Here are the phones getting the Android 17 update
Table of contents What is Android 17, and when is it coming? When is the stable release? All the phones getting the Android 17 update What you should do now Things to keep in mind about Android 17 Android 17, codenamed Cinnamon Bun, has reached platform stability. Google Pixel devices are getting it first, with a stable release expected this summer. Samsung’s One UI 9 beta is already live for the Galaxy S26 series, and Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and Honor are all running early Android 17 builds on at least one flagship device. Only Google, Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Honor have officially confirmed devices so far. This article breaks down what each brand has confirmed, what is expected, and which phones will not get the update. What is Android 17, and when is it coming? Android 17 is Google’s new major annual Android release. It comes with a range of new platform features that will benefit all Android phones once their manufacturers roll them out. Key features confirmed for Android 17 include: App Bubbles: You can open any app in a floating window on top of whatever you are already doing Lock-screen widgets in a new Hub mode Redesigned Desktop Mode with better window snapping Material 3 Expressive design system rolling out across the platform Live Updates, a new notification template for real-time events like food delivery or ride tracking Session-based precise location button, giving you more control over when apps access your exact location System-level Contacts Picker with field-level consent, so you control exactly which contact details an app can see APK Signature Scheme v3.2 with quantum-resistant encryption RAW14 image format and Photo Picker grid customisation for camera apps Memory limits to shut down apps that are leaking RAM in the background The headline AI features, including Gemini Intelligence, Rambler, Create My Widget, Pause Point, and intelligent Autofill, require at least 12 GB of RAM and Gemini Nano v3. This limits the full AI experience to the Pixel 10 series, the upcoming Pixel 11, and flagships like the Galaxy S26. Older phones or mid-range devices that get Android 17 will receive the platform, but not these AI features. When is the stable release? Google has not named a specific date. The only official statement from Google, from a May 12, 2026, blog post by Patrick Shehane, the Director of Engineering for Android Camera, Video & Audio at Google, is that Android 17 will roll out to Pixel devices first this summer. Android 17 reached Platform Stability with Beta 3 on March 26, 2026, and Beta 4, the last scheduled beta, shipped April 16, 2026. Based on the Android 16 cadence, which went stable on June 10, 2025, Android Authority, BGR, and 9to5Google expect the stable Android 17 release in June 2026. That is a press projection, not a Google commitment. Google is also running a quarterly release (QPR) model alongside the main release. QPR1 Beta 1 shipped on April 23, 2026, QPR1 Beta 2 on May 6, 2026, and QPR1 Beta 3 during Google I/O on May 19, 2026. QPR1 stable is expected around September 2026, with QPR2 in Q4 2026 and QPR3 in early 2027. Here are the phones getting the Android 17 update 1. Google Pixel Google has officially confirmed Android 17 for every Tensor-powered Pixel device. The Android 17 beta has been available for Pixel phones since February 14, 2026. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro get Android 17 as their final major OS update, with support ending in October 2026. The Pixel 8 and later devices are on Google’s 7-year support window. One important caveat: Gemini Intelligence requires at least 12 GB of RAM and Gemini Nano v3. This means every eligible Pixel, except the Pixel 10 series, will get the base Android 17 platform but will miss the headline AI features. 2. Samsung Galaxy (One UI 9) Samsung officially launched the One UI 9 beta on May 13, 2026, for the Galaxy S26 series in the US, UK, Germany, South Korea, India (from May 26), and Poland. Samsung’s own newsroom states: “the full experience of One UI 9 will be introduced with upcoming Galaxy flagship devices later this year.” The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are widely reported to launch with stable One UI 9 at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, 2026. If your Galaxy is on the “Will NOT get Android 17″ row, One UI 8.5 is your final major update. 3. OnePlus (OxygenOS 17) OnePlus opened Android 17 Beta 2 for the OnePlus 15 on March 25, 2026, with Beta 3 following in April. These early builds still show “OxygenOS 16″ in About phone because they are developer-targeted Android 17 ports, not a finished OxygenOS 17 release. The full OxygenOS 17 stable is widely expected to launch in early Q4 2026, starting with the OnePlus 15. 4. Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO (HyperOS 3.3 / HyperOS 4) Xiaomi officially launched the Android 17 Developer Preview on HyperOS 3.3 on April 30, 2026, but only for the Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the Leica Leitzphone, and the Xiaomi 15T Pro in global variants. Then, Xiaomi skipped HyperOS 3.2 entirely. The bulk of Android 17 for Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices will come later as HyperOS 4, expected from late Q4 2026 into 2027. 5. Motorola (Hello UI / Android 17) Motorola was the first non-Google brand to open an Android 17 beta, launching on February 25, 2026, eleven days after Google’s Beta 1 was released on February 14. The beta now covers mid-range and flagship Motorola devices across the US, India, Europe, Latin America, and Brazil. The stable Android 17 rollout from Motorola is expected in Q3 2026. 6. OPPO (ColorOS 17) OPPO officially launched Android 17 Beta 2 for the OPPO Find X9 Pro on March 25, 2026, the same day OnePlus launched it for the OnePlus 15. The two brands share engineering under the parent company BBK/Oplus. Stable ColorOS 17 is
Read MoreSamsung One UI 8 vs 8.5 vs 9: What Galaxy users should know
Table of contents Quick comparison: Samsung One UI 8 vs 8.5 vs 9 One UI 8 One UI 8.5 One UI 9 What this means for your Galaxy Samsung has released three versions of One UI in about 10 months. If you own a Galaxy phone and are trying to make sense of what changed, what update your phone currently has, and what is coming next, this guide breaks it all down. One UI 8 started rolling out in September 2025 and is now installed on hundreds of millions of Galaxy devices. One UI 8.5 first arrived on the Galaxy S26 series earlier in 2026 and began rolling out to older Galaxy phones on May 6, 2026. It is the biggest visual and AI upgrade Samsung has shipped in years. One UI 9 is still in beta as of May 2026. Here is how all three compare. Quick comparison: Samsung One UI 8 vs 8.5 vs 9 Use the table below to see the key differences at a glance, then scroll down for the full breakdown of each version. One UI 8 When it launched One UI 8 is built on Android 16. The Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 were the first devices to ship with it, announced at Galaxy Unpacked in Brooklyn, New York, on July 9, 2025, and on sale from July 25. Samsung then began the broader rollout to existing Galaxy devices on September 15, 2025. The global rollout kicked off three days later on September 18, 2025, covering markets including the US, UK, Germany, and India. The A56 and A36 received the update in Kenya and Nigeria from September 29 to 30, 2025. What phones have One UI 8 As of May 23, 2026, the One UI 8 rollout is essentially complete. Every eligible Samsung Galaxy phone has received it. The full list of supported devices includes: Galaxy S series Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge, S25 FE Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, S24 FE Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, S23 FE Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra Galaxy S21 FE Galaxy Z series (foldables) Z Fold7, Z Flip7, Z Flip7 FE Z Fold6, Z Flip6 Z Fold5, Z Flip5 Z Fold4, Z Flip4 (this is their final major OS update) The Galaxy A series (key models for the Nigerian market) A73 5G, A56 5G, A55 5G, A54 5G, A53 5G A36 5G, A35 5G, A34 5G, A33 5G A26 5G, A25 5G, A17 5G, A17, A16 5G, A16, A15 5G A07, A06 5G, A06 Galaxy Tab series Tab S11, Tab S11 Ultra Tab S10+, Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 FE, Tab S10 FE+, Tab S10 Lite Tab S9, S9+, S9 Ultra, S9 FE, S9 FE+ Tab S8, S8+, S8 Ultra Tab S6 Lite (2024), Tab A9, A9+, A11, A11+ Galaxy M / F / XCover series M56, M55, M54, M34, M16 F56, F55, F34, F16 XCover6 Pro, XCover7, XCover7 Pro, Tab Active5 Pro What One UI 8 added One UI 8 was a refinement update rather than a full visual overhaul. The biggest additions included: Now Brief and Now Bar upgrades: personalised daily updates covering traffic, reminders, and Galaxy Watch health stats. Now Bar has also gained support for more third-party apps and appeared on the Z Flip’s cover screen. Galaxy AI for large screens: drag-and-drop of AI-generated content into Multi Window, plus Drawing Assist and Writing Assist on foldables and tablets. Gemini Live on FlexWindow: voice-driven Gemini access directly from the Z Flip’s cover screen. Audio Eraser expanded: single-tap noise removal is now available in video apps, Voice Recorder, and Samsung Notes. Portrait Studio for pets: AI-generated studio photos for dogs, cats, and birds. Adaptive lock-screen clock: a new clock that wraps around faces in the wallpaper, with adjustable size and colour. Call Captions and Interpreter: live captions for noisy environments and a typing-based translation tool. Knox KEEP security and Post-Quantum Cryptography on Secure Wi-Fi. One UI 8.5 When it launched One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16 QPR2, which is a quarterly update to Android 16 rather than a brand-new Android version. Despite sharing the same Android base as One UI 8, this version carries the biggest visible changes Samsung has shipped in years. It first launched on February 25, 2026, at Galaxy Unpacked in San Francisco, where Samsung announced the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra. All three phones came with One UI 8.5 pre-installed. They went on sale on March 11, 2026. Samsung began the stable rollout for older devices in South Korea on May 6, 2026. The global wave followed on May 11, covering Europe, India, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and more. A wider expansion to the A-series and older flagships continued from May 18 to 22. What phones have One UI 8.5 As of May 23, 2026, here is where the rollout stands: Already received the stable update Galaxy S26, S26+, S26 Ultra (pre-installed at launch, March 11, 2026) Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge, S25 FE Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, S24 FE Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, S23 FE Galaxy Z Fold7, Z Flip7, Z Flip7 FE, Galaxy Z TriFold Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6 Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5 Galaxy Tab S11, Tab S11 Ultra, Tab S10 FE, Tab S10 FE+ Galaxy A56 5G and Galaxy A36 5G Confirmed eligible and rolling out soon Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra (rollout confirmed from May 26, 2026; this is their final major update) Tab S10+, Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 Lite, Tab S9 series, Tab S8 series Galaxy A57, A55, A54, A53, A37, A35, A34, A26, A25, A24, A17, A16, A15, A07, A06 Galaxy M56, M55, M54, M34, M16; Galaxy F-series Galaxy XCover 6 Pro, XCover 7, XCover 7 Pro, Tab Active5/5 Pro Not eligible Galaxy S21 series (non-FE), Galaxy Note 20 series Galaxy A devices older than 2023 What One UI 8.5 added One UI 8.5 is the update that makes your Galaxy look and feel meaningfully different. The changes
Read MoreDigital Nomads: Africans from 30 countries could spend $871 million more to enter the US
Consider a Botswana-based tech consultant who travels to the United States once a year for a client meeting. She holds a B1/B2 visa, the standard route for short-term business travel. However, Botswana now sits on Washington’s visa bond list, placing a critical condition on her next visa application: before her visa is approved, she must deposit up to $15,000 with the US government. The money is refundable, eventually, but it sits frozen for the duration of her stay, earning nothing, while she still sorts visa fees, flight, and accommodation costs. That financial burden is now spreading across the continent. On April 2, the US expanded its visa bond policy. Six more African countries—Mauritius, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Tunisia—were added to the United States’ visa bond programme, joining 24 other African nations whose citizens must now pay thousands of dollars upfront before entering the US for short-term travel. The visa bond requirement now applies to 50 countries globally, 30 of them in Africa, according to the US State Department. That means 60% of the nationalities subject to the US visa bond policy are African. The policy affects travellers applying for B1/B2 visas, the category used for business trips, tourism, conferences, medical visits, and family travel. Under the rule, applicants from the affected countries are required to post a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 after their visa interview and before receiving approval. For travellers from most of the 30 affected African countries, the restrictions compound further. B-class visas, consisting of B1, B2, and B1/B2 visas, are now issued as single-entry permits valid for as little as three months. Each new trip means a fresh application, a fresh interview, and potentially a fresh bond deposit. The Single-Entry Constraint How long is a US B1/B2 visa actually valid? For the vast majority of African nations, it’s just 3 months and a single trip. Search or filter below to see the disparities. All 30 Countries 120 Months (4) 3-Month (24) Exceptions (2) The TechCabal Takeaway The Travel Tax on Innovation. While US policymakers tout global connectivity, the administrative reality for African builders is highly restrictive. Out of 30 countries analyzed, 24—including massive tech ecosystems like Nigeria and Senegal—are subjected to a 3-month, single-entry visa. This means founders seeking to attend accelerators, pitch investors, or build global partnerships must constantly reapply and face massive backlog wait times for every single trip after the 3-month validity. Only four countries (Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tunisia) enjoy the 120-month (10-year) multiple-entry privilege. Even exceptional 24-month approvals for Ethiopian travellers require a high-level sign-off from the VO DAS (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services). Source: Data from the US Department of State Built by TechCabal Validity ${d.v} Entries ${d.e}
Read MoreBranch confirms layoffs in Kenya and Nigeria despite profitable year
Branch International, a San Francisco-headquartered fintech offering digital banking and lending services, has laid off an undisclosed number of employees in Kenya and Nigeria in what it described as “the difficult decision to reduce headcount across some of our markets.” Several sources familiar with the matter, including affected employees, confirmed the layoffs to TechCabal. An internal email seen by TechCabal outlined the severance terms offered to affected employees. The job cuts highlight a broader shift across African fintech, where startups are prioritising leaner operations and profitability over aggressive expansion, even as funding conditions improve. Branch said both its Kenya and Nigeria businesses remained profitable last year, while the group posted roughly $30 million in global profit for 2025. Branch informed affected employees during a global all-hands meeting on April 17 before sending termination notices that took effect immediately. “Your last day of employment will be today, April 17, 2026,” part of the email read. “This was not a decision driven by financial distress,” Branch told TechCabal in an emailed response on Tuesday. ”Both our Nigeria and Kenya markets were profitable last year, and Branch International declared a global profit of approximately $30 million for the 2025 financial year.” The company added that its operations in Kenya and Nigeria remained financially strong, with “significant cash on hand” and no debt across its African entities. One source familiar with the matter said employees received termination notices shortly after the company-wide meeting and quickly lost access to their work emails and internal systems. Several affected staff described the layoffs as unexpected. “We were aware of the company-wide meeting, but nobody expected people would be laid off,” a former employee told TechCabal on Thursday. Some employees said Branch had internally discussed possible fundraising plans in recent months, but they did not anticipate job cuts would follow, according to a former employee who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Branch said the job cuts were not connected to fundraising or debt financing activity. “We are not actively fundraising equity as we are profitable in every market, summing to over $30M last year,” the company said. The company declined to disclose how many employees were affected or which teams were impacted. A Kenya-based employee told TechCabal it was difficult to determine the full scale of the layoffs because many staff had been working remotely in recent weeks, making the cuts less visible than they would have been in a physical office environment. Several affected employees have also remained largely silent on platforms such as LinkedIn, where laid-off tech workers often publicly signal availability for new roles. “Generous” severance packages According to the internal email seen by TechCabal, affected employees will receive at least four months of compensation, including salary, notice pay, and unused leave days. The company also said employee health insurance coverage would remain active through the end of 2026. “Employees impacted by this decision were provided with extremely generous severance packages, and we are grateful for their contributions to Branch,” the company told TechCabal. Branch has raised $274.3 million across 11 funding rounds, according to Crunchbase data. Its largest disclosed raise was a $170 million round in 2019 backed by investors including Foundation Capital and Visa. The company last raised funding in 2022 through an undisclosed debt financing round. Founded in 2015, Branch became one of Africa’s biggest app-based lenders, serving more than 13 million customers across Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and India, and issuing over 54 million loans worth more than $1.8 billion, according to company data. In 2022, Branch expanded beyond digital lending in Kenya by acquiring a majority stake in Century Microfinance Bank, becoming one of the country’s first digital lenders to enter deposit-taking microfinance banking.
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Safaricom updates My OneApp to support Airtel, roaming users
Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest telecoms operator, has updated its My OneApp platform to work on rival mobile networks, including Airtel Kenya, easing restrictions that had locked out diaspora and roaming users since the app launched in April. The update, rolled out early this week, allows users to remain logged into the app even after switching between Safaricom and other mobile networks. Previously, many users were reportedly being signed out whenever they lost Safaricom connectivity or changed networks, forcing them to repeatedly reactivate the app using Safaricom mobile data. The change removes one of the biggest friction points surrounding My OneApp, particularly among diaspora users who said the platform became difficult and expensive to use abroad because reactivation often required roaming bundles. Safaricom told TechCabal in April it plans to retire the standalone M-PESA and MySafaricom apps within six months of My OneApp’s launch, making the new platform central to its consumer services strategy. Since launch, users have reported login failures, issues with one-time password (OTP) verification, forced logouts, and unstable access across Google Play reviews and social media platforms. Safaricom later acknowledged service issues affecting roaming and diaspora customers. My OneApp can now remain active while connected to Airtel Kenya and other non-Safaricom networks, according to tests by TechCabal. The app also appears more stable during network changes, addressing a problem that had frustrated users who moved between WiFi, roaming and local mobile networks. My OneApp still requires Safaricom mobile data for initial activation, with attempts over WiFi and rival networks blocked in the latest update. Image source: TechCabal. Some restrictions, however, remain. Initial app activation still requires Safaricom mobile data and cannot currently be completed over WiFi, limiting access for some users outside Kenya who do not have active roaming bundles. Safaricom launched My OneApp in April as a combined platform for M-PESA, airtime purchases, fibre services, customer care, and mini apps. The company is betting on the app to consolidate services used daily by millions of customers across Kenya.
Read MoreAfrica’s tech boom has a healthcare debt
Africa is experiencing one of the world’s fastest technology expansions. Over 645 million Africans now use mobile internet. Telecommunication companies generate billions in annual revenue, and digital services have transformed banking, trade, and communication. Yet this digital growth has not strengthened citizens’ right to health. Hospitals rely on paper records, clinics lack essential equipment, and emergency response systems remain weak or absent. Africa carries 24% of the world’s disease burden but employs less than 3% of the global health workforce. This gap limits people’s right to live healthy lives. Governments can rectify this imbalance by using existing mobile networks to deliver basic healthcare, linking telecom profits to health system funding, and aligning digital expansion with access to physical healthcare services. Africa’s digital growth has not resulted in better health outcomes for ordinary citizens. Rural communities often have mobile internet but no nearby clinic, forcing families to travel long distances to access healthcare services and resulting in delayed care. Consequently, many preventable illnesses become deadly, and poor families face high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. If this imbalance persists, inequality will deepen, digital progress will benefit only those who can afford private care, and public trust in institutions will erode. Technology risks amplifying exclusion instead of expanding freedom, dignity, and the fundamental right to health. Digital networks are the primary beneficiaries of Africa’s tech revolution. They ought to bear a proportional responsibility for the health of the populations they serve, through mobile-enabled health services, telecom levies, and tech-health parity laws. Governments and Ministries of Health should partner with telecom companies to integrate appointment scheduling, vaccination reminders, and follow-up care into existing mobile services. Rollout should begin in public primary care facilities where access gaps remain widest, reducing travel costs, saving time, and ensuring that Africa’s digital progress benefits all citizens. Telecom levies are necessary to fund and expand access to health services. Parliaments and finance ministries can legislate a fixed percentage of annual telecom revenues and spectrum license fees for emergency medical services, hospital tech upgrades, and digital health networks. To ensure this does not hinder digital inclusion, these levies should target high-level corporate profits rather than increasing taxes on consumer data usage. Communications regulators should enforce compliance through licencing conditions and audits, while ministries of health manage ring-fenced funds with public reporting. To address potential risks to investment and digital inclusion, the implementation of these levies must be carefully calibrated. Levy rates should be set through transparent regulatory consultation, benchmarked against sector profitability, and phased in gradually to avoid market disruption. The goal is not to penalise digital growth but to require that it pays a structural dividend to the populations it depends on. Complementarily, tech-health parity laws are also necessary for network expansion. Governments can implement parity laws by including health infrastructure requirements in telecom licensing agreements. Ministries of Communication and Health can jointly identify underserved areas, plan construction, and provide staffing and equipment. Telecom companies can finance construction through licensing conditions, while local governments ensure ongoing maintenance. This ensures digital connectivity does not outpace access to essential medical services. Africa’s health tech challenge is not merely a health policy problem but a tech ecosystem failure. Healthy populations are the essential foundation of productive, growing digital markets, making this a critical structural risk for the tech sector. When communities lack access to basic healthcare, they face higher mortality and reduced workforce participation, which directly suppresses the economic growth needed to drive digital adoption. Telecom companies, fintechs, and investors pouring capital into African infrastructure rely on a growing, economically active user base to generate returns. However, the same communities driving subscriber growth are being failed by infrastructure gaps in the public health sector, limiting their long-term economic participation. Aligning digital expansion with healthcare access is necessary to sustain Africa’s digital economy. Africa’s tech revolution is advancing rapidly, but public healthcare is being sidelined, undermining citizens’ fundamental right to health. If action is not taken, millions will continue to face preventable illness, rising costs, and eroded trust in public institutions. Governments should integrate digital expansion with healthcare funding and ensure clinics are physically accessible to all citizens. Strengthening healthcare alongside technology safeguards the fundamental right to health, protecting the freedom, dignity, and life of everyone. ____ Gideon Danso is a writing fellow at African Liberty.
Read MoreCustomer care numbers for banks and fintechs in Nigeria (2026)
Table of contents Customer care numbers for 26 banks Customer care numbers for 18 fintechs Quick reference: All banks Quick reference: All fintechs What to do if your complaint is not resolved Disclaimer When something goes wrong with your money, the last thing you want to do is search the internet for a customer care number. You end up on third-party sites, aggregator pages, and outdated blog posts that may or may not be accurate. Some of those numbers have even been used to scam people. This article highlights the official customer care contacts for Nigerian banks and fintechs. Every number, email, and WhatsApp line here was pulled directly from each institution’s own website or verified social media account. Banks All 26 active commercial banks below publish at least one 24/7 phone line and a customer care email address. Most also offer WhatsApp support, either through a dedicated number or through a virtual assistant inside their app. Access Bank customer care number Phone: 0700-225-5222-377, 01-271-2005-7, 01-280-2500 Email: contactcenter@accessbankplc.com Escalation email: cc-ombudsman@accessbankplc.com Twitter/X: @myaccessbank Citibank Nigeria customer care number Citibank Nigeria operates as a corporate and institutional bank. It does not publish a retail customer care line. Ecobank Nigeria customer care number Phone: 0700 500 0000, 0800 326 2265 Email: ecobankenquiries@ecobank.com Twitter/X: @ecobank_nigeria Ecobank’s Rafiki digital assistant is available inside the app. Fidelity Bank customer care number Phone (TrueServe): 0700 343 35489 Phone (IVY): 0903 000 0302 International: +234 908 798 9069 Email: true.serve@fidelitybank.ng WhatsApp: 0903 000 5252 Twitter/X: @fidelitybankplc First Bank customer care number Phone (FirstContact): 0700-347-782-668-228 Additional lines: +234 201 905 2326, +234 201 905 2000, and +234 201 448 5500. Email: firstcontact@firstbanknigeria.com Complaints email: firstcontact.complaints@firstbankgroup.com WhatsApp: 08124444000 (send ‘Hi’ to start) Twitter/X: @FirstBankngr | @FBN_help FCMB customer care number Phone: 07003290000, 02012798800, 02012272800 Email: customerservice@fcmb.com WhatsApp: 09099999814, 09099999815 Twitter/X: @MyFCMB | @fcmb_help Globus Bank customer care number Phone: 0201 466 1000, 0201 225 9000 Email: contactcenter@globusbank.com Twitter/X: @GlobusBankNG GTBank customer care number Phone (GTConnect): +234 201 448 0000 Additional lines: +234 700 4826 66328, +234 802 900 2900, +234 813 985 6000 Email: via web form on gtbank.com Twitter/X: @gtbank Twitter customer support: @gtbank_help GTBank’s Mate AI assistant handles support inside the app. Jaiz Bank customer care number Phone: 0700 7730000 Additional lines: +234 708 063 5500, +234 708 063 5555 Email: customercare@jaizbankplc.com Twitter/X: @JaizBankNG Keystone Bank customer care number Phone: +234 700 2000 3000, 070 4600 4000 Additional lines: 02013448668, 02014485743 Email: contactcentre@keystonebankng.com Twitter/X: @keystonebankng Live chat is available directly on keystonebankng.com. Lotus Bank customer care number Phone: 0700 568 872 265, 07000100000 Email: support@lotusbank.com Twitter/X: @LotusBank Optimus Bank customer care number Phone: +234 201 906 3600 Email: opticonnect@optimusbank.com Twitter/X: @OptimusBank Parallex Bank customer care number Phone: 070072725539 Email: customercare@parallexbank.com Twitter/X: @parallexbankng Polaris Bank customer care number Phone: 0700-759-32265 (0700-POLARIS) Additional lines: 0806 988 0000, 01 297 9500, 01 270 5850 Email: Yescenter@polarisbanklimited.com Twitter/X: @PolarisBankLtd PremiumTrust Bank customer care number Phone: +234 700 773 6486, 0201 330 2777 Email: contactpremium@premiumtrustbank.com Twitter/X: @thepremiumtrust Providus Bank customer care number Phone: 0700-776-84387 (0700-PROVIDUS) Email: businessconcierge@providusbank.com Fraud desk: frauddesk@providusbank.com Twitter/X: @ProvidusBank Signature Bank customer care number Phone: +234 700 0072 7272 Email: customercare@signaturebankng.com Twitter/X: @Signaturebankng Stanbic IBTC Bank customer care number Phone: 0700 909 9099, +234 1 422 2222 Email: customercarenigeria@stanbicibtc.com Twitter/X: @StanbicIBTC Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria customer care number Phone: +234 201 270 4611, +234 800 123 5000 (toll-free) Corporate line: +234 201 236 8220 Email: clientcare.ng@sc.com Twitter/X: @StanChart @StanChartNG Sterling Bank customer care number Phone: 0700STERLING (070078375464), 02018888822 Additional line: 07008220000 Email: customercare@sterling.ng WhatsApp: +234 916 031 3000 Twitter/X: @sterlinghelp | @Sterling_Bankng SunTrust Bank customer care number Phone: 0700-134-7868, +234-1-2802142 Email: helpdesk@suntrustng.com WhatsApp: +234 708 507 8034 Twitter/X: @SunTrustNG Union Bank customer care number Phone: +234 700 700 7000 (UnionCare), +234 907 007 0001 Additional line: +234 1 2716816 Email: customerservice@unionbankng.com Twitter/X: @UNIONBANK_NG Former Titan Trust Bank customers: your account is now under Union Bank. Use these contact details. UBA customer care number Phone: 0700-225-5822 (0700-CALL-UBA) Additional line: 02-012808822 Fraud desk: 02-012808800 Email: cfc@ubagroup.com WhatsApp: Chat with Leo on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Messenger Twitter/X: @UBAGroup @UBACares Unity Bank customer care number Phone: +234 7057 323 225, 0708 066 6000 Additional line: 09-8734331 Email: we_care@unitybankng.com Twitter/X: @UnityBankPlc Wema Bank customer care number Phone: 0700PURPLE (07000787753), +234 803 900 3700 Additional lines: +234 1 277 7700-9 Email: purpleconnect@wemabank.com WhatsApp: 09044411010 Twitter/X: @wemabank Zenith Bank customer care number Phone: 0700-ZENITHBANK (0700-936-4842265), 0201-278-7000 Additional lines: 0904-085-7000, 091-1987-7000 Email: zenithdirect@zenithbank.com WhatsApp: 07040004422 (ZiVA assistant) Twitter/X: @ZenithBank Fintechs Several fintechs on this list do not publish a phone number. Kuda has explicitly stated on its Twitter/X account that it does not offer support through social media or WhatsApp for security reasons. The others simply route all support through in-app chat or email without a published phone line. ALAT by Wema customer care number Phone: 07000787753, 08039003700 Email: help@alat.ng Twitter/X: @alat_ng Bamboo customer care number Phone: +234 (02) 018880295 Email: support@investbamboo.com Twitter/X: @investbamboo Branch Nigeria customer care number Email: nigeria@branch.co Twitter/X: @branch_ng Branch does not publish a phone number. Support is handled through in-app chat. Carbon customer care number Email: customer@getcarbon.co Twitter/X: @get_carbon You can safely access support through In-App Support Ticket and the Web Contact Form Chipper Cash customer care number Phone: +1 844 386 3753 (US line) Email: support@chippercash.com Twitter/X: @chippercashapp For Nigerian users, in-app chat is the primary support channel. The published phone number is a US line. Cowrywise customer care number Phone: 07000 269 799 473 Email: support@cowrywise.com WhatsApp: 0903 000 0857 Twitter/X: @cowrywise Eyowo customer care number Phone: +234 1 7001520 Email: support@eyowo.com Twitter/X: @eyowo | @eyowohelp FairMoney customer care number Phone: 0201 700 1276, 01 888 5577 Toll-free number: 0800 000 3333 Email: help@fairmoney.io WhatsApp: +234 810 108 4635 Twitter/X: @fairmoney_ng Flutterwave customer care number Phone: 0700-FLUTTERWAVE (0700-358-883-79283), 01-888 9595 Email: hi@flutterwavego.com Twitter/X: @theflutterwave | @FlwSupport Kuda Bank customer care number Phone: 0700022555832 Email: help@kuda.com Twitter/X: @joinkuda Verified support account: @kudahelp_ng Kuda does not offer WhatsApp or social media support. Per its official Twitter/X account: ‘For the safety of
Read MoreNigeria launches Meta-backed AI chatbot for government information access
Nigeria has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed to help citizens access government information and services, in one of the country’s biggest public sector AI projects so far. Meta built the chatbot called GovGuide Nigeria in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and local AI company Publica AI. Announced on Thursday during Meta’s Economic Impact report launch in Nigeria, the platform uses Meta’s open-source Llama AI models to provide government service information through a multilingual voice and text interface available on the web. The launch also underscores Meta’s broader push to expand the reach of its open-source AI models across emerging markets, particularly in Africa. Its No Language Left Behind (NLLB-200) model now supports more than 50 African languages—roughly twice the coverage offered by most traditional translation systems. GovGuide supports English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba in a bid to make public information more accessible to rural communities, low-literacy populations, and citizens navigating Nigeria’s fragmented public service systems. However, adoption may be limited by poor broadband penetration in rural areas and the poor usage of smartphone devices. “The GovGuide initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to make government services and information more accessible and responsive to the needs of Nigerians,” Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said. The launch comes more than a year after the Nigeria Data Protection Commission fined Meta $32.8 million over alleged violations of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, including unauthorised data transfers and a lack of user consent. Reports later indicated that the fine was waived after Meta agreed to cover legal costs and support privacy awareness initiatives.
Read MoreVisa says stablecoins are ‘pretty big’ for Africa’s payments future
$2 trillion. That is how much flowed through mobile money wallets globally in 2025, doubling from the first trillion in just four years, according to GSMA’s State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026. Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for $1.4 trillion of that, representing 66% of total global transaction value. “The speed and pace at which digital payments are growing in Africa is unprecedented,” Michael Berner, Visa’s Head of South and East Africa, told TechCabal on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 15. “It is much faster than anywhere else in the world. In two or three years, we would not recognise some of the realities we face now.” Visa, which is four years into a five-year, $1 billion commitment to the continent, has reason to believe it. In July 2025, the payments giant opened its first Africa data centre in Johannesburg, South Africa’s capital, a move Berner frames less as corporate expansion than as proof of skin in the game. But with African governments increasingly seeking to build domestic payment infrastructure, the question is no longer whether global networks like Visa belong here. It is on what terms. On crypto, Berner was direct: “Stablecoins specifically could be pretty big,” he said, adding that pilots for crypto-based settlements between banks and Visa were coming “very, very soon.” It coincides with a broader industry shift. In October 2025, Flutterwave, the Nigerian fintech unicorn, selected Polygon as its blockchain partner for stablecoin-powered cross-border payments. This week, Tether, the world’s largest digital asset company, made an undisclosed investment in LemFi, the Nigerian-founded remittance payments startup. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. A key theme at this conference is scale, which leads to the conversation on fragmentation. Africa is a very fragmented market. How is Visa helping African businesses overcome that? The key element of our strategy is to provide access to the financial ecosystem for everyone, and to uplift everyone everywhere. We work with small enterprises, providing them with an opportunity to accept payments, because if they accept payments seamlessly, they get more clients and their businesses grow quicker. We help banks and financial institutions have products and tools to increase financial inclusion, to bring more people into the financial ecosystem: give them access to modern banking products, give them access to credit, make sure they are included in the broader global financial ecosystem. And we also work with many fintechs to support them in designing new tools, products, and services, innovating with them and helping them accelerate their businesses. You’re four years into Visa’s five-year, $1 billion commitment to the continent. Looking back, what are the biggest learnings and what are you betting on going forward? One of the biggest investments we made was a data centre we opened last year in Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s the first data centre we’ve opened outside our traditional hubs: the US, the UK, and Singapore. We invested over a billion rands ($61 million) in it, and it’s evidence of our serious approach to Africa and our desire to bring modern products and, as we’ve discussed, advance financial inclusion on the continent. There’s a growing push from African governments to build domestic payment switches and homegrown rails. What are your thoughts on that, given that partners like Visa are already doing this work? We highly respect the decisions made by governments and central banks, and we understand the need for sovereignty. At the same time, we are always happy to partner and provide our technology to meet government needs, to see how we can enhance what governments have built with new products and services, and specifically our risk products to prevent fraud and financial losses for communities and governments alike. So it’s a combination, I would say. We are ready to provide our expertise and support, and we’re happy to partner as well. Does that change your view of the market at all? No, it doesn’t change our view of the market. We respect the national priorities various countries have. We respect the drive towards sovereignisation, and we understand it. But at the same time, we’re always open to partnership, and in good faith, we provide our technology, our solutions, our experience because we have been in payments infrastructure for more than 60 years now. Shared ownership between governments, the private sector, and stakeholders has been a recurring theme here. Visa plays a very key role in the payments infrastructure ecosystem on the continent. How do you see your role as that conversation evolves? I really like the idea of shared ownership, and I think it is the theme of the Africa CEO Forum this year: owning together and building the future by bringing new technology, investments, expertise, and something very close to me personally: nurturing and bringing in new talent. Africa really needs, for continuous growth, more talent that is well-educated, thinks broadly, is creative, entrepreneurial, and focused on execution. And we see that, actually, in every country where we operate. Visa operates across multiple African markets, which gives you an interesting vantage point. Which markets have the most potential for payments growth, and what does the next phase of payments on the continent look like? I think every market has great potential. We cannot single one out and say the others would not be successful. Every market will be successful with the right degree of strategic thinking, the right talent, the right investments, and execution. The speed and pace at which digital payments are growing in Africa is unprecedented. It is much faster than anywhere else in the world. In two or three years, we would not recognise some of the realities we face now. Cards and digital payments will be accepted everywhere. Think about when you had to go find an ATM for cash; that reality is fading. The new generation doesn’t expect that. Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect payments to happen seamlessly. And that is what everyone playing in the
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Nigeria hits refresh on telecoms
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Happy pre-salary week. Dear tech worker, we made it to our favourite part of the month again. Soak it in. At sunrise (Monday), finance departments across the continent will suddenly become everyone’s favourite coworkers. Let’s dive in. Get smarter about Francophone Africa with our newsletter, Francophone Weekly—the startups, tech policies, and institutions building the pipelines for ecosystem growth. Subscribe Kenn Abuya: A GITEX Nairobi review Nigeria to review telecom rules Who secured the bag? World Wide Web 3 Job Openings events GITEX arrives in Nairobi: A review Image Source: GITEX Kenya For three days, Nairobi became the centre of Africa’s AI sales pitch as AI Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya convened startup founders, government officials, cybersecurity firms, cloud companies, and investors at the Sarit Expo Centre (Day 1) and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (Days 2 and 3). The event, GITEX’s first East African edition, was meant to signal that Nairobi is no longer just a startup city but a serious entry point into the continent’s AI and digital infrastructure market. Exhibition halls were packed with AI demos, cybersecurity products, enterprise software pitches, and startup booths trying to pull attention away from bigger global vendors. ASUS and Lenovo, for instance, pushed their gaming and enterprise laptops. Kaspersky and Fortinet leaned heavily into cybersecurity. Business executives from multiple industries circled enterprise AI and cloud conversations, while policymakers discussed regulation, data infrastructure, and digital sovereignty. What stood out was how quickly the conversation moved beyond chatbots and flashy demos. Most panels kept circling back to infrastructure, who owns Africa’s data, where AI systems will run, and whether local startups can compete in a market increasingly dominated by global cloud firms and enterprise vendors. Cybersecurity became one of the loudest themes at the event as companies warned banks, governments and businesses about AI-powered attacks and rising digital risks I spoke with over 20 attendees who described the event as the closest Nairobi has come to hosting a Dubai-style tech conference, praising the networking opportunities and international presence. Others complained about overcrowded sessions, expensive passes, and panels that felt polished but thin on substance. One criticism kept coming up repeatedly: African startups were visible, but the biggest stages often belonged to large foreign vendors selling AI infrastructure into the continent. Still, GITEX’s arrival matters because it reflects how global tech firms increasingly see Nairobi not just as a startup ecosystem, but as a commercial and geopolitical gateway into Africa’s next phase of digital growth. We Have Secured the Bank of Ghana EPSP Licence. Fincra has officially secured its Enhanced Payment Service Provider licence. This regulatory milestone authorizes Fincra to directly collect, process, and settle payments in Ghanaian Cedis, offering a highly streamlined financial pipeline for businesses operating within the region. Start here. policy Nigeria is reviewing its 26-year-old telecom policy Image Source: Tenor Apparently, it is not only humans who start rethinking their life choices after 25. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms regulator, has now decided that Nigeria’s 26-year-old telecom policy needs a serious reset. Here’s what happened: After 26 years, the NCC said it has begun reviewing its National Telecommunications Policy, proposing 15 major changes that could affect everything from data pricing and network quality to cybersecurity, AI infrastructure, satellite broadband, and online scams. The revised framework is expected to go live before the end of the year. The NCC wants stronger competition rules, better infrastructure sharing, improved 5G spectrum management, support for AI innovation, satellite broadband integration, local telecom manufacturing incentives, and a Digital Innovation Fund for startups and research. Why the sudden need for change? According to the NCC, the current telecom framework was built for an era when getting people online was the biggest challenge. Well, Nigerians are online now, with a 54.3% Internet penetration, but they also battle fibre cuts, unstable networks, expensive data, and digital fraud. The NCC was already patching things together: Over the last few months, the NCC has introduced new frameworks: telcos, in collaboration with banks, must now flag high-risk phone numbers, issue airtime refunds for poor service, and upgrade their networks. A lot could change if this works: The policy makeover could push forward some of Nigeria’s biggest digital ambitions. It could make broadband deployment cheaper and faster, extending reach to Nigerians. It could also support Lagos’ ambition to expand its data centre capacity to 250MW by 2030, accelerate 5G rollout, and strengthen cybersecurity. We Empower Your Ambition Insights Funding tracker Image Source: Success Sotonwa, TechCabal Insights Electric Transits Africa, a Kenyan e-mobility startup, raised $695,000 from AVIA Weghorst, Invest International through the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), and additional angel investors. (May 19) Here is the other deal for the week: EYST, a Tunisian Insurtech startup, raised undisclosed funding from 216 Capital. (May 18) Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more funding announcements. Before you go,Nigeria’s healthtech startups are building around fragmented data systems. Find out how here. Naira Life 2026 is here! Join 2,000+ in Lagos on August 22 for unfiltered wealth strategies, investment clinics, pitch competitions, and real talk about building long-term financial power. Get 15% off early bird tickets. CRYPTO TRACKER The World Wide Web3 Source: Coin Name Current Value Day Month Bitcoin 77,579 – 0.16% – 0.59% Ether $2,131 – 0.11% – 11.15% XRP $1.37 – 0.20% – 6.00% Solana $86.90 + 0.57% – 1.36% * Data as of 06.51 AM WAT, May 22, 2026. JOB OPENINGS Big Cabal Media — Senior Motion Designer, YouTube Growth Strategist, Editor-in-Chief (TechCabal), Reporter, Enterprise & Policy, Editor (Analytical), Business Development Executive — Lagos, Nigeria Moniepoint —Backend Engineer (Women in Tech Internship) — Lagos, Nigeria Airvend — B2B Technical Support — Lagos, Nigeria Bridgemax Technologies — Cloud Administrator — Lagos, Nigeria Union Systems — Software Technical Writer — Lagos, Nigeria There are more jobs on TechCabal’s job board. If you have job opportunities to share, please submit them at bit.ly/tcxjobs. Nigerian fintech Sycamore wants $29 million in deposits after
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