Ajayi takes over at a time when MTN is expanding its investments in cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, automation and digital services as it seeks to expand its reach across Nigeria’s competitive telecoms market.

Describing enterprise architecture, digital transformation and platform scale as key areas that have shaped her 27-year career in technology, Ajayi previously served as General Manager, Architecture and Engineering at MTN Nigeria.

During that period, she led architecture and engineering strategy across MTN’s digital, enterprise and customer-facing platforms, supporting services used by over 90 million subscribers.

Her responsibilities also included driving technology transformation programmes, overseeing platform resilience and security, and leading engineering teams across the business.

Ajayi joined MTN in 2003 as an Applications Support Engineer for billing systems and steadily rose through the ranks.

Over the years, she held several leadership positions across enterprise delivery, product development, customer experience operations and information systems before becoming General Manager, Architecture and Engineering.

In her new role, she will oversee the company’s technology strategy and infrastructure as MTN scales platform modernisation and the expansion of digital services.

Speaking on the appointment, Roger Shutte, general manager, Infrastructure and Cloud Engineering at MTN Nigeria, described her growth as recognition of years of hands-on leadership within the organisation.

“Bukola has been part of the engine room since the beginning. Not watching from a distance. Not arriving at the end. But deeply involved in the architecture, engineering, governance, resilience and execution that have shaped Technology in MTN Nigeria over the years,” he said.

Bukola Ajayi assumes the CIO position at a critical period for MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest mobile network operator which serves more than 90 million subscribers and accounts for a significant share of MTN Group’s revenue.

The company has been investing heavily in digital platforms, cloud technologies, artificial intelligence and financial services as it looks beyond traditional voice and data services.

With digital services now indispensable to its operations, Ajayi will be responsible for overseeing MTN’s technology strategy, platform development and information systems.

Her promotion further strengthens female representation in senior technology leadership roles within Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, where women are underrepresented in executive technical positions.

The post MTN Nigeria Appoints Long-Serving Executive Bukola Ajayi as Chief Information Officer appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This resulted from households and small firms looking for faster and cheaper ways to pay and receive funds.

The IMF says this transition has moved beyond early crypto users. It is now a payment channel in Nigeria’s financial system, even if it’s still outside traditional banking rails.

Between July 2023 and June 2024, Nigeria recorded about $59 billion in crypto inflows. That placed the country among the most active crypto markets globally.

The IMF also notes that Nigeria accounts for roughly 60% of stablecoin inflows in sub-Saharan Africa since 2019.

A smartphone and internet connection are usually enough to receive remittances or send payments abroad within minutes. Costs are also lower in many cases when compared with bank-led transfers.

The World Bank estimates that sending $200 to sub-Saharan Africa costs about 9% of the transaction value on average. That compares with a global average of around 6%. Stablecoins have become a cheaper alternative in some of these flows.

On the domestic side, the naira weakened through 2023 and 2024, while inflation stayed high. At the same time, access to foreign exchange was tight. Many users turned to dollar-pegged assets as a way to protect value or pay overseas suppliers.

When the Central Bank of Nigeria restricted banks from servicing crypto exchanges in 2021, activity moved further into peer-to-peer platforms and informal digital channels.

What started as small-scale crypto trading now overlaps with everyday financial needs, especially payments and savings in foreign currency terms.

Looking at the benefits, transfers move faster, costs can fall, and access improves for people outside formal banking systems. Small businesses also use stablecoins to settle cross-border trade more quickly.

However, the IMF warns that broad use of dollar-pegged tokens can weaken the role of the naira. When more value moves into dollar-based digital assets, domestic monetary policy becomes less effective in influencing real economic activity.

There are also issues around oversight. Transactions pass through digital wallets and crypto platforms that do not always fall under traditional banking supervision. That makes it harder for regulators to track flows in real time.

Financial integrity risks cannot be overlooked. Faster and less transparent channels can create space for illicit transactions, even if most users are acting within the law.

These challenges are not unique to Nigeria, but the scale of adoption here makes them more visible.

Policy responses are already taking shape. The Securities and Exchange Commission in Nigeria has introduced policies for virtual asset service providers, while the Central Bank of Nigeria has issued guidance on how banks should interact with crypto-related firms.

The IMF suggests that regulation alone will not be enough. It recommends a stronger approach that keeps innovation open but reduces risk.

One priority is macroeconomic stability. A stronger and more predictable naira would reduce the need for dollar-linked alternatives in the first place.

Another is better supervision. Transparent regulations for stablecoin issuers, aligned with frameworks emerging in places such as the European Union, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States, could help close regulatory gaps while still allowing innovation.

Data collection is also a gap. Regulators need better insight into how stablecoins move through the system, especially where they convert into naira or interact with local banks.

Finally, on payment infrastructure, Nigeria has made progress with instant payment systems and regional efforts like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System. Still, gaps in cross-border transfers still push users toward alternative digital routes.

Stablecoins are unlikely to replace traditional finance. They are instead filling gaps that already exist in cross-border payments.

The post Nigeria Sees Surge in Stablecoin Use as IMF Flags Policy Risks appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The financial infrastructure company has launched Bitnob Enterprise, a non-custodial infrastructure platform designed to banks, fintechs, treasury teams and other institutions build digital asset products while maintaining control of their custody architecture, governance and risk-management systems.

The new platform allows organisations to access Bitnob’s wallet, payment, treasury, settlement, and blockchain infrastructure without transferring custody of assets to the company.

Bitnob launched publicly in 2021 as a consumer Bitcoin app. Over time, the infrastructure built to power its own products attracted growing interest from businesses, leading the company to increasingly focus on wallets-as-a-service, payments, stablecoin settlement, collections, payouts, and card infrastructure. Today, more than $4.5 billion has moved through its infrastructure.

As adoption grew, Bitnob saw customer needs split. Some wanted a managed platform that removed operational complexity and accelerated time to market. Others wanted to own the parts of the business that define them, such as custody, key management, risk, and governance. Bitnob Enterprise was built for the second group.

“The next generation of financial institutions won’t outsource the things that define them, including how assets are secured, how risk is managed, how their customers are served,” said Bernard Parah, Founder and CEO of Bitnob. “Enterprise gives them the infrastructure layer underneath Bitnob without asking them to give up control.”

Enterprise supports non-custodial deployment, including external key management through HSMs, AWS KMS, and third-party signing systems.

Customers run their own treasury controls, approval workflows, transaction policies, compliance and security frameworks while leveraging Bitnob for wallets, blockchain connectivity, treasury operations, stablecoin settlement, and embedded financial services.

The platform is built for banks, regulated financial institutions, fintechs, treasury teams, and developers building infrastructure-intensive financial products.

For organisations entering the market, Enterprise is a path to launch digital asset products without spending years building blockchain infrastructure internally. For larger institutions, it is a way to add digital asset capabilities to existing compliance and operational environments while keeping control of customer relationships and internal governance.

Alongside Enterprise, Bitnob is introducing major upgrades to Bitnob Business, its managed platform first launched in 2022. The updated platform adds enhanced stablecoin swap capabilities including USDT-to-USDC conversion, off-ramp coverage across more than 110 countries, and a growing base of on-ramp coverage.

Together, the two products offer two ways into the same infrastructure: a managed platform for businesses that prioritise simplicity and speed, and an infrastructure layer for organisations that prioritise ownership and control.

The launch comes as businesses increasingly adopt stablecoin infrastructure for treasury, cross-border payments, and supplier settlement, and as institutions look to participate without compromising their existing governance, security, and operational requirements.

Bitnob Business and Bitnob Enterprise are available free beginning today. For more information, visit website or schedule a call with the sales team

About Bitnob

Founded in 2020, Bitnob is a financial infrastructure company helping businesses build, move, and manage money globally.

Through APIs and managed infrastructure, Bitnob powers wallets-as-a-service, payments, treasury operations, stablecoin settlement, card programs, collections, payouts, and embedded financial services for businesses across global markets.

The post Bitnob Launches Enterprise: Non-Custodial Infrastructure for Institutions appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

More than 100 employees have been promoted across its global operations, with one-time economic relief payment also introduced for all staff worldwide. 

In Nigeria, employees will receive additional tax support and cost-of-living adjustments following recent regulatory changes affecting take-home pay.

The decision also results from high living costs across key markets, including Nigeria, where inflation stood at 15.69% in April 2026. 

Food inflation was recorded at 16.06% in the same period. Fuel prices have also surged, with petrol selling at about ₦1,532.93 per litre, adding pressure to transport and daily expenses.

“I often say our people are our secret sauce,” Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, Flutterwave founder and CEO said. “They are the ultimate engine behind everything we build, giving us the capacity to create solutions that power businesses, unlock opportunities, and move money seamlessly across Africa and beyond.”

The company said the latest support measures are part of its approach to staff welfare and retention. It added that it wants employees to focus on work without constant financial strain.

Annette Akpolo, head of People and Culture at Flutterwave, said the approach combines individual performance with better staff support.

“Our goal has always been to build an environment where our people can focus on doing their best work, rather than being weighed down by economic anxiety,” Akpolo said. 

“Pairing merit-based individual growth with supporting the collective needs of the whole team are both essential parts of how we build a company culture where people genuinely want to stay and grow over the long term.”

Founded in 2016, Flutterwave marks its tenth year in 2026. The company said it has now processed over 1 billion transactions and moved more than $40 billion in total payment value globally.

Flutterwace also reported strong recent growth, including a 289% increase in wallet-based collections by transaction count and a 184% rise in bank transfer value over the past year. The company attributed this to wider use of local payment methods across its markets.

The announcement comes as Nigeria’s fintech sector competes for skilled talent. Firms such as Paystack and Interswitch are also expanding, while companies adjust pay and benefits to retain staff under rising cost pressures.

At Flutterwave, leadership said growth remains tied to performance and contribution.

“At Flutterwave, growth is earned through meaningful contributions to the business and to the mission we are building together,” Agboola said. “As we continue to grow, the people who will shape our future are those who consistently step up, solve hard problems, support others, and move the company forward.”

The post Flutterwave Promotes 25% of Staff as It Rolls Out Global Relief, Pay Support Package appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Dr. Aminu Maida, the executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the NCC, announced the initiative during the formal inauguration of the council in Lagos on Thursday, describing it as a strategic milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.

According to Maida, the establishment of the council signals Nigeria’s intention to play a stronger leadership role in the next evolution of the internet, where speed, scalability, security, and smart connectivity will define economic success.

Nigeria Trails Global IPv6 Adoption

Maida disclosed that Nigeria’s current IPv6 adoption rate stands at approximately five per cent, significantly below the global average, which is above 40 per cent according to industry measurements from global internet analytics platforms such as Google and APNIC.

IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is the latest version of the internet protocol that enables devices to communicate online. It was developed to replace IPv4, whose limited address capacity has become increasingly inadequate in a world driven by smartphones, connected devices, smart cities, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

While IPv4 supports about 4.3 billion unique addresses, IPv6 provides an almost unlimited pool of addresses, roughly 340 undecillion addresses, making it critical for the future digital economy.

Maida warned that Nigeria must urgently close the adoption gap.

“IPv6 is no longer optional. It is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security, innovation, and economic sovereignty,” he said.

Why IPv6 Matters Now

The NCC boss explained that the rapid growth of 5G networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), data centres, fintech platforms, AI-driven applications, and digital public services is placing increasing pressure on legacy IPv4 systems.

Globally, billions of connected devices are expected to come online over the next few years. Industry forecasts estimate that IoT devices alone could exceed 30 billion worldwide before the end of the decade.

Experts say IPv6 enables more efficient routing, lower network complexity, better end-to-end connectivity, and improved security integration compared with older IPv4 systems.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest digital market by population and one of the continent’s fastest-growing internet economies, the transition is seen as critical to sustaining long-term digital growth.

Council to Drive National Deployment Strategy

Maida said the newly inaugurated council would coordinate implementation of a National IPv6 Deployment Strategy with clear, measurable timelines.

Its mandate includes positioning Nigeria among Africa’s leading IPv6-enabled countries within the next three years.

The council’s immediate priorities include:

• Establishing a national monitoring and reporting framework with quarterly progress reviews and annual reports
• Promoting professional training and certification for IPv6 engineers
• Driving migration of public sector digital platforms to IPv6-ready systems
• Removing deployment barriers for telecom operators, internet service providers, data centres, banks, and enterprise networks
• Recommending incentives and regulatory measures to accelerate adoption

He stressed that successful migration would require collaboration across regulators, telecom companies, academia, technology communities, and government institutions.

“No single stakeholder can achieve this transition alone,” Maida stated.

NCC Partners AFRINIC, Industry Stakeholders

The NCC also revealed that it has already laid groundwork for migration through strategic partnerships, including collaboration with the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), Africa’s regional internet registry responsible for IP address resources.

These partnerships, according to Maida, have supported technical capacity-building programmes across both the public and private sectors.

Operators Yet to Fully Deploy IPv6

Speaking at the event, Muhammed Rudman, chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), noted that one of the biggest barriers to migration is the continued usability of IPv4.

He explained that many operators still rely on legacy infrastructure and therefore do not feel immediate pressure to migrate.

According to Rudman, Nigeria has more than 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and over 100 networks with IPv6 allocations, yet only a limited number are actively deploying IPv6 services to customers.

“Many operators have IPv6 capability, but it has not been deployed in a meaningful way,” he said.

He added that widespread dependence on Network Address Translation (NAT), a workaround that allows multiple users to share scarce IPv4 addresses, has created issues around performance, traceability, and security.

Targets for 2030

Rudman said the council’s national roadmap sets ambitious but realistic targets, including:

• At least 20% IPv6 compliance across government networks by 2027
• 25% active IPv6 deployment among telecom operators
• Approximately 30% nationwide adoption by 2030

The council also plans to train at least 50 professionals in IPv6 engineering by October through partnerships with universities, training institutions, and regional technical bodies.

He acknowledged that skills shortages remain a challenge, particularly due to migration of trained professionals abroad, making continuous talent development essential.

Digital Sovereignty at Stake

Technology policy expert Chris Uwaje said Nigeria must move beyond dependence on outdated digital systems if it intends to compete in the emerging global technology order.

According to him, IPv6 adoption is not merely a technical upgrade but a national strategic imperative tied to sovereignty, innovation, and domestic capability building.

“This is about building the future internet on Nigeria’s own terms,” Uwaje said.

A Strategic Turning Point

The launch of the Nigeria IPv6 Council comes at a time when nations are increasingly investing in resilient digital infrastructure to support innovation, e-commerce, fintech, smart governance, and cybersecurity.

For Nigeria, analysts say accelerating IPv6 adoption could unlock new efficiencies, strengthen national networks, and better position the country for the next wave of technological advancement.

The post NCC Launches Nigeria IPv6 Council to Future-Proof Internet Infrastructure, Boost Digital Sovereignty appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Across Africa, the edtech sector is projected to surpass $7 billion by 2030, driven by rising smartphone penetration and demand for alternative learning pathways.

Yet beneath this growth lies a more fragile reality: many platforms built to serve this demand are not engineered to sustain it.

The visible layer of edtech, including the apps, dashboards, and content, often obscures a deeper question: can these systems actually hold up under pressure?

In Nigeria, where connectivity is inconsistent, devices are often low-spec, and infrastructure costs are dollar-denominated, scaling a digital classroom is not just a product challenge. It is an engineering one.

For Oluwasegun Ige, an Engineering and Operations Leader at Class54, this distinction is critical. With nearly a decade of experience across edtech, fintech, and civic technology, he has built systems that must perform reliably in environments where failure is not an exception, but expected.

“The biggest misconception about edtech in Africa is that growth is a function of features,” he says. “In reality, growth is a function of resilience. If your system cannot handle real-world conditions, no amount of features will save it.”

That reality begins with bandwidth. In many parts of Nigeria, students move in and out of connectivity throughout the day.

A platform that assumes constant internet access is already excluding a significant portion of its users. At Class54, this constraint led to a deliberate architectural choice: build for interruption.

Offline functionality was not treated as an add-on, but as a core system requirement. Learning materials, practice questions, and progress tracking were designed to persist beyond connectivity, with synchronisation mechanisms that reconcile user activity once access is restored.

The result is a platform that behaves less like a live service and more like a continuous learning environment, one that does not collapse when the network does.

But resilience is only one side of the equation. The other is cost.

In many African startups, infrastructure costs quietly scale faster than revenue. Cloud services priced in foreign currency can erode margins long before a company reaches profitability. At Class54, Ige approached this challenge with a clear constraint: operate at minimal cost without compromising performance.

The result was a system capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of users while running on infrastructure costing less than $50 per month.

This was achieved through disciplined engineering such as lean API design, efficient storage strategies, and careful allocation of compute resources.

“In this environment, efficiency is not optional,” Ige explains. “Every unnecessary request, every redundant process. It all adds up. If you don’t design for efficiency from the start, scaling becomes expensive very quickly.”

This efficiency extends to system architecture. In edtech platforms, APIs are not just connectors, they are the system’s nervous system. Poorly designed APIs introduce latency, limit flexibility, and make future development increasingly complex.

At Class54, the API layer was built to accommodate growth from the outset. Features like practice history, leaderboards, and AI-powered explanations were integrated into a structure that prioritizes speed and modularity.

This ensures that new capabilities can be added without degrading performance, an essential requirement in a space where user expectations evolve quickly.

Yet performance alone does not guarantee engagement. In Nigeria’s competitive digital landscape, users have little patience for unreliable systems. A slow-loading quiz or a lost session is often enough to drive a student away permanently.

“People talk about engagement as if it’s a design problem,” Ige says. “But the first layer of engagement is trust. If the system works consistently, users stay. If it doesn’t, they leave.”

Another layer of complexity emerges when platforms integrate with the broader digital ecosystem. Payments, messaging, and identity systems each come with their own constraints and inconsistencies. Ige’s experience across communications and fintech infrastructure underscores the importance of designing for interoperability.

“In Africa, you are always integrating with something,” he notes. “Different providers, different standards, different levels of reliability. Your system has to absorb that complexity without passing it on to the user.”

For edtech platforms, this could mean connecting with examination bodies, enabling payments for premium content, or integrating communication tools for student support. Each integration introduces potential points of failure, and each must be engineered with care.

What emerges is a picture of edtech that looks very different from the one typically presented. It is less about interfaces and more about infrastructure; less about content and more about continuity.

With over 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, demand for accessible education will only grow. But meeting that demand will require more than scaling user acquisition. It will require building systems that reflect the realities of the continent.

For Ige, the path forward is clear.

“Technology in Africa has to be intentional,” he says. “You design for constraints, such as network, cost, devices, and then build systems that thrive within them.”

That philosophy is quietly shaping Nigeria’s digital classrooms, not through what users see, but through the engineering decisions that ensure they can keep learning.

The post Behind Nigeria’s Digital Classrooms: How Oluwasegun Ige is Engineering the Systems Powering EdTech Growth appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The round was co-led by Flourish Ventures and 1kx, with backing from White Star Capital and Fabric Ventures. With this, the company’s total funding now stands at $9.2 million.

Kulipa builds payment infrastructure that allows fintech companies to issue cards funded directly from stablecoin balances. These cards can be used anywhere card networks are accepted, including for everyday purchases and ATM withdrawals.

Stablecoins already handle more than $300 billion in daily settlements, but their use in everyday payments is still limited. The systems that connect blockchain-based transactions to traditional card networks are still fragmented and usually require large upfront capital.

Kulipa says its platform removes some of these limitations. It verifies balances and settles transactions onchain, reducing the need for prefunding.

At the same time, it takes on fraud liability for issued cards, which lowers operational pressure for its partners.

“Stablecoins have proven their value as a settlement layer, but using them in everyday financial products is still early,” said Axel Cateland, Founder and CEO of Kulipa.

“Card issuance is the bridge between onchain balances and real-world payments. We built Kulipa to give regulated fintech platforms the compliant, capital-efficient infrastructure they need to operate at global scale.”

The company operates what it describes as a local-first model, with regulatory coverage across the European Union, Argentina and Nigeria. It is also working on expansion into the United States through BIN sponsorship.

Kulipa launched its infrastructure in February 2025 and since then, it has issued more than 120,000 cards and signed 20 customers. These include Flutterwave, Solflare, nSave and Ready.

The company also reports a 70% month-on-month increase in transaction volume.

“At Flutterwave, we’re focused on building payment infrastructure that works across markets at scale. As stablecoins become a more practical settlement option, it’s important that businesses can turn those balances into real-world spending,” said Olugbenga Agboola, Founder & CEO of Flutterwave.

“Partnering with Kulipa allows us to extend stablecoin value into globally accepted payments in a compliant, scalable way.”

“Kulipa has enabled Ready to become an onchain alternative to banks,” said Itamar Lesuisse, CEO of Ready. “With their infrastructure, we can issue globally accepted cards directly from stablecoin balances, giving our users seamless access to everyday spending in a compliant and scalable way.”

Kulipa was founded in 2023 by a team with experience across payments, compliance and technology. Cateland previously worked on Apple Pay and Google Pay deployments at Mastercard.

Co-founder and CTO Michael Shynar has worked at WhatsApp and Google, while Head of Compliance Benoit Roger brings experience from Binance and Nickel Bank.

Investors say the company is addressing a key gap in the market.

“We’re seeing stablecoins moving beyond cross-border settlement and becoming part of real financial infrastructure,” said Ameya Upadhyay, General Partner, Flourish Ventures.

“The missing piece has been compliant, scalable card issuance. Kulipa fills that gap by combining capital efficiency with multi-region regulatory coverage, enabling fintech platforms to bring stablecoin settlement into everyday payments.”

1kx Founding Partner Christopher Heymann added, “Stablecoins are reshaping how money moves globally, but for mainstream adoption, people need to spend them as easily as they spend fiat. 

“Kulipa meets users where they already are, starting with the card in their wallet, and gives businesses a turnkey way to offer that experience. We believe this payments layer is critical infrastructure for the next phase of crypto adoption.”

Kulipa says it will use the new funding to strengthen its infrastructure and support more fintech platforms looking to offer stablecoin-based payments at scale.

The post Kulipa Raises $6.2 Million to Expand Stablecoin Card Payments Across Africa, Other Markets appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The result from Brand Finance shows a mix of scale, steady demand for digital services, and steady investment across its operations.

MTN leads with a brand value of about R50.9 billion and its uniqueness isn’t limited to its size, but how it earns across different markets and services.

The group operates in about 16 countries and serves more than 300 million users, providing a wide and stable base of revenue across Africa.

Mobile data is the main growth driver. More users now depend on data for streaming, communication, and everyday digital activity. This supports recurring income and reduces reliance on traditional voice services.

With demand for connectivity growing, MTN benefits directly from increased data usage across its markets.

Fintech services are also a big part of its growth. MTN has expanded mobile money and digital payment platforms in several countries. These services allow users to transfer funds, make payments, and access financial tools through mobile devices.

The expansion adds new revenue streams and strengthens customer engagement within its ecosystem.

Again, infrastructure investment, where MTN continues to expand and upgrade its network to improve coverage and service quality. These improvements help meet rising demand and maintain user trust in its services.

Strong network performance also helps reduce customer loss to competitors.

The group’s long-term brand visibility has long contributed to its position, with MTN maintaining consistent public presence through partnerships and sponsorships over the years, including its long-running association with national rugby. This visibility has supported brand recognition and trust among users.

Looking at the market environment which has also improved, South Africa’s top brands recorded stronger performance in 2026, supported by improved energy supply, easing inflation, and the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list in late 2025.

Structural reforms and a sovereign credit rating upgrade by S&P Global around the same period also contributed to renewed investor confidence.

Jeremy Sampson, chairman of Brand Finance Africa, said: “As South Africa’s economic environment stabilises, the country’s leading brands are demonstrating strong resilience and growth. Sectors such as banking, retail, and telecoms continue to anchor the ranking.

“Strong gains in insurance and beers highlight how sustained brand investment and operational performance can translate into significant brand value growth. Strong brands will continue to play an important role in strengthening investor confidence and supporting South Africa’s long-term economic competitiveness.”

Other brands that joined MTN on the 2026 list included Vodacom Group, which ranks second with a brand value of about R47.9 billion, supported by expansion into markets such as Egypt and Ethiopia and increased use of digital financial services.

Standard Bank Group holds third place at roughly R45 billion, driven by strong corporate banking performance and ongoing investment in digital platforms.

First National Bank and Absa Group benefited from high customer adoption of digital banking services. In retail, Checkers was the strongest brand, supported by high consumer trust, expansion of its delivery services, and consistent customer traffic.

PEP recorded the fastest growth among the top brands, rising 76% to R5.8 billion. Its performance showed expansion across its retail network and increased use of digital payments and financial services.

Five new entrants also joined the rankings in 2026, including Savanna, SANRAL, Valterra Platinum, Oros, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Taken together, MTN’s scale, data-driven revenue, fintech expansion, and steady investment in infrastructure all support its sustained position, even as competition strengthens across telecoms, banking, and retail sectors.

The post Why MTN Still Leads South Africa’s Top Brands as Value Hits $45.9bn in 2026 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

At the same time, the country recorded over 182 million active mobile subscriptions and about 53% broadband penetration as of early 2026.

These statistics are rarely spotlighted in discussions about Nigeria’s tech sector, though they point to the main driver in the field.

While attention is placed on startups, funding rounds and new apps, influence is consolidating around the companies that run the networks.

These include MTN Group and Airtel Africa, not simply as telecom operators, but as companies expanding into digital platforms.

The scale advantage nobody can replicate

Start with distribution. Nigeria has more than 182 million active mobile lines, with stable monthly growth. In January 2026 alone, over 2.5 million new subscriptions were added.

Market share is heavily concentrated, with MTN and Airtel together accounting for close to 86% of mobile connections in the country.

This is not a fragmented market, a small number of operators control access at scale, limiting how far smaller competitors can reach.

That control affects how people come online, how data is used, and how digital services reach users.

Startups build applications, but telcos are in control of the networks on which those applications depend.

From connectivity to control

For years, telecom companies relied on voice calls and SMS for revenue, but that model has changed.

Data now drives earnings, alongside enterprise services and digital offerings.

The transition is measurable and revenue is moving towards:

• mobile data
• business connectivity
• digital service layers

At the same time, telecom operators are expanding into:

• financial services
• developer platforms
• enterprise solutions
• identity and verification systems

This is a change in structure, not just product expansion.

Once a company controls connectivity, expanding into adjacent services becomes a natural progression.

MTN’s reset

Recent changes at MTN Group align with the new direction. A few days ago, the company announced the appointment of five new independent non-executive directors, alongside the planned retirement of long-serving board members. The changes take effect from March 31 and are tied to its Ambition 2030 strategy.

This is part of a governance adjustment. As operations expand across markets and services, oversight structures are being strengthened to match that scale and complexity.

Board composition influences strategic direction, capital allocation and risk management. Changes at that level usually show where a company is heading.

In this case, the direction points beyond traditional telecom operations.

Airtel is focusing on a different future

Airtel Africa is taking a different approach. The company is testing satellite-to-mobile connectivity, working with low-earth orbit systems to extend coverage.

Nigeria still faces infrastructure challenges, including uneven fibre deployment and high rollout costs in rural areas.

Satellite connectivity provides a way around these limits. Coverage is no longer tied entirely to physical infrastructure such as towers and fibre routes.

If scaled, this approach could change how network expansion is done, particularly in underserved areas.

The fintech convergence is inevitable

Telecom operators already have:

• large, verified user bases
• frequent customer interaction through airtime and data
• wide physical and digital distribution

These factors support expansion into:

• payments
• wallets
• remittance services
• credit products

This brings them into direct competition with fintech firms, with the difference lying in the starting point.

Startups build products and then acquire users. Telcos already have users and are building services around them.

The result of this overlap is still unfolding, but the direction is too simple not to understand.

Data flows, and telcos sit at the centre

Nigeria’s digital activity is growing really fast. Monthly data consumption has crossed 1.3 million terabytes, driven by streaming, social media and financial services.

All of that traffic runs through telecom networks.

Operators influence:

• connection speed
• pricing
• reliability

These factors affect how digital services perform and how widely they are adopted.

This places telecom companies in a foremost position within the digital economy.

There is Growth, but access is still uneven

Infrastructure investment is increasing even as the network keeps expanding, with more sites, wider fibre coverage and gradual 5G rollout. MTN alone invested over $1 billion in 2025, targeting wider broadband access.

However, there is still a huge gap.

Broadband penetration is just above 53%, and access is uneven across regions. Again, we can’t leave out the high expenses that limit many users.

Expansion is ongoing, but inclusion is not yet complete.

Regulation will follow power

With telecom companies expanding their role, regulatory attention is increasing.

Issues under focus include:

• data protection
• competition
• infrastructure security

Telecom networks now support financial systems, communication and economic activity at scale.

As their influence grows, so does the need for oversight.

The endgame is already visible

As it stands, telcos across Africa, in a bid to become tech platforms, are expanding into multiple layers of the digital economy.

Their roles are expanding to include:

• financial services
• cloud distribution
• identity systems
• infrastructure platforms

This places them in a position to support and influence a wide range of digital services.

Startups will continue to innovate just as regulators will continue to respond.

But telecom operators will always be indispensable to how digital access is provided and scaled.

So…

Much of the conversation around Nigeria’s tech sector focuses on applications, founders and funding.

That view leaves out the underlying systems that make those services possible.

The more fundamental changes are happening in network expansion, infrastructure investment and corporate strategy.

They are less visible, but they carry long-term weight, and they are steadily changing how the digital economy operates.

The post From SIM Cards to Super Platforms: Why Telcos are Becoming the Most Powerful Tech Companies in Africa appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Per Bloomberg, discussions are still at an early stage and there is no certainty a deal will happen. Both companies declined to comment.

Shortly after, PayPal shares rose 6.7% to $47.02 in New York on Tuesday. That gives the company a market value of about $43.3 billion.

Stripe, which is still privately held, recently confirmed a $159 billion valuation in an employee tender offer. The company was founded by brothers Patrick Collison and John Collison. It has grown into one of the most valuable financial technology firms in the world.

Speaking this week, Patrick Collison said: “PayPal has had, obviously, a tough time over the past few years and the landscape has changed quite a bit with Apple Pay and Google Pay and everything like that. I can’t talk about any, you know, M&A hypotheticals but they’ve definitely had a tough time.”

PayPal was founded in the late 1990s and helped build early online payments. In recent years, however, it has faced slower growth.

Digital wallets such as Apple Inc.’s Apple Pay and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Pay have taken market share. The company’s fourth-quarter revenue and profit fell short of analysts’ estimates. Payment volumes have also slowed.

At the same time, PayPal is changing its leadership. Enrique Lores will become president and chief executive on March 1, replacing Alex Chriss, who was removed earlier this month. David Dorman has been appointed board chair.

Stripe, meanwhile, has continued to expand. The company processed $1.9 trillion in payment volume in 2025. It has also secured a US national bank trust charter for its stablecoin subsidiary, Bridge, showing plans to strengthen its role in regulated digital payments.

If the acquisition of PayPal by Stripe proceeds, the transaction could rank among the largest deals in the financial technology sector.

The post Stripe Explores Potential Acquisition of PayPal as Shares Jump 6.7% appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.