Blockbank, a digital decentralized commercial banking entity that leverages the blockchain technology, has acquired a stake in Spire Bank, formerly Equatorial Commercial Bank Limited (ECB) and declared a strategic fintech partnership with them to facilitate a wide variety of international crypto banking activities. The partnership is set to present the first fully licensed crypto bank offering low cost funding. The collaboration will also see Blockbank take advantage of Spire Bank’s local knowledge, experience and extensive customer base to be able to reach more customers. According to Blockbank, the Kenyan bank will provide a solid foundation for its first step into…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
By David Wanjala After recording a deficit in the national budget, the government once again found itself in a tight spot and was hard pressed in finding ways to plug it. With credit currently out of reach, the President signed the Finance Bill 2018 into law, which brought with it new taxes and levies that have seen many Kenyans up in arms, as they feel that this will only enslave them financially. The new law has introduced various new fees and taxes besides the anchoring 8% VAT tax on petroleum products. There’s the increase of excise duty on mobile money…
By Onjili David Kenya wins bid to host the 6th International Open Data Conference (IODC) to be held in Africa in 2020 in Nairobi for the first time. Themed “Bridging Data Communities”, this bi-annual conference aims at embracing Africa’s growing innovative space. According to the Deputy President William Ruto, Kenya’s government is committed to the creation of an inclusive data ecosystem involving the government, the private sector, academia, civil society, local communities, and development partners that tackles the information aspects of development decision-making. “We recognize that if Kenya is to move ahead, we must deliberately pursue collaboration between the government,…
By Onjili David The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has launched its second World Investor Week (WIW), a move that’s expected to attract more than a thousand financial organizations to showcase their initiatives for promoting investor education and protection globally. From the first week of this month (October), securities regulators, stock exchanges, investor associations and other stakeholders will offer an array of activities including workshops, conferences, games and contests in a bid to increase awareness of investor education and protection in their fields. According to Capital Markets Authority (CMA) chairman James Ndegwa, while appreciating how Kenya’s population statistics showed…
BY DAVID ONJILI Okoa is Swahili for rescue. In last year’s general elections, the Opposition coalition dubbed their manifesto Okoa Kenya, pointing to the fact that there is a general perception that Kenyans need to be rescued from something. But why? Several companies market their products as though they are rescuing you. Worth noting is the fact at the end of the year, whatever activity they have engaged in must make for positive readings when the balance sheet and income statements are viewed. While such products may bring you convenience, in the long term, hidden fixed charges and penalties when…
BY CYNTHIA WAIRIMU Last month we talked about the importance of not sleeping in Make-up. Let us now look at the different types of cleansers that can be used to properly remove make up as well as impurities, excess oils, sunscreen from your face. Facial cleansers help the skin improve, renew, and heal while giving it a warm healthy radiance. It also allows for a good clean foundation for make-up and product application. Cleansers do not contain irritants such as alcohol, dyes and perfume. Variety is the spice of life and that goes for our skins as well. We all…
BY LAURIE GARRETT The world’s experts on HIV/AIDS are gathered this week in Amsterdam for the 22nd International AIDS Conference as a collective anxiousness has set in. The 2016 optimism that fueled a United Nations declaration that the end of AIDS was near has been replaced by a gnawing fear among experts. If properly treated with available drugs, today’s 37 million infected people no longer face mortal illness as did their counterparts in the pre-treatment days of the 1980s and 1990s. That much is true. But given the rest of the equation, it’s remarkable that the mood in Amsterdam isn’t one of panic. Danger surely looms.…
TVU Networks, the global technology and innovation leader in live IP video solutions, will debut TVU Producer, its powerful cloud-based video production solution at IBC 2018 (Stand: 2.B28). Part of TVU Network’s range of innovative remote production solutions, TVU Producer enables anyone to produce professional, multi-camera video, eliminating the need for expensive hardware and software or prior training. Covering a wide range of applications, from live sports events and egames competitions, through to house of worship services and concerts, the simple web-browser interface of TVU Producer enables it to handle any multi-camera production from virtually any location. Producer supports simultaneously output…
BY PETER WANYONYI When Ray Tomlinson invented and implemented what we now know as email back in 1971, it was intended as a simple file transfer system that would allow short, basic text communication between computers. He did not realise, at the time, that his invention would become the ultimate killer app, a service used by billions today and which now sits at the very centre of online identity. Today, email is at the centre of nearly everything we do on the internet. It’s used to identify and authenticate individuals. It’s indispensable in communicating between parties on the internet –…
BY LYNSEY CHUTEL Callers who thought they’d save money by using Internet services will have to pay even more in Zambia. The country’s government has approved a tax on Internet calls in order to protect large telcos, at the expense of already squeezed citizens. The new tariff, announced last month, will be collected through mobile phone companies and Internet service providers. The fee will be charged at a daily rate at 30 ngwee (3c) per day, irrespective of how many Internet calls are made, explained Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dora Siliya. Siliya, who is also the government’s spokeswoman, defended the new…