GoTyme Bank has confirmed it has signed up to Catastrophe, the industry coalition campaigning against draft rules that would bar South African companies from making cross-border payments in cryptocurrency, saying the country’s regulatory framework should apply “consistent standards to equivalent financial activities, regardless of the technology used”. “This is not a position on whether crypto…
The Johannesburg High Court found that crypto-currency is subject to current forex rules. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | Freepik) A new crypto coalition, called CATASTROPHE, warns proposed cross-border regulations could threaten thousands of jobs, hit millions of crypto holders and cost the fiscus billions of rand in tax revenue. It is calling on National Treasury and…
The summit arrives against a paradox that has long defined African agriculture: a continent rich in arable land, labour and appetite, yet still dependent on imports to feed itself Africa’s drive to transform from a net food importer into a global agricultural powerhouse takes center stage this September as Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) returns for…
A new international coalition launched in Geneva on Tuesday is setting out to make sure children’s safety and rights are not an afterthought as artificial intelligence reshapes how they learn, play and grow up. The Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection in the Age of Artificial Intelligence brings together governments, UN agencies, tech companies, civil…
Boston, Massachusetts — “The irony is difficult to miss: A movement that presents itself as resisting Western cultural imperialism relies on a vision of Africa that is itself profoundly colonial.” In December 2022, Sharon Slater, president of an Arizona-based conservative Christian organisation called Family Watch International, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the International Islamic…
Building on a proven track record across 34 African markets, Ecobank Group has said it will partner with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), including Proparco, to deploy this $3 billion commitment. “By expanding access to competitive trade finance, the funds will directly fuel the core engines of Africa’s real economy: agribusiness, manufacturing, and general commerce. This…
The GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition — comprising six of the largest mobile operators in Africa — on Tuesday announced that six countries on the continent have been earmarked for the launch of its low-cost device priced at just US$40 (R660). The announcement was made during a press conference at the African Pavilion stand at Mobile…
“Honestly, I wish Trump could just be king forever and pass it down to the next one and then eventually Barron [Trump]. I don’t believe in having kings, but if we could, I think he’s done a lot, and I think he speaks out,” said Leighton-Floyd, of Kansas City, Missouri. “I think he’s probably priming…
At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a broad alliance of governments, companies, Indigenous-peoples organisations and civil society announced the launch of the Scaling J-REDD+ Coalition, a global effort to accelerate jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) programmes, mobilise large-scale finance and channel it into forests, climate and livelihoods. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), J-REDD+ could mobilise…
Global mobile telecommunications industry body the GSMA has partnered with six of Africa’s largest mobile operators – Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, Orange, and South Africa’s Vodacom and MTN – to develop a set of minimum requirements for an affordable, entry-level smartphone. The announcement was made at a Mobile World Congress event in Kigali, Rwanda…
