Author: Anita Bosman
Johannesburg: TECHz – Featured Article In a rare show of industry consensus, major technology companies including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Meta, IBM, and Palantir have united to defend open-weight artificial intelligence models against potential sweeping government restrictions. An initial coalition of 25 organizations published a joint letter titled “Open Weights and American AI Leadership,” arguing that an open ecosystem is essential for maintaining U.S. dominance in the global AI race. By the following day, the coalition expanded to approximately 35 signatories, reflecting growing momentum across the tech sector. The initiative was championed by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, who created an account on…
Johannesburg: TECHz – News Desk Visa is significantly broadening access to its Visa Pay ecosystem across multiple emerging markets in Africa and Central Asia. By deploying a comprehensive software development kit (SDK), Visa aims to empower banks, mobile money operators, and fintech companies to seamlessly embed advanced payment capabilities directly into their existing mobile applications. The SDK allows financial institutions to rapidly launch virtual cards and secure payment experiences for both banked and unbanked consumers. By providing integrated issuer processing capabilities and built-in customer experience tools, Visa is bypassing traditional infrastructure constraints that often slow digital transformation in these…
Dubai: TECHz – News Desk mb.io, the regulated digital asset platform operated by MultiBank Group, has integrated Botim as a direct payment method, enabling users across the United Arab Emirates to fund their digital asset accounts directly through Botim’s established payment infrastructure. For many traders, account funding represents one of the most fragmented parts of the user journey. By embedding Botim’s payment flow directly into the mb.io application, users can now transition from depositing funds to trading digital assets with significantly fewer steps. Naser Taher, Founder and Chairman of MultiBank Group, noted that integrating a platform already central to daily…
Johannesburg: TECHz – News Desk Huawei has solidified its commitment to the African digital ecosystem by launching a Partner Joint Industry Solution, naming CoCre8 Technology Solutions as a cornerstone of the initiative. The announcement at the Huawei South Africa Connect 2026 summit in Sandton highlights a major push toward localized digital transformation. CoCre8 has been selected to lead the deployment of paperless government solutions. By pairing Huawei’s global Information and Communication Technology stack with CoCre8’s on-the-ground delivery capacity, the partnership aims to modernize public sector infrastructure and streamline services. CoCre8, a Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment South African technology…
Riyadh: TECHz – News Desk stc Group has announced its interim financial results for the first half of 2026, recording significant growth in both its digital infrastructure network and top-line revenue. The telecommunications giant reported record revenues of SAR 40.11 billion for the six-month period ending June 30, 2026, marking a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year. Eng. Olayan bin Mohammed Alwetaid, stc Group CEO, attributed the sustained progress to the resilience of the group’s operations and successful execution of its long-term digital transformation strategy. The group demonstrated solid operational efficiency across its key business segments over…
Nairobi: TECHz – News Desk iHUB Kenya has officially announced the selection of twelve trailblazing educational technology start-ups to join the prestigious Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. The acceleration program is designed to provide critical industry backing, scalability support, and funding to technology-driven solutions transforming learning across Kenya and the broader African continent, targeting pressing challenges across K-12, tertiary education, vocational training, and out-of-school learning environments. Selected startups receive significant resources to test, refine, and scale their impact, including up to $100,000 in equity-free funding and 12 months of post-program advisory support. Founders gain access to technical resources, mentorship, and specialized…
Doha: TECHz – News Desk Yalla Startups is the result of a strategic partnership between Startup Grind Doha and the Olive Suno Radio Network (OSRN). The programme is designed to bridge the gap between emerging businesses and the wider community, giving founders direct access to one of Qatar’s largest consumer audiences. The show will air weekly on Radio Olive 106.3 FM, while also leveraging OSRN’s digital distribution channels. This includes VoiceCast, the network’s flagship over-the-top (OTT) podcast distribution platform, ensuring the content reaches audiences on air, on demand, and across integrated digital ecosystems. Each episode will feature a different startup,…
Cairo: TECHz – News Desk Cairo-based e-commerce infrastructure startup Fincart has successfully closed an oversubscribed $2.8 million Seed funding round to accelerate the development of its AI-powered merchant platform and prepare for broader regional expansion. The round was co-led by Launch Africa and Antler MENAP, with additional participation from Yango Ventures, Five35 Ventures, Bluestream Capital, Hi2 Global, Kalahari Venture Labs, and several other regional investors. This latest capital injection builds upon the company’s pre-Seed round closed in early 2025, which was led by Plus VC alongside Orbit Ventures and Plug and Play. Founded in 2023 by former Careem, Glovo, Vodafone,…
New Capital: TECHz – News Desk Egypt has officially inaugurated a new digital licensing service for public establishments, integrated directly into the Egypt Digital Platform. Unveiled during a ceremony at the Ministry of Local Development and Environment headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, the initiative aims to streamline business operations, enhance government transparency, and support the nation’s broader digital transformation agenda. The platform is a collaborative development between the Ministry of Local Development and Environment, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Environment, highlighted…
Hyderabad: TECHz – News Desk Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM), a global technology consulting and digital solutions provider, has announced the launch of a state-of-the-art Engineering Experience Centre in Hyderabad. Coinciding with the unveiling of the company’s new engineering proposition, ‘Accelerating Breakthroughs’, this strategic initiative assists organizations in accelerating their journey from initial concept to full-scale commercialization. As enterprises face shrinking innovation cycles and complex product demands, this hub provides the necessary tools and collaborative space to navigate modern manufacturing challenges. The newly established facility serves as a dynamic, working engineering environment rather than a traditional showroom. It merges engineering innovation…