Appzone news and trends

How Lessons From Nigeria’s eNaira Rollout Can Guide Future of CBDCs in Africa
CBDC // August 25, 2022

In its August monetary policy statement, the Central Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) announced that it has developed a “roadmap for adoption of CBDC [central bank digital currency] in Zimbabwe,” embarking on the next stage of its journey toward the issuance of a government-backed digital currency....

EMEA Daily: UK’s Financial Services Bill Will Make Stablecoins a Form of Payment; Swedish Telehealth...
emea // July 21, 2022

In today’s top news from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Swedish HealthTech company Kry has raised over $160 million in a funding round. Plus, GoCardless and Xero have teamed to offer Instant Bank Pay to Xero’s U.K. customers, a U.K. bill may introduce...

Stablecoins, CBDCs Face Big Hurdles Before Knocking Out Fiat
Cryptocurrency // July 21, 2022

Could stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) ever replace fiat? Obi Emetarom, co-founder and CEO of pan-African payment infrastructure company AppZone, thinks they can. But for that to happen, issues around regulatory compliance and interoperability would have to be addressed first. Read more: Emerging...

African FinTechs ‘Least Hit’ by Global Tech Funding Winter, but for How Long?
Fintech Investments // July 18, 2022

The dreaded word — recession — is increasingly being bandied about as economists sound the alarm of tough times ahead. This can be seen in how investors are reassessing their appetite for risk and starting to apply more restraint in making investments. For startups, particularly...

Interviews & Exclusives
How Did Saudi Arabia and Kenya Dodge VC Funding Slowdown?

December 23, 2022
After reaching new heights in 2021, VC funding in EMEA slowed sharply in 2022. While final full-year tallies are not settled yet, data from the first three quarters suggests that startups in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) have clearly felt the chill of a funding winter, despite a relatively robust first half. In […]

Stablecoins, CBDCs Face Big Hurdles Before Knocking Out Fiat

July 21, 2022
Could stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) ever replace fiat? Obi Emetarom, co-founder and CEO of pan-African payment infrastructure company AppZone, thinks they can. But for that to happen,...

Quick Reads
AppZone Announces $10 Million Series A Toward Finance Digitization

April 12, 2021
Pan-African software provider AppZone has announced the closure of a $10 million Series A round, a press release said on Monday (April 12). CardinalStone Capital Advisers has led the round, along with participation from V8 Capital, Lateral Investment Partners, Constant Capital, and Itanna Capital Ventures, the release said. The new round will help “build out […]