Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Simpaisa has acquired Bangladeshi payment gateway aamarPay and invested nearly $1 million to expand digital payment services. The deal marks a foreign fintech investment in a licensed Payment System Operator and aims to strengthen Bangladesh’s payment infrastructure, support cross-border transactions and promote financial inclusion.
MTN Uganda reported strong financial growth in 2025, with total revenue rising 13.6% to UGX 3.6 trillion and service revenue increasing 13.4%. Data and fintech services drove performance, with data revenue up 28.8% and fintech revenue up 17.3%. The operator also expanded 4G and 5G coverage while continuing investments in network infrastructure and digital financial services.
Basata Holding has expanded its cash-in and cash-out services to all mobile wallets across its 120,000 POS terminals in Egypt. Moving beyond its Vodafone Cash exclusivity, the move supports Egypt’s 40 million wallet users by providing widespread access to deposits and withdrawals through local merchants, significantly advancing national financial inclusion.
Algerian fintech startup Gifty launches a unified digital payments platform enabling bill payments, mobile top-ups, e-commerce purchases and digital gifting as it aims to expand financial inclusion and evolve into a neobank.
VEON’s Jazz International agrees to acquire a controlling stake in TPL Insurance to expand digital insurance and financial services through its JazzCash and Mobilink Bank ecosystem in Pakistan.
This partnership represents a critical step toward financial inclusion by bridging the gap between digital-first FinTech programs and traditional banking infrastructure. By providing a scalable foundation for future service expansions, the collaboration empowers digital operators to offer more comprehensive, user-centric financial products that are fully supported by Egypt’s established banking network.
Fawry’s 2025 performance underscores a successful pivot from a simple payment aggregator to a comprehensive digital bank. By integrating AI into operations and launching low-cost merchant tools like Soft POS, the company has solidified its infrastructure for sustainable, high-margin growth in Egypt’s evolving cashless economy.
The collaboration between a leading local telecom operator and a global tech giant highlights the increasing convergence of connectivity and fintech in emerging markets. By providing a “one-stop” digital ecosystem, the partners intend to drive the growth of the cashless economy while ensuring the platform can handle the massive transaction scales required for a nationwide rollout.
The record-breaking transaction volumes underscore a successful push toward financial inclusion and modernized infrastructure in Libya. By diversifying payment methods—moving from traditional cards to mobile applications and instant payment systems—the central authority is effectively reducing the economy’s reliance on physical currency while increasing the efficiency and transparency of the national banking sector.
Network International has enabled Apple Pay tokenisation for four Egyptian banks under the Central Bank of Egypt’s latest licensing wave, strengthening the country’s mobile payments ecosystem.