banknbox, the region’s leading unified Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform, and Flash, one of Egypt’s leading digital payments platforms, have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to introduce Egypt’s first Sound Box payment solution, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital payments landscape. Approval from the Central Bank The launch follows Flash’s approval from the Central Bank of Egypt to introduce the Sound Box solution to the Egyptian market, combining Flash’s payments platform, merchant ecosystem, and local market expertise with banknbox’s robust Banking-as-a-Service infrastructure to bring next-generation payment technology to merchants across Egypt. What Is a Sound Box? Sound Box is a…
Author: Mohamed Fathy
Fincart, the Al-powered operating system for e-commerce. merchants, today announced the successful close of its oversubscribed seed funding round. This round was co-led by Launch Africa and Antler MENAP, with participation from Yango Ventures, Five35 Ventures, Bluestream Capital, Hi2 Global, Kalahari Venture Labs, and other leading MENA and Africa-focused investors. The seed round follows Fincart’s pre-seed funding round, led by Plus VC with participation from Orbit Ventures, Plug and Play, and other regional investors. E-commerce Merchants Fincart, which started as a platform connecting e-commerce merchants to last-mile shipping providers, optimizing delivery performance and improving merchants’ cash reconciliation cycles, has grown…
Qualiphi has announced a strategic partnership with Tick & Talk, a human capital development company and the creator of Speekr.ai, the first experiential learning platform in the Middle East and North Africa that leverages AI-powered simulations to develop and assess human skills. BUE The partnership agreement was signed during a ceremony held at the Alumni Lounge of the British University in Egypt (BUE), a venue chosen to reflect the founders’ shared connection as BUE alumni. The event was attended by senior executives from both companies, along with university alumni, highlighting the growing role of the university’s alumni network in fostering…
African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week. M-KOPA Kenya Mobility Secures $30 Million Debt Facility to Expand Electric Motorcycle Financing in Kenya M-KOPA Kenya Mobility, the mobility financing arm of African fintech group M-KOPA, has secured a $30 million senior debt facility from Dutch development bank FMO to accelerate the adoption of electric motorcycles in Kenya. The financing, structured in three tranches, will primarily support the company’s growing pay-as-you-go financing portfolio. Established in 2023, M-KOPA Kenya Mobility provides financing for electric motorcycles…
Uber today announced the launch of Meshwarha (Her Journey), a long-term initiative designed to support women’s economic participation in Egypt through learning, earning, and growth opportunities. As the first partnership under Meshwarha, Uber is collaborating with INJAZ Egypt to support women drivers on the Uber platform through a dedicated upskilling program that equips participants with practical skills to support their personal and professional development. Skills Development Programs Through partnerships, skills development programs, and community-focused initiatives, Meshwarha aims to help women unlock greater economic opportunity and achieve their personal and professional ambitions. The initiative builds on Uber’s continued commitment to Egypt…
African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week. South African Startup Cue Raises $5 Million to Expand Its AI Customer Service Platform South African customer-service technology startup Cue has secured $5 million in a funding round co-led by Knife Capital and FAM Investments to accelerate the development of its AI-powered platform and support its international expansion. The company plans to invest the new capital in enhancing its AI agents, introducing advanced voice capabilities, strengthening platform security, and expanding integrations for enterprise customers. These…
Mylerz Egypt, one of the country’s leading integrated e-commerce last-mile delivery and fulfillment companies, today announced that it has raised over EGP 100 million in new debt and equity funding from its existing shareholders. The proceeds will be deployed to bolster Mylerz Egypt’s continued growth across the Egyptian market. Fulfillment Infrastructure The new capital strengthens Mylerz Egypt’s balance sheet and working capital position, enabling the company to scale its fulfillment infrastructure, expand network capacity, and continue investing in the proprietary technology platform that underpins its same-day and next-day delivery proposition. It also reinforces Mylerz Egypt’s ability to serve the fast-growing…
African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week. Kenyan startups Fuzu and Kyosk Secure Funding from Jobtech Alliance to Expand AI Operations and B2B Commerce Kenyan startups Fuzu and Kyosk have secured investments from the Jobtech Alliance, a notable initiative committed to fostering inclusive job technology across Africa. The alliance, driven by Mercy Corps and BFA Global, aims to cultivate an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can develop platforms that promote quality livelihoods and provide users with opportunities for decent work. Fuzu and Kyosk are…
On behalf of H.E. Eng. Raafat Hindy, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Ahmed Elzaher, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), participated in the inauguration of the Coca-Cola HBC Digital Hub in Cairo. The event was held in the presence of H.E. Dr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, and Mr. Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC, alongside senior executives of the company and government officials. The Coca-Cola HBC Digital Hub in Egypt is a global digital delivery center supporting the company’s operations across 27 markets in…
As part of the strategic partnerships being established by Qualiphi, the first digital platform for professional qualification and employment services management powered by AI technologies, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Odoo Middle East, a subsidiary of the global Odoo Group, a leading provider of open-source business management software, to launch the “Sales Ambassadors” training program aimed at bridging the gap between academic education and labor market requirements for university students in Egypt. Training The program aims to train 1,000 university students in Egypt during its first year through training courses lasting between six and nine weeks…
African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week. – Spiro Secures Additional USD 55 M, Taking Latest Round To USD 270 M African electric mobility company Spiro has secured an additional USD 55 M equity investment from Chinese investor NewTrails Capital, bringing its latest funding round to USD 270 M. Founded in 2022 by Gagan Gupta, Spiro operates one of Africa’s largest electric motorcycle and battery-swapping networks, serving markets including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. The new investment follows a USD 215 M…
Cairo will host the official launch conference to kick off Egypt’s hosting the 3rd edition of The Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) 2026 which is the biggest Global Entrepreneurship Festivals in Africa and Worldwide. It will bring together leading entrepreneurs, investors, economic policy makers and innovators From Africa, the Middle East and globally. The festival is under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, and will be held in partnership with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA). Regional Entrepreneurial Hub Egypt’s selection as the host for The Global Entrepreneurship Festival 2026 further establishes the…
Egypt-based «Parlex AI», a startup specializing in Arabic conversational AI and voice technology solutions for banks and financial institutions, has announced its acceptance into «NVIDIA Inception», one of the world’s leading programs supporting artificial intelligence and technology startups. Important Milestone The move marks an important milestone in the company’s growth journey as it seeks to strengthen its position in Arabic language processing and voice AI technologies across the Middle East and North Africa. Through the program, «Parlex AI» will gain access to advanced computing resources, specialized development tools, training opportunities, and a global network of investors and technology experts. Integrated…
PayMint, the pioneer company in payment and payroll management solutions for small and medium enterprises, announced a new partnership with Vezeeta, the digital healthcare company, to provide integrated medical solutions by making “Shamel” services available to employees of companies using PayMint’s payment and payroll cards, as part of the ongoing cooperation and long-standing partnership between the two companies over the years. Improve the Experience This partnership reflects the continuous steps being taken by PayMint to improve the experience of its corporate clients and provide real value-added services that go beyond payment and payroll solutions, by offering integrated benefits and solutions…
African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week. – Flutterwave raises Series E funding at $3.2bn valuation; Ripple participates Nigerian payments unicorn Flutterwave has raised a Series E round of funding that values it at US$3.2 billion, with leading global blockchain-based finance company Ripple one of its new investors. Launched in 2016, Flutterwave builds modern payments technology and infrastructure for Africa to enable people and businesses to connect with the global economy. Its solution enables banks and merchants to replace multiple payment integrations…
Egypt’s entrepreneurship ecosystem saw the official launch of Startup Egypt on Tuesday evening, a non-profit civil society organisation designed to support Egyptian startup founders and connect them with sources of expertise, funding, market access, and institutional support across the government and private sectors. The launch ceremony, held at a major hotel in Greater Cairo, was attended by Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk and Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid Saleh, alongside senior officials, representatives of the Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship, investors, entrepreneurs, and public figures. Bridge Gaps The event also brought together Hossam Osman, Deputy Minister of Higher…
Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced the signing of a partnership agreement with GIZ Egypt on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Private Sector Innovation Project (PSI II. The partnership aims to support the implementation of the global ClimAccelerator programme in Egypt, which is locally operated through Athar Accelerator in collaboration with Climate-KIC. This step aligns with Schneider Electric’s commitment to leading electrification, automation, and digitalisation across industries, businesses, and homes, while delivering practical solutions that enhance efficiency and sustainability for all. Sustainability…
In a move that underscores Huawei Cloud’s commitment to supporting the next generation of digital investment platforms, Huawei Cloud has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thndr, one of Egypt’s leading digital investment platforms. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Huawei Cloud FinTech Summit 2026, with the aim of strengthening collaboration in the fintech sector and fostering digital innovation through cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and secure digital infrastructure solutions. The MoU was signed by Joe Xu, CEO of Huawei Cloud Egypt, and Ahmed Hammouda, Co-Founder and CEO of Thndr, in the presence of senior leaders from…
Beltone Asset Management, a subsidiary of Beltone Holding, has partnered with Telda, the fintech platform specializing in digital financial services, to broaden access to Beltone’s investment products and mutual funds through Telda’s digital platform. Investment Solutions The partnership aims to simplify access to investment solutions by enabling Telda users to investment funds established and managed by Beltone Asset Management. through a seamless digital experience that offers zero commission fees excluding precious metals funds, with the ability to transfer redeemed proceeds directly to the Telda card, supporting broader financial inclusion and expanding participation in investment products across Egypt. By combining Beltone…
Huawei Cloud hosted the Huawei Cloud Fintech Summit 2026, bringing together financial institutions, fintech innovators, cloud experts, technology partners, and industry leaders to discuss the next stage of digital transformation in Egypt’s financial services sector. Under the theme of accelerating fintech innovation through cloud, AI, data intelligence, and secure digital infrastructure, the summit highlighted how advanced cloud technologies are enabling financial institutions to build more agile, compliant, resilient, and customer-centric services. Egypt’s Financial Sector The summit comes as Egypt’s financial sector continues to accelerate its digital transformation, with growing demand for scalable, secure, and locally hosted cloud infrastructure. Since launching…