Commerce

Through this agreement, American Express Card Members will be able to use their cards in twelve new countries. (Image source: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated)

American Express and Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African financial services organisation, have announced a partnership to significantly enhance the acceptance of American Express Cards across twenty-one African countries 

As part of this agreement, American Express card Members will be able to use their cards in twelve additional countries: Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo. Moreover, the number of merchants accepting American Express Cards will increase in nine other countries where American Express is already accepted: Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. This expansion will be implemented over the next twelve months. Ecobank will also facilitate ATM acceptance for American Express in all African countries where it operates, except Cape Verde.

This announcement was made during the 2024 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group. The agreement aims to bolster the American Express global network by expanding the locations where American Express Card Members can use their Cards in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, this will allow merchants to tap into a new customer base comprising American Express consumer, business, and corporate Card Members from Africa and around the world.

"We are delighted to welcome American Express to our network, reinforcing our commitment to offering innovative payments solutions for customers across Africa,” said Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Group. "This agreement will benefit American Express Card Members, providing them with greater choice and will help merchants to grow their businesses. It also highlights the scalability of Ecobank’s unrivalled borderless banking ecosystem and network across Africa."

Mohammed Badi, president of Global Network Services at American Express, commented: “This agreement with Ecobank is a major milestone for American Express acceptance across Africa as it will expand our presence in sub-Saharan Africa to 42 countries from 30 at present. With Ecobank’s support, we look forward to providing merchants in these countries access to higher-spending American Express Card Members both in Africa and from around the world.”

Orange Ventures and Digital Africa enhance support for African startups through the Orange Digital Center network, boosting investments and fostering innovation. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

At Vivatech, a significant partnership was established between Fayçal Adlouni of Orange Ventures and Grégoire de Padirac from Digital Africa, aiming to enhance the growth and support of African startups within the Orange Digital Centers (ODC) network

Asma Ennaifer, executive director of CSR, communications and the Orange Digital Center program for Orange Africa and the Middle East, welcomed this collaboration, which builds upon the strategic alliance formed with Digital Africa in June 2023 to boost startup financing and assistance.

The alliance underscores the dedication of both Orange Ventures and Digital Africa to intensify their investment in startups nurtured by the ODC network. The Fuzé initiative now allows for the doubling of investments by either party, facilitated by a collaborative evaluation of applications and potential co-financing opportunities. The Orange Digital Center, present in 17 African and Middle Eastern countries and 8 European nations, consolidates various complimentary programs—from digital education for youth to startup incubation, acceleration, and leader support—under one roof, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation across the region.

In its inaugural year, the Fuzé program by Digital Africa granted up to €50,000 to five startups within the ODC network. Among these, three are Cameroonian—Clinihome in Healthtech, Koree in Fintech, and Colorfol in cultural and creative sectors—and two are Senegalese—Tolbi in Agritech and Proboutik in Fintech. This financial support is poised to significantly bolster their operations.

The involvement of Orange Ventures, the venture capital branch of the Orange Group, marks a pivotal advancement in the shared goal of propelling startup growth. This joint support framework for African entrepreneurs seeking funding was met with enthusiasm and a unified commitment to success by representatives from Orange, OMEA, and Digital Africa during the partnership signing event.

Fayçal Adlouni, managing partner, Orange Ventures,remarked, “The Orange Group is fully committed to nurturing the future champions of the technology scene in Africa and the Middle East. This arrangement, involving Orange Middle East and Africa, Orange Ventures and Digital Africa will collectively enable us to concentrate our resources to create an environment conducive to the success of startups in Africa and the Middle East.”

Asma Ennaifer, executive director of CSR, Communications and the Orange Digital Center program for Orange Middle East and Africa, added, “Orange Digital Centers are true catalysts for innovation, where ideas take shape and dreams become reality. By joining forces with Orange Ventures and Digital Africa, we're giving African startups the means to thrive and make their mark in a rapidly expanding digital world.”

Grégoire de Padirac, CEO of Digital Africa, said: “I am delighted by this partnership with Orange, with whom we share the same commitment to supporting African entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of maturity by providing them with a comprehensive range of financing and support services.”

Paratus partners with BSO for groundbreaking Paratus Express Route, offering ultra-fast 123ms latency from Johannesburg to Europe, transforming Africa's digital. (Image source: Paratus)

Paratus Group, a prominent telecommunications entity in Africa, has recently inked a deal with BSO, a trailblaser in infrastructure and connectivity for major financial corporations globally, marking BSO as the inaugural client for the innovative Paratus Express Route 

This state-of-the-art fiber optic pathway is celebrated for its unprecedented speed, linking Johannesburg to Europe with a remarkable latency of merely 123 milliseconds.

BSO, renowned for its ultra-fast connectivity services catering to sectors where time is of the essence, now boasts an augmented portfolio thanks to the Paratus Express Route. “We are excited – not only to be the first customer on the Paratus Express Route but also because this reinforces our promise of providing the fastest and most reliable connectivity solutions across the globe,” expressed Michael Ourabah, CEO of BSO.

This strategic and groundbreaking partnership is pivotal, offering the most expedited latency route from Johannesburg to London, catering to the critical needs of enterprises.

Spanning from Johannesburg to Swakopmund and passing through Botswana, the Paratus Express Route taps into the Equiano subsea cable system, ensuring a seamless connection to Lisbon, London, and broader Europe. Paratus’ significant investment in a comprehensive and varied fiber network solidifies a premier route that promises exceptional performance and dependability for network service providers and their corporate clientele.

“Our partnership with BSO underscores the value of the Paratus Express Route for network service providers and their financial services clients. By combining our local expertise with global reach, we are uniquely positioned to meet the critical connectivity demands of the financial industry. Our express route also marks a significant milestone on our journey to transform Africa’s digital landscape and to support the growth of the financial services sector,” stated Martin Cox, Chief Commercial Officer at Paratus Group.

The Paratus Express Route not only delivers unparalleled velocity and efficiency but also serves as an essential alternative conduit for network operators, diminishing the repercussions of possible fiber disruptions between Johannesburg and Cape Town. As the Equiano Subsea Cable’s landing associate in Namibia, Paratus ensures robust and varied network solutions for its customers.

Sparkle and Arqit’s quantum-safe VPN PoC heralds a new era in secure global communication. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Sparkle, Italy’s premier international telecom operator, in collaboration with Arqit Quantum Inc., a leader in quantum encryption, has successfully demonstrated a groundbreaking Internet Protocol secure (IPsec) tunnel from Italy to Germany 

This achievement utilised Arqit’s advanced Symmetric Key Agreement Platform and was supported by Telsy, a cybersecurity expert within the TIM Group.

The demonstration highlighted the seamless integration of Arqit Quantum’s Symmetric Key Agreement technology into Sparkle’s cutting-edge network, enhancing the security of data transfers across borders.

This development signifies the establishment of a software-based quantum-resistant Virtual Private Network (VPN), a significant milestone in network security. The software nature of the SKA Platform allows for rapid and straightforward expansion throughout any telecom network, ensuring that sensitive information is safeguarded from potential future quantum decryption methods, thus addressing the challenges posed by the evolution of cybersecurity threats.

Daniele Mancuso, Sparkle's chief marketing & product management officer commented, “Our state-of-the-art global network provides critical services to carriers, institutions and enterprises who choose and trust Sparkle’s leading secure connectivity services to keep their data safe. The successful completion of the quantum-safe VPN PoC, preliminary to a large-scale commercial launch, anticipates the potential threat of quantum decryption and confirms our market leading commitment to continuously elevating the security and resilience of Sparkle’s infrastructure.”

David Williams, Arqit founder, chairman and CEO said, “Sparkle’s establishment of the first quantum-safe VPN between Catania and Frankfurt signifies a key milestone in telecoms cybersecurity. By leveraging Arqit's SKA Platform, Sparkle is pioneering a new era of secure communication, ensuring the resilience of critical networks against the looming threat of quantum adversaries.”