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  • December 11 2023

ChipperCash lays off employees again 

In partnership with Share this newsletter: Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning  Chipper Cash, the African fintech startup backed by FTX and Silicon Valley Bank, has laid off 15 people across various departments. This is its fourth round of layoffs in the past year. Read about it here. Speaking about layoffs, our Insights team is doing some research on the impact of layoffs in the African tech ecosystem. If you are a founder, please take a minute to fill out this form. In today’s edition Tether freezes 41 wallets Twelve Kenyan edtech startups get $ 1.2 million funding Meta launches image generator TC Insights: Africa’s cybersecurity crisis The World Wide Web3 Opportunities Cryptocurrency Tether freezes 41 wallets Image source: Zikoko Memes On Saturday, stablecoin issuer Tether announced the implementation of a voluntary wallet-freezing policy. Tether has frozen 41 wallets controlled by individuals the United States has sanctioned since December 1, per TheNewsCrypto. These individuals were suspected of engaging in cryptocurrency transactions related to illicit activities, despite no directive from government authorities. This marks a reversal from the company’s previous stance, where it refrained from freezing addresses unless explicitly instructed by authorities. But why the change? In the US, regulators have been cracking down on crypto businesses, citing concerns that the technology facilitates fraud, scams, and the financing of illicit activities. In its blog post, Tether says that this new policy is a proactive measure that will foster closer collaboration with regulators and law enforcement agencies. What kind of illicit activities? From 2019 onward, shady characters and individuals with ill intentions have managed to wash around $7 billion in cryptocurrency using Tornado Cash, a technology that allows users to anonymously transfer cryptocurrency on the blockchain. Notably, one of the wallets frozen by Tether is linked to the $625 million Ronin Bridge attack, attributed by the US Treasury Department to the North Korean hacking group, Lazarus Group. To curb cryptocurrency transactions associated activities such as terrorist financing and illicit fentanyl trafficking, the US Department of the Treasury has adopted the use of a Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. This list comprises individuals and companies owned or controlled by sanctioned nations. The 41 wallets frozen by Tether are included in this SDN list. Access payments with Moniepoint Moniepoint has made it simple for your business to access payments while providing access to credit and other business tools. Open an account today here. AI Meta launches image generator Image source: Zikoko Memes Remember we told you that Meta was allowing users to generate images in group chats with the “/imagine” prompt? Well, last week, the company released the website version of its AI image generator named “Imagine with Meta AI”, trained on a staggering 1.1 billion photos posted by users of Facebook and Instagram. It enables users generate images using text promptS, just like Open AI’s Dall-E, and it is free to use. The generator is fuelled by Meta’s Emu, the image foundation model, and anyone with a Facebook or Instagram account can use it. Hold up, they used users’ photos? Yees! A whopping 1.1 billion pics pulled from the public archives of Meta’s platforms. To those concerned about privacy, Meta insists they’ve excluded private posts and messages and sifted out any private info from the data used for training. But who really owns the images created with the generator? Meta doesn’t snag the copyright, but they do claim a buffet of rights: a “non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide licence” to do a whole host of things with these AI-spun images. Yet this adds another layer to the ongoing battle between artists and content creators who feel their work is being gobbled up without permission. Meta recently admitted that artists on its platforms can’t opt out of having their creations slurped up for AI training data. Introducing Discount Codes Accept online payments on your Zoho Commerce store with Paystack. Get started here → Funding Twelve Kenyan edtech startups get $ 1.2 million funding Image source: Zikoko Memes Twelve Kenyan edtech startups have secured KSh183.5 million ($ 1.2 million) through the Edtech Fellowship Programme by MasterCard Foundation and iHub. Each of the firms will take home $100,000 (KSh15.4 million) to scale up their enterprises over the next three years. The 12 edtech startups were a part of a six-month acceleration programme organised by Mastercard Foundation and iHub. Per The Star, the programme which was first announced in February this year offered them support around products, talents, and distribution. Which startups were involved? The 12 startups include FunKE Science, LoHo Learning, Angaza Elimu, Snapplify, Arifu, Easy Elimu, Elewa, Kidato, Ntemata, Silabu, Smart Brains Kenya, and Virtual Essence. MasterCard Foundation expects the startups and their services to reach at least two million learners by 2026. Before now, MasterCard Foundation has rolled out two such programmes to support the scaling of educational services in South Africa through edtech accelerator Injini, and Nigeria through Co-Creation Hub. How do Nigerians save and spend? Did you know that 64% of Nigerians save a portion of their monthly income? Read PiggyVest’s first-ever savings report to see more about how Nigerians save and spend here. TC Insights Africa’s cybersecurity crisis Africa’s growing digital economy depends on digital tools like bank apps, e-commerce apps, and streaming platforms. However, this shift from physical to virtual comes with significant risks, including a rise in cybercrime. In 2022, internet users in Africa grew by 8.4%, reaching 570 million, yet cyber attacks have also increased. According to the African Union, cybercrime has been on the rise in Africa, particularly in financial fraud and identity theft. A recent report by Checkpoint revealed that organisations worldwide experienced an average of 1,983 weekly cyberattacks in the first quarter of 2023. Image source: TechCabal Insights Africa now grapples with a worsening cybersecurity crisis, with approximately 90% of African businesses operating without cybersecurity protocols in place, making them vulnerable to cyber threats, such as hacking, phishing, and malware attacks. Interpol’s new Africa Cybersecurity Assessment Report further revealed an increase

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