand what they could do. By the time she graduated from Christ Ministries High School in Belvedere, Harare, in 2012, studying Information Technology at Harare Polytechnic, one of Zimbabwe’s oldest technical colleges, felt like the natural next step. A move that changed everything After completing her diploma in 2013, Chanakira’s father secured a four-year work contract in Namibia and encouraged her to continue her education there. With Zimbabwe grappling with economic challenges at the time, the decision felt obvious. In 2014, she enrolled at the University of Namibia, a public university in Windhoek, the country’s capital, to study information technology. The university introduced her to what would become her biggest academic challenge: programming. Chanakira had convinced herself that programming was one of those subjects people were either naturally good at or not cut out for. “Programming was like a beast to me,” she says. “I could not just get it.” Eventually, she realised the problem was not programming but her mindset. Rather than avoiding the subject, she spent extra hours studying, watched YouTube tutorials, built small projects and kept practising until the concepts began to click. “I changed my mindset,” she says. “I was like, ‘No, this subject does not have life. I will learn and understand. I think that was one of the most important things that I’ve ever done that still carries me till today.” Outside the classroom, Chanakira immersed herself in Namibia’s growing tech ecosystem. She attended almost every technology event she could find, eager to meet other builders, learn from them, and test her own abilities. “I would always participate in tech events and hackathons,” she says. “But I wouldn’t win, really.” Still, she kept showing up. That persistence paid off in 2017, during her third year at university, when she and four other students entered Namibia’s third Open & Big Data Innovation Hackathon. The team built a prototype for a mobile application that helped parents find nearby schools with available places, addressing one of the country’s common school admission challenges. The prototype won the hackathon and earned the team a meeting with Namibia’s Ministry of Education, which expressed interest in developing the idea further. “It never really went far because sometimes when you have an idea that is like five years ahead, people don’t really take you seriously,” she says. Looking back, Chanakira believes her lack of confidence also prevented the idea from going further. “I wasn’t really confident enough in my ability to produce solutions that make sense,” she says. “I could have started with one school. You never know, it could have been somewhere.” The victory also earned her an internship at Green Enterprise Solutions, a Namibian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company that develops enterprise software and digital products. She joined the company in September 2017 and spent the next seven years growing from a mobile developer into a technical leader. Building technology that matters Green Enterprise gave Chanakira more than her first job. It gave her the freedom to explore. When her supervisor asked whether she wanted to specialise in Android or iOS development, she didn’t hesitate. “I liked iPhones,” she says with a laugh. “It was the chance I had been waiting for.” Over the next few years, she led Green’s iOS team before taking charge of its augmented and virtual reality initiatives in 2021. “I was very curious about new things and how we could use them to improve our services,” she says. One project, in particular, shifted her perspective. Working on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, software that helps organisations manage core business operations, for Namibia’s state-owned oil company, NAMCOR, showed her how software powers critical national infrastructure. Watching oil tankers arrive as digital systems tracked inventories gave her a new appreciation for technology’s scale. “It was eye-opening,” she says. “Technology is everywhere. It serves different purposes.” Then came 2020. Like millions around the world, Chanakira watched businesses struggle under COVID-19 restrictions. Rather than wait for normalcy to return, her team asked a different question: What problem could they solve? The answer was Tap-a-Meal, a food ordering application that connected restaurants with customers during lockdown. As restaurants began receiving orders again, Chanakira saw something much
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South Africa wants more African trade. Stablecoins could help make it happen.
When a South African business pays a supplier in Malawi, the money often takes a detour through the global financial system. Instead of moving directly across the continent, the payment is often routed through correspondent banks and the United States (US) dollar before reaching its destination. It’s a paradox at the heart of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Africa’s flagship trade pact. While the agreement seeks to boost trade across Africa, the continent’s payment infrastructure still reflects an era when African economies traded more with Europe, the United States and Asia than with one another. That disconnect is fuelling renewed interest in stablecoins, led by Nigeria and South Africa, not as speculative crypto assets, but as digital settlement infrastructure that could make cross-border African trade faster, cheaper and more predictable. The shift comes as South Africa continues to trade far more with markets outside the continent than within it. Only about 15% to 18% of South Africa’s trade is with African countries, highlighting how much work remains before AfCFTA can achieve its ambitions. “Payments become the friction that businesses feel every single day,” Ifelade Ayodele, chief executive officer (CEO) of Blaaiz, a cross-border remittance platform, told TechCabal in an interview on Tuesday. “Once goods have crossed the border, invoices still need to be settled, suppliers need to be paid, currencies need to be converted, and liquidity needs to move efficiently. If those processes remain slow, expensive or unpredictable, the commercial benefits of trade are significantly reduced.” According to Ayodele, Africa’s payment infrastructure still reflects a continent built to trade with the rest of the world rather than with itself. For decades, African economies exported commodities to Europe, Asia and the US, so banks, payment networks and settlement systems evolved to support those trade routes. As a result, payments between neighbouring African countries often still pass through correspondent banks and intermediary currencies, usually the US dollar. “The challenge isn’t moving information quickly,” he said. “It’s moving value efficiently across fragmented markets.” That is where stablecoins are beginning to reshape the conversation in Africa. Fintechs such as South Africa’s Onafriq, pan-African stablecoin infrastructure provider Yellow Card and Nigeria’s Flutterwave are increasingly using stablecoins behind the scenes to settle cross-border transactions. The result is that businesses can move money across Africa almost instantly while customers often remain unaware that blockchain technology is powering the payment. “Stablecoins are already being used for cross-border payments and settlements,” Dr. Wiehann Olivier, Partner and Global Co-Head of Digital Assets at Forvis Mazars, a digital assets advisory firm, also told TechCabal on Tuesday. “In many cases, customers aren’t even aware that stablecoins are being used behind the scenes to facilitate their transactions.” Olivier said the attraction lies in dramatically lower costs and near-instant settlement. “A payment from South Africa to Malawi can be converted into a US dollar-backed stablecoin, transferred in seconds, and exchanged for local currency at a fraction of the cost of correspondent banking,” he said. “Stablecoins remove friction from cross-border payments. You are moving from one currency to a stablecoin and then into another currency within seconds.” Neither expert believes stablecoins will replace banks or existing payment infrastructure. Ayodele maintains that the real opportunity is interoperability, not speed. He stated that businesses trading across Africa still contend with fragmented banking systems, multiple currencies and disconnected payment rails, making cross-border commerce slower and more expensive than it should be. Connecting those systems would reduce settlement costs, free up working capital and make it easier for businesses to trade across the continent. “The bigger opportunity is improving interoperability between financial systems,” he said, “reducing reliance on intermediary currencies where appropriate, enabling more efficient liquidity management, and giving businesses greater transparency and predictability when moving money across borders.” Olivier agreed that stablecoins are another settlement layer rather than an alternative financial system. “The biggest remaining challenge is interoperability,” he said. “Stablecoins offer an efficient settlement layer that can connect fragmented payment ecosystems.” The big obstacle, however, may not be technology but regulation. While South Africa has introduced a regulatory framework for crypto asset service providers, several African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Mauritius, are following suit. Olivier believes exchange control laws, not crypto regulations, remain the biggest barrier to wider adoption. “The bigger challenge lies beyond crypto regulation,” he said. “It lies in exchange control legislation.” Both Ayodele and Olivier agree that AfCFTA’s success will depend as much on how money moves as how goods move. Stablecoins may not replace banks, but they could become the invisible infrastructure that finally makes African trade feel truly borderless. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Rank launches community finance products to expand access to capital
Rank, the Nigerian fintech formerly known as Moni, has launched three community-powered financial products, betting that digitising Africa’s traditional savings groups can provide a new route to zero-interest capital for individuals and small businesses. Starting in Nigeria, the company unveiled Money Circles, a digital version of rotating savings groups; Tribe, which enables existing communities to manage shared finances; and Rank Perks, a payroll product offering salary-backed credit and workplace savings circles. The launch targets a persistent financing gap in Nigeria, where only 4% of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have access to formal bank loans. Rank is betting that digitising community-based finance can widen access to capital for entrepreneurs and workers who remain underserved by traditional lenders. The launch comes eight months after Rank acquired group savings platform AjoMoney and Zazzau Microfinance Bank, now known as Rank Microfinance Bank. The acquisitions gave the company a regulated banking licence and strengthened its push beyond credit into savings, payments, and wealth management products centred on collective finance. The company said it has paid out more than $100 million to users across various communities in the past year. “For generations, Africans have relied on communal financial structures to build wealth and acquire assets,” said Femi Iromini, CEO and co-founder of Rank. “We are bringing these trusted traditions into the modern age by layering cutting-edge technology, solving structural trust issues and turning collective financial habits into a modern, institutional-grade engine for generational wealth.” Money Circles, one of its flagship products, digitises rotating savings schemes such as ajo, esusu, and other rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs). According to the company, users can join a savings circle, contribute monthly, and receive a lump-sum payout when it is their turn. Rank noted that it charges a fixed service fee based on when a user receives their payout and guarantees payouts even if another member defaults. The second product, Tribe, is aimed at existing communities such as families, friends, colleagues, and cooperatives. Rank said the product enables groups to manage rotating contributions and shared financial goals in one place while tracking every contribution and payout in real time. Rank Perks, the last of the product launches, extends financial access into payroll. It allows employers to offer their staff salary-backed credit and company-wide savings circles, with repayments and contributions deducted automatically from monthly salaries. Rank added that it introduced new features alongside the product launches, including everyday bank accounts, digital payment handles, and flexible and fixed savings options. The company enters a competitive consumer finance market with players such as PiggyVest, Cowrywise, and other digital savings and wealth management platforms. However, its new products are community-focused, while other players focus on helping individuals save or invest. With these new products, Rank is attempting to digitise the informal savings systems that predated the rise of fintechs in the ecosystem. “By combining our cultural heritage with digital-first security, we are giving young Africans the collective leverage they need to outpace inflation and securely build long-term equity,” Iromini said. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
Read MoreSASSA August 2026 payment dates: Full schedule, grant amounts and SRD
Table of contents SASSA payment dates for August 2026 Why some people get paid on August 7 SRD R370 payment dates for August 2026 SASSA grant amounts for August 2026 Does National Women’s Day affect payments? How to collect your grant What to do if your money does not arrive Watch out for scams FAQs The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed its grant payment schedule for August 2026, with millions of beneficiaries set to receive their monthly grants during the first week of the month. SASSA will pay the Older Persons Grant on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Disability Grant on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, and Children’s grants on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Friday, August 7, 2026, has been set aside for beneficiaries undergoing grant reviews or eLife Certification, while the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R370 grant will follow a separate payment schedule later in the month. The payment dates are based on the official 2026/27 grant payment calendar published by the Department of Social Development and approved by the National Treasury. Here’s what each payment date means, how much beneficiaries will receive, and what to do if your grant is delayed. SASSA payment dates for August 2026 Grant-in-Aid is paid together with the main grant it is attached to, so it lands on the same day as your Older Persons, Disability, or War Veterans payment. Some websites claim the Older Persons Grant pays on Monday, August 3. That is false. SASSA never pays grants on a Monday, on the first day of the month, or over a weekend. The official date is Tuesday, August 4. Your money stays in your account once it is paid. You do not have to withdraw it on the payment date; waiting a day or two can help you avoid the longest queues. Why some people get paid on August 7 Friday, 7 August is a review day rather than a general payday. It only applies to you if SASSA has flagged your grant for a review or eLife Certification, which is the process the agency uses to confirm beneficiaries are still alive and still qualify. SASSA National Spokesperson Dr Paseka Letsatsi explained that the agency sends bulk SMS notifications to affected beneficiaries before moving their payment to the fourth day. If your money did not arrive on your usual date, check your messages before you panic. If you have been flagged, here is what you need to do: Visit your nearest SASSA office as soon as possible. Take your South African ID and any documents listed in the SMS. Complete the review or eLife Certification with the officials there. Keep your phone number and home address up to date with SASSA so future notices reach you. Skipping the review has consequences. SASSA can suspend your grant in the next payment cycle, and if the issue stays unresolved, the grant can be canceled. The agency has stepped up these checks, with more than 291,000 beneficiaries identified for review and over 34,600 grants canceled by December 2025, according to figures from the 2026 Budget. SRD R370 payment dates for August 2026 The SRD R370 grant does not follow the early month schedule. SASSA processes it in rolling batches during the final week of the month, expected to run from around 24 August to month-end. Your exact payday depends on your batch and your payment method. SASSA does not publish a single fixed SRD date for everyone, so the only date that matters is the one on your profile. Here is how to check it: Visit srd.sassa.gov.za and enter your 13-digit ID number and registered phone number. Message the official SASSA WhatsApp line on 082 046 8553. Dial the USSD code *134*7737# from your registered number. Call the toll-free line on 0800 60 10 11. Bank account payments usually reflect within one to three business days after your batch runs. If you collect at Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Boxer, or Checkers, wait for the confirmation SMS before traveling to the store. The SRD amount stays at R370 monthly. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed in the 2026 Budget that the grant will remain at R370 until March 31, 2027, with no increase this year. SASSA grant amounts for August 2026 The amounts below took effect on 1 April 2026 for the 2026/2027 financial year. The increases apply automatically, so you do not need to reapply. Does National Women’s Day affect payments? National Women’s Day falls on Sunday, August 9, 2026, so the public holiday is observed on Monday, August 10. Your payments are safe either way. The main grant dates fall before the holiday, and the SRD batch runs after it, so neither cycle is affected. Expect longer queues at ATMs, stores, and Post Office branches around the long weekend. If you can, withdraw before Friday, August 7, or wait until the following week. How to collect your grant You can receive your grant through your bank account, withdraw it at any ATM, or collect it at retail pay points inside Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Boxer, and Checkers. If you still use the old SASSA Gold Card, you have until August 31, 2026 to swap it for the new Postbank Black Card. Postbank has said the deadline will not be extended, and Gold Cards stop working after that date. Around 600,000 beneficiaries had not yet switched when the final replacement drive began in April. Swapping the card is free and quick: Go to a Postbank service point inside Shoprite, Checkers, Usave, Pick n Pay, Boxer, or Spar. Take your ID. You do not need to fill in any forms or visit a SASSA office. Your balance moves across automatically, and the new card works immediately. Check the card says Postbank on the front. Anything else is a scam. What to do if your money does not arrive A missing payment does not mean your grant has been canceled. Work through these steps first: Confirm your grant type’s payment date has actually passed.
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What you should know about the Infinix HOT 70 Pro
Table of contents Release date Price Full detailed specs Infinix HOT 70 Pro vs the HOT 70 Where you can buy it Infinix has launched the HOT 70 Pro, an upgraded version of the HOT 70 released earlier this year. The new phone brings 5G, a faster chipset, and a screen that changes color depending on the temperature. If you want to know when it launched, what it costs, and everything it can do, this guide covers it all. Release date Infinix unveiled the HOT 70 Pro on July 16, 2026, through an official release from Hong Kong. The phone is already available in Nigeria, as Infinix announced nationwide availability on the same day as the global launch. The rollout is tied to the brand’s “Be Seen. Be Hot.” campaign, fronted by music star Qing Madi. In Kenya, retailers such as Phone Place Kenya, Gadgets Leo and Phones Store Kenya already have the phone in stock. If you’re in India, you may have to wait a bit longer. Beebom reports the phone is likely to arrive in India by the end of July 2026, though Infinix has not confirmed an exact date. The Philippines launch date also remains unclear, as outlets there say pricing and rollout details are still coming. Price Infinix has not announced an official price for the HOT 70 Pro in any market yet, including Nigeria. The official release simply states that price and availability vary by market and sales channel, and directs buyers to check the Infinix website for updates. A few price points have surfaced, but you should treat them with caution: In Nigeria, a Jumia marketplace seller listed the phone at ₦484,000, though this is not an official Infinix price. Some blogs list figures like ₦399,000 and ₦479,900, but these numbers come from pages with other spec errors, so they are not reliable. In Kenya, prices are more consistent. Phone Place Kenya has it at KES 36,500, Phones Store Kenya at KES 37,999, and Gadgets Leo at KES 35,999 for the 8GB/256GB version, which works out to roughly $280. In Europe, one outlet mentioned a price around €220, though UK and US prices are still unconfirmed. Infinix’s decision to hold back on a single global price is linked to the ongoing memory chip shortage driven by AI data center demand, which has pushed up DRAM and NAND costs worldwide. We’ll update this page once Infinix or an authorized retailer confirms an official Nigerian price. Full detailed specs 1. Chipset and performance The HOT 70 Pro runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7100, a 6nm chip built for 5G. Infinix says it supports gaming at up to 90 frames per second. It pairs with a Mali-G610 GPU, and RAM options range from 4GB up to 8GB, with an extra 8GB of virtual RAM available on top. Storage comes in 128GB or 256 GB capacities. 2. Display You get a 6.76-inch FHD+ LCD screen with a refresh rate that adapts up to 144Hz. Touch sampling runs at 240Hz, and brightness can reach 950 nits. Keep in mind this is an LCD panel, not AMOLED. 3. Battery and charging Depending on your market, the phone ships with either a 6,000mAh single-cell battery or a 5,600mAh dual-cell battery. Both support 45W fast charging and up to 10W reverse wired charging. Infinix says the 6,000mAh version charges fully in about 63 minutes, while the 5,600mAh version takes around 53 minutes. 4. Cameras The main camera is a 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor with 2x lossless zoom. For the front camera, there’s some conflicting information. Infinix’s official specs list an 8MP front camera, but some Kenyan retailers advertise a 13MP selfie camera. Since Infinix hasn’t clarified this, treat it as something that may vary by market. 5. Design and build The HOT 70 Pro comes in six finishes. Thermo Orange changes color with temperature, Mirage Green glows like a starry sky when exposed to light, Silk Glow Purple has a nano-crystal texture, and Depth Ring White creates a 3D floating effect. If you prefer something more classic, Night Pulse and Dive Blue are also available. The phone weighs 205 grams. Thickness ranges from 7.85mm on the Thermo Orange, Dive Blue and Night Pulse versions, to 7.95mm on the other three. 6. Software and AI features The phone comes with a One-Tap AI Button on the side. A short press opens AI FlashMemo, which reads what’s on your screen and suggests useful actions, like adding an event to your calendar or saving a contact. A long press brings up Folax AI, which gives you access to multiple AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini. Other features include: Active Matrix Cube, an LED display built into the camera housing that shows alerts, lets you play mini-games, and lets you draw and share pixel art. Pure Voice, which filters out background noise during calls. UltraLink, which lets you communicate over Bluetooth for up to 1.5km when there’s no cellular signal. XGuard, for extra privacy and app protection. The phone runs Android 16 with XOS 16 on top. Infinix promises up to 3 major OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches, though this applies only to models with 6GB of RAM or more. 7. Connectivity and durability Image source: Fisayo Fosudo on YouTube You get 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and dual-SIM support. The phone also carries IP68 water and dust resistance, rated for up to 2 meters underwater for 30 minutes, along with MIL-STD-810 durability certification. Infinix HOT 70 Pro vs the HOT 70 Here’s how the Pro model stacks up against the standard HOT 70 it’s replacing at the top of the lineup: The standard HOT 70 is sold in Nigeria for ₦189,900 (128GB) and ₦299,900 (256GB). Infinix has not yet published an equivalent Nigerian price for the Pro model. Where you can buy it In Nigeria, the HOT 70 Pro is available through authorized Infinix retail stores and online platforms like Jumia and Konga. You can also check the official Infinix
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Francophone Africa’s smallest shops could become its biggest business opportunity
21 juillet 2026 Hello , Welcome back to Francophone Weekly by TechCabal, your weekly deep dive into the tech ecosystem across French-speaking Africa. For readers who want to understand Francophone Africa beyond headlines—through markets, startups, and systems. New editions of the newsletter will land directly in your inbox every Tuesday at 12 PM WAT. By default, this newsletter is in French. If you’re reading this in your email inbox, click the “Read in English” button below to switch to the English version. If you’re reading on our website, you can either click the button below or toggle the language selector at the top right-hand side of the page to view the English edition. Read in English Le secteur de la distribution informelle en Afrique n’est pas un problème à résoudre ; c’est un marché à conquérir. Nulle part cela n’est plus évident qu’en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone, où la boutique de quartier, l’épicerie du coin et l’étal de marché constituent le canal dominant par lequel des centaines de millions de personnes accèdent chaque jour aux biens de grande consommation essentiels. Une nouvelle génération d’entreprises de commerce électronique business-to-business (B2B) et de distribution parie que la numérisation de cet écosystème est l’une des opportunités commerciales les plus durables du continent. Les preuves, jusqu’ici, sont convaincantes — même si le chemin n’a pas été de tout repos. Entrons dans le vif du sujet. 1. Un marché qui se cache à la vue de tous Source de l’image : Retail Brief Africa. Le marché de consommation africain était estimé à environ 1 400 milliards de dollars en 2015 et devrait atteindre 2 500 milliards de dollars d’ici 2030, la majorité de ces dépenses continuant de transiter par des canaux de distribution informels tels que les marchés à ciel ouvert, les kiosques et les petites boutiques de quartier. Le canal informel concentre jusqu’à 90 % des transactions de biens de consommation sur le continent — et en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone, cette proportion est encore plus marquée : entre 80 et 95 % des transactions commerciales de la région se déroulent encore dans des circuits informels. L’Afrique de l’Ouest francophone est un marché régional de taille intermédiaire à l’échelle du continent, mais qui surperforme nettement au regard de ses fondamentaux. La Côte d’Ivoire contribue à elle seule à près de 40 % du produit intérieur brut (PIB) de l’Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine (UEMOA) et affiche une croissance proche de 6 % depuis plus d’une décennie, faisant d’Abidjan sa plus grande ville et son centre économique, le siège régional de référence pour les multinationales et les investisseurs. L’ensemble du bloc UEMOA a enregistré une croissance de 6,3 % en 2024 et devrait se maintenir au-dessus de 6 % en 2025 et 2026, selon les estimations du Fonds Monétaire International (FMI) et de la Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO), surpassant la moyenne continentale d’environ 3,8 %. Le Sénégal, porté par le port de Dakar et son positionnement stratégique de carrefour commercial de l’UEMOA, s’impose comme un pôle complémentaire. Ces vents macroéconomiques favorables rendent la numérisation des chaînes d’approvisionnement de plus en plus viable commercialement. Par rapport aux autres sous-régions africaines, l’Afrique de l’Ouest francophone accuse un retard face à l’Afrique de l’Est (dominée par le Kenya) et à l’Afrique de l’Ouest anglophone (dominée par le Nigeria) en matière de capital-risque investi dans ce secteur. Si les startups de tech de distribution, en particulier les acteurs B2B, ont levé plus d’1,07 milliard de dollars entre 2019 et 2025, une grande partie de ces financements est allée de manière prédominante vers des plateformes égyptiennes et kenyanes comme Wasoko, MaxAB et feu Copia Global. Toutefois, la région francophone suscite une attention croissante précisément parce qu’elle reste sous-pénétrée : les avantages du premier entrant y sont encore accessibles, la concurrence demeure naissante, et le franc CFA — arrimé à l’euro — offre une stabilité monétaire que les investisseurs exposés au naira ou au cedi ne peuvent pas tenir pour acquise. À l’échelle mondiale, le modèle de numérisation du commerce de détail informel B2B a émergé en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est — Udaan en Inde,Wahyoo en Indonésie — avant de s’implanter en Afrique à partir de 2018 environ. L’opportunité africaine se distingue de manière structurelle : la densité de très petits détaillants, les contraintes aiguës en matière de fonds de roulement, des réseaux de distribution fragmentés et peu transparents, et le mobile money comme rail de paiement prêt à l’emploi, créent un environnement opérationnel singulier. Ces obstacles ne sont pas propres aux marchés francophones, mais ils y sont amplifiés dans une région où l’infrastructure numérique est encore en construction. Il convient toutefois de souligner qu’il n’existe pas de données de marché sous-régionales précises et documentées publiquement pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest francophone spécifiquement. La recherche sectorielle agrège généralement au niveau continental ou national (Nigeria, Afrique du Sud, Égypte). Pour cet article, les données africaines sur les biens de grande consommation (FMCG) au sens large et les indicateurs macroéconomiques de l’UEMOA ont été utilisés comme proxys d’analyse. Les spécificités du marché francophone Plusieurs caractéristiques structurelles distinguent la distribution FMCG B2B en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone des autres contextes régionaux. La langue est la première d’entre elles. La majorité des logiciels d’entreprise, des plateformes logistiques et des systèmes de planification des ressources d’entreprise (ERP) déployés sur le continent ont été conçus en anglais. Servir les détaillants ivoiriens, sénégalais ou maliens — ainsi que les agents et équipes commerciales terrain qui les accompagnent — exige a minima des interfaces, un support client et une documentation en français. Cela réduit sensiblement le champ concurrentiel et protège efficacement les acteurs locaux d’une réplication facile par des concurrents est-africains ou sud-africains. L’effet est encore plus décisif quand les services sont disponibles dans les langues transfrontalières réellement utilisées au quotidien, comme le peul ou les langues mandé telles que le bambara et le dioula. L’architecture de distribution est également distinctive. Contrairement au Nigeria, où le commerce moderne de grande surface a
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