Author: Elan
In brief Benchmark analysts assigned a $16 price target to Securitize, expressing bullishness on the firm’s ability to establish a competitive moat through blue-chip partnerships. The BlackRock-backed firm has a great deal of visibility into future revenue streams as Wall Street warms to tokenization, Benchmark’s Mark Palmer told Decrypt. Benchmark analysts expect the company to generate $178 million in sales by the end of 2027, a projection based on aggressive growth expectations. Analysts at investment bank Benchmark initiated coverage of Cantor Equity Partners II on Tuesday, assigning a “Buy” rating to the firm that’s expected to merge later this year…
Nigeria’s telecom subscribers rose to 184.6 million in February 2026, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This marks a steady increase from 182.2 million recorded in January, pushing teledensity up to 85.16%, a key indicator of mobile penetration across the country. The growth reflects continued expansion in mobile connectivity, with GSM networks still dominating the market. MTN Nigeria is the largest mobile network operator in the country, with over 95 million subscribers, representing 51.7% of the market. Airtel Nigeria is the second largest, holding a 34.2% market share. Globacom and 9mobile share the…
Edgar Cervantes / Android AuthorityTL;DR A report claims that the cast to TV/screen mirroring category on Google Play is dominated by a small number of developer networks. These networks reportedly operate over 280 apps under fake developer accounts with a combined 1.8 billion installs. In addition to the apps not casting anything, they are said to serve uncloseable ads, “free trials” that charge immediately, and $25.99 weekly subscriptions. For the most part, the Google Play Store is a safe marketplace with millions of legitimate apps to download. However, it’s not impossible for shady apps to sneak onto the platform. In…
Opinion, by Louis Strydom, Director of Growth and Development for Africa and Europe at Wärtsilä Energy Designing Africa’s power systems for reality, not abstraction Last year, I argued in my piece “Lean Carbon, Just Power”, that a limited and temporary increase in African carbon emissions is justified to meet the continent’s urgent electrification needs. That position was not a retreat from climate ambition. It laid out a credible lean-carbon pathway that reconciles power systems development realities with climate arithmetic. The central question remains: not whether emissions must fall, but how much temporary headroom is tolerable to accelerate energy prosperity for a continent…
By PwCPwC South Africa supported British International Investment (BII) with financial due diligence services on its US$15 million mezzanine debt funding into Starsight Energy Africa Group.The investment will fund the growth of Starsight’s renewable energy power portfolio for its commercial and industrial customers in West Africa, mainly in Nigeria. The PwC Deals team delivered financial due diligence services, including an assessment of Starsight’s renewable energy portfolio in Nigeria and Ghana. Our industry expertise in the energy transition deals space, combined with our deep sector insight, supported our client’s decision‑making, helping to drive long‑term sustainable impact and accelerating the energy transition…
Interview with Saikat ChowdhuryCO-FOUNDER and MANAGING DIRECTOR, NIVÉSAL Lives in: Singapore Every month, thousands of shipping containers arrive at African ports, filled with goods that Saikat Chowdhury believes should be made on the continent. Despite its vast natural resources, Africa contributes less than 2% to global manufacturing output. As the managing director of NivéSal, a Singapore-based engineering projects company, Chowdhury argues that this reliance on imports unnecessarily inflates prices for everyday citizens. He points out that the world’s poorest continent pays some of the highest prices for consumer goods and building materials. In 2018, Chowdhury and his wife Mani founded…
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Ripple is trying to reshape the institutional case for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) around two issues that have long limited the use of public blockchains in mainstream finance: privacy and software risk.The company’s argument is that banks, payment firms, and asset managers may be more willing to use a public ledger for tokenized cash, treasury operations, and other regulated financial activity if they can keep sensitive transaction data from a broad public view and if the network can show stronger security controls as it grows more complex.That marks a broader repositioning for XRPL, which for years was tied mainly to…
Forty-five student-founded ventures in Nigeria have been awarded a total of ₦2.25 billion in grants by the Federal Ministry of Education, marking one of the country’s most significant public investments in early-stage innovation. The grants were disbursed under the Student Venture Capital Grant Bootcamp, an initiative designed to support young founders building solutions across sectors. Selected startups can receive up to ₦50 million in equity-free funding, alongside access to mentorship, digital tools, and incubation support aimed at accelerating their growth. The programme drew significant interest, with more than 30,000 applications submitted from over 400 tertiary institutions nationwide, highlighting both the…
A jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and Google liable in a lawsuit filed by a woman identified in court as Kaley. She claims she developed an addiction to Instagram and YouTube after using the platforms since childhood. This case is among the first to hold social media companies responsible based on how their platforms are designed, rather than on user-generated content.Jurors concluded that both companies acted negligently and did not warn users about the risks of long-term platform use. They also determined that certain design features, such as recommendation systems, push notifications, and auto-play options, played a role…