💸 PAPSS set to launch Africa Currency Marketplace

Today’s Menu ☕️

💸 PAPSS set to launch Africa Currency Marketplace to Cut Dollar Dependence
🚙 CIG Motors Takes Control of LagRide’s operations
🤖 Google phases out Google Assistant in favour of Gemini
🩺 M-KOPA and Turaco Unlock Free Health Insurance for Over 1 Million Kenyans
💬 Airtel Africa Unveils AI-Powered Spam Alert Service to Combat SMS Fraud
📱iPhone and Android users to gain ability to send encrypted RCS messages to one another
🤖 Google Unveils Gemini Robotics AI for Next-Gen Robots

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💸 CROSS-BORDER PAYMENTS

PAPSS set to launch Africa Currency Marketplace to Cut Dollar Dependence

The Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS) announced that it is gearing up to launch “The Africa Currency Marketplace”, an innovative currency exchange platform that will enable African businesses to trade directly using local currencies. The marketplace is expected to go live later this year, offering a sustainable solution to one of the continent’s most persistent trade bottlenecks—foreign exchange inefficiency..​.......…continue reading

🚙 RIDE-HAILING

CIG Motors Takes Control of LagRide’s operations

In a significant development within Lagos State’s transportation sector, CIG Motors Co. Ltd., the Nigerian representative of the Chinese state-owned automaker GAC Motors, has assumed operational management of LagRide, the state’s government-backed ride-hailing platform. This transition marks the conclusion of a five-year technical partnership between the Lagos State Government and Zenolynk Technology Ltd., the original developer of the LagRide application.

Zenolynk, under the leadership of Tumi Adeyemi, launched LagRide in 2020 with a “ride-to-own” scheme for drivers. However, Zenolynk states that this partnership ended on the 10th of March 2025.​.......…continue reading

🤖 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Google phases out Google Assistant in favour of Gemini

Google is set to transition away from its long-standing virtual assistant, Google Assistant, in favour of its new AI initiative, Gemini. This significant shift was announced by the company last week Friday, indicating that a broader rollout of Gemini will begin for “more” users over the upcoming months.

As part of this transition, Google Assistant will eventually become unavailable on most mobile devices. The classic version of the assistant will no longer be accessible and will also be removed from mobile app stores for new downloads at some point later this year. However, it is worth noting that devices running Android 9 or earlier, which are equipped with at least 2GB of RAM, will still retain access to the classic Google Assistant.​.......…continue reading

🩺 HEALTH INSURANCE

M-KOPA and Turaco Unlock Free Health Insurance for Over 1 Million Kenyans

In a bold step to enhance financial resilience among low-income earners, M-KOPA Kenya and Turaco Insurance Agency have provided over 1 million Kenyans with Hospital Cash insurance—at no extra cost—through M-KOPA smartphones. This initiative, part of M-KOPA’s “More Than a Phone” offering, is making healthcare protection more accessible to everyday earners across Kenya.

For many Kenyan families, medical emergencies can derail financial progress. With over 5% of Kenyan households facing catastrophic healthcare costs annually, and 14 million households across Africa falling into poverty due to medical bills, the need for accessible health insurance has never been more critical.

Recognizing this, M-KOPA partnered with Turaco, one of Africa’s leading insurtech firms, to integrate 12 months of free Hospital Cash insurance into every smartphone they offer. Customers automatically receive Ksh 1,000 per day when hospitalized overnight at any Ministry of Health registered hospital—public or private......…continue reading

💬 TELECOMS

Airtel Africa Unveils AI-Powered Spam Alert Service to Combat SMS Fraud

In a decisive move to enhance digital security, Airtel Nigeria has launched an innovative AI-powered Spam Alert Service, designed to protect subscribers from the growing menace of spam messages and SMS fraud. This first-of-its-kind solution in Africa is set to revolutionize the way mobile users tackle fraudulent SMS schemes.

The service, rolled out in Lagos, is automatically activated for all Airtel customers—both smartphone and feature phone users—at no extra cost. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), the system scans and detects suspicious SMS activity in real-time, flagging messages as “Suspected SPAM” and warning users about potential cyber threats.........…continue reading

📱TELECOMS

iPhone and Android users to gain ability to send encrypted RCS messages to one another

Text messaging between iPhone and Android devices is set to receive a significant upgrade with the introduction of end-to-end encryption (E2EE). This development follows the GSM Association (GSMA) publishing new specifications for the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol, which now includes support for cross-platform E2EE.

RCS has been a long-term initiative aimed at enhancing SMS-style communication by incorporating richer features. These features include group messaging, typing indicators, read receipts, and file sharing, making RCS comparable to popular messaging applications like WhatsApp.

Historically, while many Android manufacturers embraced RCS, Apple was a notable exception until it finally integrated RCS with the release of iOS 18 last year. Since then, most core RCS functionalities have been available for cross-platform messaging, but the crucial E2EE feature was missing—until now...…continue reading

OPPORTUNITIES

• Google Unveils Gemini Robotics AI for Next-Gen Robots…..continue reading

• MTN and Lagos State Launch ‘My Lagos App’ to Transform Urban Living…….continue reading

• Ethiopia and AfDB partner on $7.8 billion airport project, set to be Africa’s largest…..continue reading

• Starlink faces ownership challenges in Lesotho……continue reading

• Preferental launches innovative app to transform tenant screening for South African landlords…....continue reading

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