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Happy Friday!
Whatsapp has finally rolled out a feature that we have all been waiting for.
You can now add another number, and have two accounts running on the same app, just the same way you can on Twitter and Instagram. So, using WhatsApp business account for your second active number will be a thing of the past.
Well, maybe not right away, as the feature is currently limited to a few beta users. It is slowly rolling out and will be available for the public later.
Cybercrime
Anonymous Sudan hacks X
Anonymous Sudan has struck again.
The hacktivist group is claiming responsibility for taking X (formerly Twitter) offline in more than a dozen countries on Tuesday morning. The hackers said that they hacked X to pressure Elon Musk into launching Starlink in Sudan.
Thousands of users affected: Per BBC, X was down for over two hours, and according to Downdetector, a website that monitors service outages, users from the US and the UK filed nearly 20,000 reports of outages, though the actual number of affected individuals is likely much greater.
In a chat with the BBC, a member of the hacktivist group, Hofa, said that the purpose of the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack was to bring attention to the ongoing civil war in Sudan. The war, which began in April, was due to a power struggle between the two main factions of the ruling military regime. This has led to the internet in Sudan being disrupted several times. Currently, internet access is limited and unreliable due to the ongoing conflict in the country. If Starlink is launched in Sudan, it will mean that people can access the internet even if the government blocks internet access.
Hacktivism over the months: The group has been involved in a series ofdistributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Back in June, the hacktivist group targeted Microsoft in a DDoS attack, claiming that the attack was retaliation for US policy regarding Sudan’s military conflict.
In July, the group also attacked digital services in Kenya, including the country’s eCitizen portal, used by the public to access more than 5,000 government services. They claimed that the attack was because the country “released statements doubting the sovereignty of [the Sudanese] government.”
In August, the group carried out attacks on Nigerian companies, targeting digital infrastructure such as that of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in response to the ECOWAS threat of military action against Niger.
Zoom out: X has not publicly acknowledged the disruption caused, and Musk has not responded to questions to launch his satellite internet service in Sudan.
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Fintech
Tingo group responds to Hindenburg Research allegations
This week, investigators of Tingo Group, an agri-fintech company denied allegations made against the company by Hindenburg Research.
What allegations? In June this year, Hindenburg Research, a US-based investment research firm focusing on short-selling, accused Tingo Group of being an “exceptionally obvious scam with completely fabricated financials.” The report made several allegations about the company, including that its financial statements were inaccurate, its relationships with its partners and customers were illegitimate, and its mobile licence was invalid.
Tingo publicly denied all the claims and said the allegations were a deliberate attempt to damage its reputation, and also appointed an International law firm, White & Case LLP, to conduct an independent review and report to its independent directors concerning the allegations.
What are the results? In a new press release shared on Tingo’s website, the company states that Tingo’s financial statements and MD&A were accurate and all required disclosures were made.
The investigators reportedly found that Tingo’s relationships with its partners and customers are legitimate.
Per the findings, investigators also say that Tingo has a valid mobile licence in Nigeria and does not require a licence in Ghana. The report states that it has paid its taxes in Nigeria, that its partnership with Visa is legitimate, that its NWASSA platform is legitimate and has generated revenue, and that the company’s agricultural export business is legitimate and has generated revenue. Finally, the report notes, that its independent auditors are qualified and have a good reputation, and that the Company’s bank statements are accurate.
Mobility
Uber launches electric motorbikes in Kenya
Uber has new bikes in Kenya
The ride hailing company has launched One Electric, its e-mobility product in Kenya. The launch is part of Uber’s move to transition into the use of electric vehicles.
The launch of One Electric is Uber’s third product announcement in Kenya this year. It follows the rollout of an audio recording feature for safety and the integration of M-PESA into its payment system.
Uber doesn’t own any of the electric motorbikes, Greenwheels Africa—an e-mobility company focused on electrifying motorbikes— oversees the fleet ownership, maintenance and charging. According to Imran Manji, Uber’s head of East Africa,Greenwheels currently operates only a few charging stations in Kenya, but plans to increase them to ten before the end of the year.
The electric bikes which have an 80-kilometre range when fully charged will be leased to riders for Uber services. Instead of recharging their bikes, riders exchange depleted batteries for new ones at Greenwheels Africa’s stations. According to Manji, cyclists will be charged based on battery usage, “If a rider wants to swap a battery that is at 40%, they will only pay for 60% of charge at the station,” he said.
Zoom out: Uber’s launch of electric motorbikes will complement the current Uber Boda Boda and aligns with current global goals of reducing gas emissions.
Payments
India wants to expand its Unified Payments Interface to Africa
India wants to give Africans more payment options.
India is in talks with African governments including Namibia, Mozambique and Kenya, and BRICS members to expand its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Africa through commercial partnerships between payments platforms.
What is India’s UPI ? Launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India, the Unified Payments Interface powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.
Currently, UPI has about 300 million users and 500 million merchants who use UPI to accept money for their businesses, according to local media. It is said to be the most popular way that Indians transact online.
Zoom out: India is on a global wave of expansion for its UPI technology with Africa becoming the latest stop. Neighbours, Nepal and Bhutan adopted the payment system in recent years, while expansion plans will happen in Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and France in the coming months.
TC Insights
Funding Tracker
This week, SeekMake, a Tunisian construction technology startup, raised $539,000 led by Lafayette Group to support its international expansion plans.
In the other deal this week:
South African insurtech startup, LeaseSurance, raised$161,000) in a seed funding round led by Fedgroup Private Capital.
That’s it for this week!
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more funding announcements. You can also visit DealFlow, our real-time funding tracker.
Crypto Tracker
The World Wide Web3
Source:
|
Coin Name |
Current Value |
Day |
Month |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bitcoin |
$25,995 |
– 4.64% |
– 10.96% |
| Ether |
$1,646.21 |
– 3.24% |
– 10.82% |
 BNB |
$216.53 |
– 2.99% |
– 10.31% |
| Cardano |
$0.2551 |
– 4.10% |
-16.92% |
* Data as of 11:45 PM WAT, August 31, 2023.
The Web3Bridge Conference Lagos
Web3 Lagos Conference is a 3-day physical and virtual event comprising of the hackathon, workshops, networking, career fair and panel sessions. The Conference kicks off today, and will hold until September 2, 2023, at The Zone, Gbagada, Lagos State.
The Web3Lagos conference is powered by Web3Bridge in Conjunction with Ayagigs.
Job Openings
- FairMoney – Product Manager – Abuja, Nigeria(Remote)
- Smollan – IT Officer – Lagos Nigeria (On-site)
- Zeps – Backend Engineer (Java) – Nairobi, Kenya
- Turabox – Sales and Marketing Officer – Abuja, Nigeria (Unspecified)
- Interswitch– Business Development Manager, API Markeplace– Lagos, Nigeria (Hybrid)
- Kyosk – Country Product Manager – Nigeria( On-site)
What else we are reading
