Nigeria now Airtel Africa’s second-largest market by revenue per subscriber
Nigeria is now Airtel Africa’s second-biggest market by revenue earned from each subscriber, as higher telecom tariffs boosted earnings in the company’s largest African market. Airtel Africa, which operates in 14 countries, grew its average revenue per user (ARPU) in Nigeria by 41.18% for the financial year ended March 2026, according to the company’s financial results released on Friday. ARPU measures how much telecom operators earn per subscriber and is a key indicator of whether revenue is sufficient to cover operating costs and fund network investments. Money The ARPU Gap: Value vs. Velocity Francophone Africa still extracts the most revenue per user, but Nigeria’s recent 50% tariff hike has triggered explosive year-over-year growth. Source: Airtel Africa plc FY’26 Financial Results. Bar length represents actual Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). Badges represent YoY growth.
Read MoreOpera-backed stablecoin app MiniPay rides Africa demand to 15 million wallets
MiniPay, the Opera-backed stablecoin wallet and payments app that operates in seven African markets, has crossed 15 million activated wallets, more than double from the previous year. The 123% year-on-year jump extends the app’s growth after it crossed 13 million wallets by the end of 2025, according to Opera’s Q1 2026 report. Launched in Nigeria in September 2023 as part of the Opera Mini browser before becoming a standalone app last year, MiniPay has emerged as one of the most widely used stablecoin payment products focused on emerging markets, with the majority of its users in Africa, according to Opera. It underscores how Africa has become one of the world’s most active testing grounds for crypto payments and dollar savings products. Apps like MiniPay, Bitget Wallet, and UglyCash are betting that users in countries with volatile currencies and costly banking infrastructure will embrace dollar-denominated digital money for everyday use. “MiniPay launched first in Nigeria in 2023 and expanded first across Kenya and other key African markets before going global in 2025,” Murray Spark, Senior Director Business Development at Opera, told TechCabal in an email response on Tuesday. “We don’t go into country-level detail, but it’s fair to say our earliest markets in Sub-Saharan Africa are where we’re seeing the most traction. This reflects where our most engaged users are, and we expect the geographic mix to evolve as we expand.” Opera reported that MiniPay users completed 290 million peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions worth over $300 million by the third quarter of 2025. That figure climbed to 360 million completed transactions by year-end. Opera declined to disclose average transaction sizes for MiniPay, but said activity on the app is concentrated around “everyday financial activities that traditional banking infrastructure either ignores or makes too expensive to bother with,” including peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers, airtime and data purchases, bill purchases, merchant payments, and universal basic income (UBI) disbursements. The app runs on the Celo blockchain and is heavily centred on USDT, the dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by El Salvador-based firm Tether. According to Spark, USDT remains “by far the dominant asset” held in MiniPay wallets and is primarily used for everyday transactions. Opera is also leaning into tokenised gold products—digital assets backed by physical gold—as a savings tool for users in emerging markets. “On-chain data shows that over 91% of XAUT0 holders [holders of Tether Gold, a digital product that tracks the price of gold] are on Celo. Virtually all of those are MiniPay wallets,” Spark said. “What that means is that MiniPay has become the single largest platform for Tether Gold holders in the world.” While MiniPay’s growth has become prominent in Opera’s shareholder communications, the Oslo-based company has yet to disclose revenue generated directly from the wallet business. Opera said its primary revenue drivers remain advertising and search, while describing MiniPay as part of its “broader ecosystem.” In recent earnings reports, Opera has increasingly highlighted MiniPay alongside its AI browser ambitions, framing the wallet as a strategic product for emerging markets. In its Q4 2025 earnings released in February, CEO Lin Song said Opera’s partnership with Tether, the Salvador-based issuer of the USDT stablecoin and Tether Gold, was helping provide “seamless financial access and innovative digital utility to emerging markets globally.” MiniPay’s expansion is also moving beyond Africa. In November 2025, Opera rolled out a “Pay Like a Local” feature in Latin America that allows users to spend stablecoin balances directly through Mercado Pago and Brazil’s PIX payment system. Opera said it already supports bank and mobile money integrations across Africa and plans to continue expanding local payment rails as adoption grows. To deepen engagement, MiniPay offers incentives such as daily login rewards, crypto-earning games, and miniapps, and is also planning to launch virtual cards.
Read More
WayaWaya founder Teddy Ogallo lived a sheltered life, then had to rebuild everything
By the time Teddy Ogallo sits down at Artcaffe Westgate Mall in Nairobi’s Westlands, he already has a mental list running. Not talking points for this interview, but customer problems, things that broke overnight, features that need reworking, small frictions that, if fixed, might bring him the next hundred users. He orders a latte. I go for Kenyan tea, non-spiced. He’s present, but you can tell his mind is never far from the build. Ask him who he is—especially on days he’s tired of the startup label—and he doesn’t hesitate. “I’m a builder,” he says. It comes out effortlessly during our chat, as if it’s almost a default setting, something that predates his journey at WayaWaya, a Kenyan startup that provides conversational banking tools via WhatsApp and mobile apps. He traces it back to his childhood in the barracks in Eldoret—a city in Western Kenya—a contained, almost ideal world. Good housing, a supermarket, a hospital, a proper school, everything in place, little reason to step outside. “You had no reason to leave,” he says. Then, at 17, that world fell apart. His father lost his job, and the transition into what he calls “real-life Kenya” was abrupt. Suddenly, the cushioning was gone, replaced by scarcity, but with awareness of how most people actually live and get by. That contrast—comfort, then lack—sits beneath how he sees things now. It shows up in how he talks about systems that don’t work, about people forced to find their own way around them, and about why he builds at all. He tells me he doesn’t just want to solve problems, but leave a legacy that holds up under pressure. Our conversation moves between those personal aspirations and what it takes to build something that lasts. For Ogallo, the two are not separate. They rarely are. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How do you usually introduce yourself when you’re tired of talking about startups? I know it’s cliché, but I’m a builder. I’ve always been a builder since I was four years old—building drones, building things. I’m an innovator and a builder. I’ve always been that character who thinks differently. I started building, then I started asking myself: How do I create value out of everything I’ve built? That’s why my entrepreneurship journey started very, very early in life. Because I’m this innovative builder, looking at problems, thinking of solutions, and actually building a workable solution. If we weren’t doing this interview over coffee, where would you rather be right now? I have this list. I usually make a list of customer requests and customer feedback. I’m a tech founder, so I’m involved with the daily build, finding solutions. So I plan how to solve this list of problems for our customers, then plan to iterate on that process and use it to get even more customers. I’d be scaling and maintaining the customers we’ve already set up on our platform. What’s been your most recent small win that had nothing to do with WayaWaya? When you’re an entrepreneur, the startup becomes your life. Everything else is peripheral. I finished a small build project. Once I’m successful with WayaWaya, I’ll be able to build something bigger. I’ve been building a prototype of that technology solution, more hardware-oriented. I finished a prototype, and it worked. It’s at that point where you start thinking of getting a Chinese company to print the boards. That’s a success. What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the last year? I used to believe in changing people, changing mindsets. But I’ve gotten tough lessons. Human beings, by the time someone has become an adult, have these rigid frames they live inside. You can’t really change those fundamental bits, character, aspiration. Those are the basics that most people can’t change. That’s why in business, you have to develop a skill. Even as a founder, when you’re looking for team members, you look at their motivations, the things that drive them. Those are usually very hard to change in an adult. I spent a significant part of my life trying to change that in people. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks… Exactly. That’s something I’ve learned. Teddy Ogallo at a past Housing Finance event. Image source: WayaWaya Where did you grow up? What did it teach you about money, trust, and financial systems? I was born in Eldoret [Western Kenya], in a sheltered setup. My dad was in the military, posted at one of the best-built barracks in Kenya, a flagship. This barracks had a supermarket, a good hospital, and a really good school. You had no reason to leave. Bungalows. Everyone had their own room. Perfect, sheltered life. We only ventured out once every two months to town. Eldoret has more cushioning, more civil servant jobs, and more middle class than comparable towns. We didn’t know some of the struggles Kenyans go through. Then life happened. My dad lost his job. We had to move when I was about 17. That was my welcome to real-life Kenya. I saw people buy milk in plastic containers; there was poverty. And then there was that drive. You could see people really pushing to escape that place. So, I’m a teenager, the firstborn, wanting to pull my entire family out of that. That’s where I saw Kenyan resilience. Put a typical Kenyan in a tough situation, and you get stories of guys who started in places like Kawangware and are now somewhere out there in the world. Kenyans just don’t settle. That contrast—shelter to crash course—taught me Kenyans are resilient and aggressive by nature. On financial systems: at that point, the system was not built for the reality on the ground. We have one of the highest poverty rates—even as a middle-income country, our poverty rate is higher than most neighbors. Our financial system is built for the ministers. That’s why micro-lending apps are prospering in Kenya. I discovered quickly how it was built to fail. That’s
Read MorePaga enters crypto through partnership with blockchain network Sui
Paga, one of Africa’s oldest fintechs, has partnered with Sui, the blockchain network built by US-based Mysten Labs, as it pushes into crypto payments, stablecoin yields, and asset tokenisation. The partnership was announced at the Sui Live event in Miami, the United States, on Thursday. It marks Paga’s first formal move into crypto since Tayo Oviosu transitioned to Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in April. Oviosu said the partnership will help Paga build financial rails that help Africans hedge against currency instability that erodes wealth, unlock opportunity in global commerce, fix cross-border payments, and expand access to alternative financial products. “These are the walls of the cage, and until we tear them down, financial freedom on this continent is incomplete,” Oviosu said during a presentation at Sui Live. “Tearing down these walls is not a job we can do on our own; it requires the right rails, the right partner, the right technology that is fast enough, cheap enough and global enough to serve 1 billion people. We found that partner—Paga and Sui.” The partnership will cover four things: high-yield USD accounts backed by USDsui, Sui’s newly launched dollar stablecoin; crypto on-ramps and off-ramps across Paga’s markets; tokenised real-world assets (RWAs), including real estate, bonds, and solar projects; and cross-border payment rails for businesses and consumers. Paga users could soon hold a dollar account that earns interest automatically, convert between local currency and crypto without friction, invest in assets like property or green energy projects that were previously out of reach, and send or receive money across borders as easily and cheaply as sending an email, said Oviosu. Paga’s move comes as African fintechs increasingly explore crypto and digital currency infrastructure for payments, settlement, and treasury operations. In October 2025, Flutterwave partnered with blockchain firm Polygon to build out its stablecoin payment infrastructure. Stripe-owned Paystack reorganised into The Stack Group (TSG) in January to deepen research in emerging technologies within fintech. Both companies were admitted into the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) anti-money laundering supervisory programme for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) on March 31. “57% of African adults don’t have a bank account,” Oviosu said. “When people hear that number, they see a problem. I see something different; I see an Africa that is the single largest financial greenfield market in the world, and that is the opportunity we’re going after.” Paga currently processes $1.5 billion in monthly payments. In 2025, it processed $11 billion from 169 million transactions, Oviosu said. Since its founding in 2009, the company has processed $42 billion in total payment volume (TPV) from 653 million transactions, a scale that gives the Sui partnership immediate reach rather than a standing start. “$42 billion are school fees paid, salaries received, grandmother receiving money from her son in the city, instantly, safely, and at a fraction of the cost of what it used to [be],” Oviosu said. “This is what the infrastructure was built for and we’re just getting started.” Sui launched USDsui, a US dollar-backed stablecoin, on its network on Monday, entering a stablecoin market dominated by Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC. Unlike those two stablecoins, USDsui is yield-bearing, allowing users to earn interest by holding the digital dollar in their accounts, putting it in competition with similar products such as DAI. The launch marks the second currency developed within the Sui ecosystem after the blockchain introduced its native SUI token in 2023. Blockchain networks often create native tokens to drive adoption and utility across payments, lending, and decentralised application ecosystems. Bridge, the US crypto infrastructure firm Stripe acquired for $1.1 billion in 2025, will issue the USDsui stablecoin on the Sui blockchain.
Read MoreSafaricom is pushing M-PESA deeper into Kenya’s retail investing market
Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecom operator, is expanding M-PESA’s presence in retail investing after assets in its money market fund more than doubled. Assets under management in Ziidi fund sold through M-PESA more than doubled to KES 18.7 billion ($145 million) in the year ended March 2026. Total wealth assets on the platform rose to KES 21 billion ($162 million), according to results released on Thursday. The expansion pushes Safaricom deeper into businesses long dominated by banks, fund managers, and brokerage firms. After building Kenya’s largest mobile payments platform, the company is now trying to keep more of its customers’ savings, investments, and financial activity within M-PESA. In February, Safaricom launched Ziidi Trader, a new service that allows customers to buy and sell listed securities on their mobile phones, further extending M-PESA into retail investing. The expansion points to M-PESA’s move from a transaction platform to a broader financial services business. Kenya’s mobile money market is already mature, with person-to-person transfers and merchant payments deeply embedded in daily commerce. M-PESA processed KES 41.7 trillion ($323 billion) in transactions during the year and now serves nearly 41 million active users across payments, transfers, and merchant services M-PESA revenue rose 13.4% to KES 182.7 billion ($1.41 billion) during the year, accounting for 45.6% of Safaricom Kenya’s service revenue, up from 44.2% a year earlier. Transaction volumes rose 25.1% to 46.4 billion, while transaction values increased 8.9% to KES 41.7 trillion ($323 billion). The strategy also signals a shift in financial habits among younger consumers, many of whom are increasingly saving, borrowing, and investing through mobile platforms rather than bank branches. Retail investing in Kenya remains limited, with access largely restricted to institutional and wealthier investors, leaving room for platforms with mass distribution and low entry barriers. Safaricom’s scale gives it an advantage few financial institutions can match. Merchant numbers on M-PESA rose 71% to 3.1 million, helped by growth in Pochi la Biashara, a payment product targeting small businesses and informal traders. Safaricom said it plans to introduce more savings, investment, insurance, and international money transfer services in the coming financial year, increasing pressure on Kenyan banks already competing with M-PESA for deposits, payments, and consumer lending. “In FY27, we will accelerate growth by deepening customer value through more personalised, affordable, and integrated propositions, while scaling M-PESA’s next frontier across merchant solutions, credit, savings, insurance, wealth, and cross-border payments,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said on Thursday.
Read More
Will H1 2026 cross the $1B mark? Funding hits $887M despite deal slump
This article was originally published on TechCabal Insights and was written by Joseph Oloyede, Analyst at TechCabal Insights. Four months into 2026, the startup funding data points to a market choosing quality over quantity. At TechCabal Insights, we compared January – April 2026 data with the same period in 2025, and the results are fascinating. The 2026 paradox: More money, fewer handshakes The first four months of 2026 have seen a total of $887 million raised, slightly outpacing the $803 million tracked during the same window last year. However, this capital is coming from far fewer deals. There were 173 as of this time in 2025, but 2026 has recorded only 84 transactions so far. Investors are moving away from small bets and concentrating their capital into much larger rounds, specifically within the $10M–$49M and $50M–$99M brackets. While we have not seen any Mega Deals (over $100M) so far in 2026, this shift is fueled by capital-intensive Energy and Fintech Debt deals. So far this year, in the first four months of 2026, we have tracked 105 deals. While 84 are disclosed, the remaining 21 we have tracked this year remain undisclosed. Can H1 2026 cross the $1 billion milestone? In H1 2025, Africa’s ecosystem raised $1.42 billion in total funding. With $887 million already in the bag and two months left in the half, the possibility of crossing the billion-dollar mark is high. If May and June deliver just $113 million, we hit the billion-dollar milestone. To beat last year’s performance, however, we will need a significant surge in late-stage rounds before July. Debt Financing is the Engine The data from January to April paints a clear picture of how companies are scaling. While equity remains vital, debt financing is driving the biggest numbers, especially in February when debt alone accounted for $235 million. February saw debt outpace equity by nearly double, confirming that Africa’s climatetech and fintech leaders are now mature enough to access large-scale credit. The March Leaderboard: Waste management shines March saw a healthy spread across sectors, with Sistema.bio leading the charge with a $53M raise in waste management, proving that investors are looking beyond just solar energy for high-impact opportunities. Fintech remained a heavy hitter in March with Taurex raising $40M, while Zeno and Starsight Energy kept the momentum in the energy sector. The April leaderboard: Egypt and energy Lead In April, fintech and energy reclaimed their spots at the top of the pyramid. Egypt’s MNT-Halan secured $41.3 million, closely followed by CrossBoundary Energy at $40 million. These sectors remain the safest harbors for large-scale capital as the market reaches a new level of maturity. The big question Will the H1 2026 funding totals surpass the $1.42 billion we saw last year? The race is on, and the data is shifting every day. You will find the definitive answer in our upcoming State of Tech in Africa H1 2026 report. We are currently open for strategic partnerships to bring this intelligence to the ecosystem.
Read MoreSamsung One UI 8.5 now available: What Galaxy users should know
Table of contents What is One UI 8.5? What is new in One UI 8.5 Which Samsung Galaxy phones are getting One UI 8.5 When will your phone get the update How to check for the One UI 8.5 update Samsung began rolling out One UI 8.5 on Wednesday, May 6, starting in South Korea. The update had been in beta testing since December 2025, going through 10 beta builds before Samsung made it available to everyone, making it the longest One UI beta cycle Samsung has run to date. The stable rollout started with the Galaxy S25 series and foldables, and the wider global wave kicks off on May 11, 2026, covering Europe, India, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. If you own a Galaxy phone released in the last three to four years, One UI 8.5 is most likely coming to your device. This article breaks down what is actually new in the update, which phones are getting it, and when you can expect the notification to show up. What is One UI 8.5? One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16, the same Android version as One UI 8.0. This is not a new Android release. It is Samsung’s mid-cycle feature update, sitting between One UI 8.0 and the upcoming One UI 9, which is expected to launch later in 2026 with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. One UI 8.0 launched with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 in late 2025 and received mixed feedback for the little visual change c. One UI 8.5 is where Samsung addresses that. It brings a full visual redesign, a meaningful Galaxy AI upgrade, and new cross-platform sharing features. The update first shipped pre-installed on the Galaxy S26 series when it launched on March 11, 2026. Other Galaxy devices are now receiving it via the stable rollout that began on May 6. What is new in One UI 8.5 1. Galaxy AI Most of the new AI features in One UI 8.5 were exclusive to the Galaxy S26 series at launch. With this update, they now support the Galaxy S25, S24, and older devices. Call Screening: When an unknown number calls you, Bixby can pick up the call on your behalf, ask the caller who they are and why they are calling, and show you a live transcript on screen. You decide whether to join the call or ignore it. You can set it to screen unknown numbers automatically and review the transcript later. To turn it on: Phone app > Settings > Call screening. Agentic AI/Smarter Bixby: Bixby can now handle multi-step tasks that span multiple apps using plain language. You can say “find a recent photo of my dog and email it to Amara”, and it handles the full task. Bixby also keeps a conversation history, so you can pick up where you left off, and it understands loose phrasing instead of requiring exact commands. Creative Studio: A dedicated app now on your Apps screen (not buried inside Gallery) that lets you generate wallpapers, stickers, profile images, and greeting cards from a photo, sketch, or text prompt. It is an expanded version of the older Drawing Assist feature. Now Nudge: An AI layer that sits inside the Samsung Keyboard toolbar and surfaces suggestions based on what is on your screen. If you are chatting about dinner plans, it can suggest scheduling it directly. If someone shares a number, it can prompt you to save it. Note: Now Nudge only works if you use the Samsung Keyboard. It will not appear if you use Gboard. Audio Eraser (system-wide): Audio Eraser previously only worked on videos you had already recorded inside the Gallery app. It now works in real time across third-party apps, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Netflix. A Voice Focus toggle and a strength slider sit in your Quick Panel. Photo Assist (text-prompt editing): You can now describe edits in plain language, and Galaxy AI applies them. Tell it to remove an object, change a colour, add something to a photo, or combine elements from two different images. It also lets you apply style filters to any photo, not just pictures of people or pets, and generates images continuously so you can compare and pick your favourite without saving every version. 2. Camera Document scanning: Point your camera at a document, and a scan button appears automatically. You can capture multiple pages into a single PDF, and the Remove tool automatically cleans up stray fingers, folded corners, and unwanted patterns. Dual recording: Tap the dual recording icon in Video mode to record from both the front and rear cameras simultaneously. Useful for reaction content or capturing yourself alongside whatever you are filming. Real-time Log video previews: If you shoot in Log format (the flat colour profile used in professional video editing), you can now apply a colour grade preview while you record. You see roughly how the final footage will look before you open an editor. Auto Motion Photos: When set to Auto, your camera only saves a motion photo if it detects movement in the scene. If nothing is moving, it saves a still image instead, saving storage space. 3. Design and interface New visual design (Ambient Design / Liquid Glass): Transparent blur effects, pill-shaped controls, floating navigation bars, and softer depth now appear across Settings, Dialer, Gallery, Calculator, Samsung Browser, Samsung Notes, and Samsung Messages. Search bars in most Samsung apps have also moved to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed use. Customisable Quick Panel: You can now add, remove, move, resize, and reorient any tile or slider in the Quick Panel. Brightness and volume controls can switch between horizontal and vertical layouts. You have full control over what appears there. Lock screen updates: Wallpapers now auto-position to prevent the subject from overlapping the clock or widgets. New features include three additional clock styles, finer control over font weights, downloadable interactive wallpapers, and AI Weather Effects that
Read MoreSafaricom’s mobile data business is now bigger than voice calls
Safaricom’s mobile data business overtook voice calls for the first time, a milestone for Kenya’s biggest telecom operator as consumers shift spending from airtime and SMS toward streaming, social media, and mobile internet services. Mobile data accounted for 42.1% of the telco’s connectivity revenue in the year ended March 2026, edging past voice at 41.3%, according to Safaricom’s financial results released on Thursday. Data revenue rose 14.4% to KES 83.4 billion ($646 million), compared with a 1.3% increase in voice revenue to KES 81.8 billion ($634 million). The change reflects changing consumer habits in Kenya, as spending on streaming, mobile banking, social media, and online commerce grows faster than traditional calling. The results also show Safaricom is compensating for lower data prices with heavier internet usage, helping sustain growth as voice revenues flatten. Messaging revenue fell 11.8% to KES 11 billion ($85 million) during the year as users continued migrating to WhatsApp, Telegram, and other internet-based platforms. Customers consuming more than 1 GB of mobile data monthly rose 22.4% to 14.5 million, while average monthly usage per subscriber climbed 16.6% to 4.92 GB. “Messaging revenue declined by 11.8% YoY, driven by structural changes in customer behaviour as usage continues to migrate toward IP-based and over-the-top messaging platforms, in line with global industry trends,” Safaricom said in its financial statement. The company is counting on wider 4G and 5G coverage, alongside cheaper smartphones, to accelerate internet adoption further. Smartphones connected to Safaricom’s network rose 21.2% to 33.2 million during the year, while active 5G devices jumped 55.5% to 1.64 million. Safaricom also leaned on lower pricing to drive higher consumption. Average rates per megabyte declined 12.1% during the year as the company expanded promotions and targeted data offers. Increased usage more than compensated for lower pricing, helping mobile data emerge as one of Safaricom’s fastest-growing business lines alongside M-PESA. The figures underline pressure facing telecom operators across Africa to replace slowing voice revenues with higher-growth internet and digital services as younger consumers spend more time online. The transition is also intensifying competition between telecom operators and broadband providers chasing demand for mobile internet, home fibre, and digital financial services. Connectivity revenue remained Safaricom Kenya’s largest business at KES 197.9 billion ($1.53 billion), narrowly ahead of M-PESA’s KES 182.7 billion ($1.41 billion). Net income rose 24.7% to KES 119.1 billion ($922 million)
Read More
What you need to know about the OnePlus Nord CE6 and CE6 Lite
Table of contents OnePlus Nord CE6 OnePlus Nord CE6 Lite Key differences between OnePlus Nord CE6 vs Nord CE6 Lite OnePlus launched two new phones today in India: the Nord CE6 and the Nord CE6 Lite. Both phones sit below the Nord 6 in terms of price and hardware, giving buyers more entry points into the Nord series. The CE6 targets buyers who want strong performance and a rugged build without paying flagship prices. The CE6 Lite goes after the budget end of the market, where OnePlus has had strong sales before. The launch was India-only. OnePlus has not announced a global rollout for either phone, so availability outside India is not confirmed as of this writing. OnePlus Nord CE6 Image source: OnePlus website The Nord CE6 is built around two things: a big battery and a tough body. It packs an 8,000 mAh battery that charges at 80W, paired with four separate IP ratings and MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability certification. That combination is unusual at this price point. 1. Display You get a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 1.5K resolution (2772 x 1272 pixels) and a 144Hz refresh rate. The panel peaks at 1,800 nits of brightness and uses 3,840 Hz PWM dimming, which is designed to reduce eye strain. The glass is Crystal Guard, OnePlus’s own hardened cover glass. 2. Performance Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4nm), clocked up to 2.5 GHz with an Adreno 810 GPU. OnePlus added a secondary chip, which it calls the “Touch Reflex” co-processor, which brings touch sampling up to 3,200 Hz. For gaming, the phone also includes a 6-axis gaming gyroscope and an X-axis linear motor for haptic feedback. It runs Android 16 out of the box with OxygenOS 16 on top. RAM and storage options: 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage There is no microSD card slot on the CE6. 3. Cameras The rear setup has two sensors: 50 MP main camera (OmniVision OV50D40, f/1.8, dual-axis OIS, 4K video at 30fps) 2 MP monochrome lens (f/2.4) The front camera is a 32 MP shooter (GalaxyCore GC32E2, f/2.0) with autofocus and 4K video support. OnePlus loads the phone with an AI photo suite that includes AI Perfect Shot, AI Eraser, AI Reflection Eraser, AI Detail Boost, AI Portrait Glow, AI Unblur, and AI Reframe. Both phones also support Gemini Live and Circle to Search. 4. Battery and charging The 8,000 mAh battery supports: 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging 27W wired reverse charging (so you can use the phone to charge other devices) There is no wireless charging on the CE6. Bypass charging is supported, which lets you game while the phone draws power directly from the charger, reducing heat on the battery. 5. Build and durability This is where the Nord CE6 stands out from most phones at its price. It carries four separate IP ratings: IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K. That means it handles dust, submersion, low-pressure water jets, and high-pressure steam jets. On top of that, it has MIL-STD-810H certification, a US military standard for resistance to temperature extremes, vibration, and drops. The phone weighs 215 g and measures 162.5 x 77.5 x 8.5 mm. Colour options are Fresh Blue, Lunar Pearl, and Pitch Black. 6. Price and availability India pricing: ₹29,999 (8 GB + 128 GB) — approximately $318 (₦434,070) ₹32,999 (8 GB + 256 GB) — approximately $350 (₦477,750) The CE6 goes on sale in India on May 8, 2026, at 12 PM IST, through Amazon.in, OnePlus.in, and select offline stores. No other markets have been announced. The dollar and naira figures are based on the exchange rates as of May 7, 2026: $1 = ₹94.22 and $1 = ₦1,365. Every OnePlus phone released in 2026, ranked OnePlus Nord CE6 Lite Image source: OnePlus website The Nord CE6 Lite is the more affordable option in this launch. It brings a large battery and a fast display at a lower price, with clear trade-offs on camera quality, screen type, and water resistance compared to the CE6. The “Lite” sub-tier is making a comeback after a two-year break. The last phone in this line, the Nord CE4 Lite, was the highest-selling Android phone in its price segment during Amazon India’s Great Indian Festival in 2024. 1. Display The CE6 Lite has a 6.72-inch LCD screen with FHD+ resolution (2400 x 1080) and an adaptive refresh rate that goes up to 144Hz. Peak brightness is rated at 1,000 nits. It is worth noting that the official spec sheet lists a “680 nits peak” figure in some places, which may reflect a typical-use figure versus the maximum under ideal conditions. Verify this on the OnePlus India product page before making a purchase decision. 2. Performance Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex (4nm), clocked up to 2.6 GHz with a Mali-G615 MC2 GPU. OnePlus claims an AnTuTu score above 1,030,000 for this chip. It runs Android 16 with OxygenOS 16 and comes with 5 years of software support. RAM and storage options: 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage Unlike the CE6, the Lite has a hybrid SIM tray that accepts a microSD card up to 2 TB. 3. Cameras Rear cameras: 50 MP main (OmniVision OV50D40, f/1.8, EIS but no OIS, 4K video at 30fps) 2 MP depth/monochrome lens (f/2.4) The front camera is an 8 MP shooter with 1080p video. The CE6 Lite has the same AI photo features as the CE6, including Gemini Live and Circle to Search. 4. Battery and charging The 7,000 mAh battery supports: 45W SUPERVOOC wired charging 10W wired reverse charging No wireless charging. Bypass charging is supported. 5. Build and durability The CE6 Lite weighs 208 g and measures 166 x 76 x 8.5 mm. It has an IP64 rating, which provides dust protection and resistance to water splashes but not full submersion. It also carries MIL-STD-810H certification. Colour options are Vivid Mint and
Read More
👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Zenith eyes Cameroon entry
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Wazzup. Naira Life Conference, Zikoko’s annual money-themed event, will gather over 2,000 attendees on August 22, in Lagos, for a day of unfiltered wealth strategies, personal financial management tips from speakers who live the talk, and high-level networking. If you haven’t secured a ticket to Naira Life, there’s still a chance. Get 15% off when you click this link. Let’s dive in. Get smarter about Francophone Africa—the startups, tech policies, and institutions building the pipelines for ecosystem growth. Subscribe to Francophone Weekly Zenith Bank plans Cameroon entry Yoco has a new CEO Paymenow, PayCurve merge Airtel Zambia to open 45 stores World Wide Web 3 Events Banking Nigerian lender Zenith Bank is coming to Central Africa Image Source: Tenor Zenith Bank, Nigeria’s second-largest commercial lender by assets, has plans to expand into the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) region, with Cameroon set to become its headquarters. Zenith Bank disclosed the move at the launch of its Côte d’Ivoire subsidiary last week. The Côte d’Ivoire entry marked its second expansion this year, entering Kenya in the same month, and kicked off its operations in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) region. The choice of Cameroon is not arbitrary. In 2025, Cameroon accounted for 46.5% of bank deposits in the CEMAC zone and remained the largest contributor to the region’s banking profits. Setting up there gives Zenith access to the deepest financial activity in the region and a position from which the lender can easily expand into neighbouring Central African markets. We still don’t know how Zenith plans to enter Cameroon: When banks want to enter a new territory, they either get a licence and establish a subsidiary or acquire an existing institution. While Zenith has not disclosed its entry plan into Cameroon, its Francophone Africa ambition was never hidden. In October 2025, after it acquired an Ivorian licence, the bank said it was going to expand to eight other Francophone African countries. That licence could allow Zenith to expand into all eight member states of the WAEMU, including Benin, Mali, and Togo, after the region unified a banking framework in 2023. Nigerian banks are becoming continental banks: Access Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA), other Nigerian tier-1 lenders, are already active in Cameroon, and across several African markets, building networks that support trade. For banks like Zenith, expansion has become a growth strategy and a competitive necessity to claw market share away from home. 3i Africa Summit 2026 Doing business in African markets? Fincra’s financial infrastructure gives your business reliable payment rails across 20+ markets. Start here. companies South African fintech Yoco names a new CEO Carsten Höltkemeyer. Image Source: LinkedIn From June 1, Yoco will have a new person at the wheel. Carsten Höltkemeyer will be stepping into a new role as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the South African digital payments startup that helps small businesses accept digital payments through card machines and software. His appointment ends the nine-month period during which Yoco’s co-founders, Bradley Wattrus and Lungisa Matshoba, served as co-CEOs after founding executive Katlego Maphai exited the company in September 2025. Who is Yoco’s new CEO? Höltkemeyer comes from the world of European banking and embedded finance companies. Before joining Yoco, he served as CEO of Solaris, the Berlin-based embedded finance company, and before that led auxmoney, one of Europe’s largest digital lending platforms. He also held executive roles at Barclays Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland, with roots in audit at PwC, a pedigree that suggests Yoco is in capable hands. What happens to Yoco now? Yoco was launched in 2013 to make card machines accessible to small businesses and has since expanded into online payments and financial software, now carrying a valuation of around $700 million. Once Höltkemeyer settles in, Wattrus will move into a chief financial officer (CFO) role, while Matshoba will take up a chief product and technology officer (CPTO) position. The company says its next decade will focus heavily on AI and integrated software tools that help independent businesses compete more effectively. What this means: Bringing in someone with deep experience in regulated finance, payments, and scaling infrastructure suggests that Yoco sees itself entering a growth phase. The startup now wants to operate like a serious financial institution. PalmPay – Built for Ambition. Built for You. PalmPay is Built for Ambition. Built for Nigeria. Built for You. With over 35 million users and a 99.9% transaction success rate, PalmPay is making digital banking safer, simpler, and more reliable for everyday Nigerians. Download the app to learn more. companies South African fintechs Paymenow and PayCurve merge Image Source: Tenor Getting paid before payday sounds like a fix. For many workers, it quietly becomes a cycle they struggle to exit. Two South African fintechs are betting they can close that loop. Paymenow and PayCurve have merged to create what they describe as a full‑stack financial wellness platform, combining earned wage access (EWA) with debt‑intervention tools under a single brand. Paymenow, founded in 2019, lets employees tap a portion of their earned salaries ahead of payday, alongside savings and voucher products. PayCurve, launched in 2020, focuses on prevention. The fintech spots financially stressed workers early and routes them into debt‑repayment and coaching plans. The merged entity now says it reaches more than 750,000 employees across four markets, including South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and Pakistan. State of play: EWA has grown quickly as an alternative to payday loans, especially in markets where short‑term credit is both expensive and pervasive. Paymenow says that 94% of its users reported improved quality of life, while three in four said they no longer rely on payday lenders. Its new play is to swap high‑interest borrowing for controlled access to wages already earned, and claim a wellness dividend. Between the lines: The model only works if early access does not harden into dependency or shrink take‑home pay at month‑end. This is where PayCurve’s
Read More