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💰Stripe Explores PayPal Acquisition

💰Stripe Explores PayPal Acquisition

Plus: Bolt for Business Sees 38% Growth in South Africa

Innovation Village
February 26, 2026

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Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

Wero, a rising fintech challenger, is positioning itself to take on the long-standing dominance of Visa and Mastercard in global payments, raising questions about whether Africa-based payment platforms can disrupt entrenched international networks. With digital transactions surging across the continent, Wero’s entry highlights both the growing demand for localised solutions and the opportunity for African fintechs to offer faster, more affordable, and more inclusive payment options.

The move comes amid broader debates over financial sovereignty, transaction fees, and cross-border payment accessibility. For consumers and businesses alike, Wero’s success could signal a shift in the payments landscape, challenging the grip of traditional card networks while reshaping how digital commerce operates across Africa.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

💰Stripe Explores PayPal Acquisition in Mega Payments Deal
🌐Starlink Reopens ₦159,000 Business Plan in Nigeria’s Major Cities
💵Can Wero Break Visa–Mastercard’s Grip?
🤝 Yango, Flutterwave Partner on Cashless Payments in Zambia
🚘Bolt for Business Sees 38% Growth in South Africa
🤖Red Hat, NVIDIA Launch Enterprise AI Factory

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💰ACQUISITIONS

Stripe Explores PayPal Acquisition in Mega Payments Deal

Stripe is reportedly in early talks to acquire all or part of PayPal, a potential deal that could significantly reshape the global payments industry. While discussions remain preliminary, the news boosted PayPal’s stock by nearly 7%.

PayPal has struggled with slowing growth, increased competition, and declining share value, prompting leadership changes and cautious profit forecasts. In contrast, Stripe has strengthened its market position, recently reaching a $159 billion valuation and continuing to expand its product ecosystem............….continue reading

🌐INTERNET

Starlink Reopens ₦159,000 Business Plan in Nigeria’s Major Cities

Starlink has reinstated its Business (Priority) internet plan in Nigeria’s most congested cities, including Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, after months of residential sign-up restrictions. The plan costs ₦159,000 per month, with hardware expenses ranging from ₦590,000 to over ₦4 million depending on equipment.

The move follows persistent network congestion that forced Starlink to suspend new residential activations in high-density areas. Customers in affected neighborhoods must now either subscribe to the premium Business tier or remain on a waitlist with no activation timeline.............….continue reading

💵PAYMENTS

Can Wero Break Visa–Mastercard’s Grip?

Europe is mounting its most coordinated challenge in decades to the dominance of Visa and Mastercard through Wero, a pan-European digital payments wallet backed by major banks and policymakers.

Visa and Mastercard control nearly half of eurozone card payment value and dominate individual markets, creating structural dependence on US infrastructure. After Russia was cut off from card networks in 2022, European policymakers began treating payments as strategic infrastructure tied to sovereignty, data control, and geopolitical risk.

The concern is not just transaction fees — it is control over financial data flows and systemic resilience.........….continue reading

🤝PARTNERSHIPS

Yango, Flutterwave Partner on Cashless Payments in Zambia

Yango has partnered with Flutterwave to enable secure, cashless payments for taxi rides and food delivery services in Zambia. Through the integration, users can pay with bank cards processed via Flutterwave’s infrastructure, improving transaction security and reliability.

The move supports Yango’s push to expand digital payment options while encouraging cashless adoption in Zambia’s growing on-demand economy. For Flutterwave, the partnership strengthens its presence in Africa’s evolving digital commerce and fintech ecosystem............….continue reading

🚘RIDE-HAILING SERVICES

Bolt for Business Sees 38% Growth in South Africa

Bolt for Business reported a 38% year-on-year growth in South Africa in 2025, reflecting a shift toward app-based corporate mobility solutions. The platform, active in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, streamlined business travel with peak usage during office hours and Fridays as the busiest day.

A key driver was the partnership with Stellr, allowing companies to purchase ride credits through banking apps, digital portals, and retail points like Pick n Pay. Bolt’s expansion aligns with its global footprint of 200 million users across 600 cities, with enterprise mobility now a core part of its offerings..........….continue reading

🤖ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Red Hat, NVIDIA Launch Enterprise AI Factory

Red Hat and NVIDIA have launched the Red Hat AI Factory, a co-engineered enterprise AI platform designed to help organizations scale AI from experimentation to production across hybrid cloud environments. The platform integrates Red Hat AI Enterprise and NVIDIA AI Enterprise, offering production-ready deployment tools, model customization, dynamic GPU orchestration, and enterprise-grade security.

Supported across leading infrastructure providers like Cisco, Dell, Lenovo, and Supermicro, the AI Factory aims to optimize performance, reduce costs, and enable organizations to deploy agentic AI applications at scale with operational consistency.............….continue reading