Another initiative relevant to MEA mobile finance has been launched. This time global digital payments and commerce platform PayPal has announced a strategic partnership with TerraPay, a global money movement company, to enable real-time fund transfers for PayPal customers across the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

This partnership, say the companies, aims to drive economic growth by making cross-border transactions faster, easy to use and more accessible by connecting banks, mobile wallets and financial institutions.

Quoting market research company Mordor Intelligence, TerraPay says that the MENA digital payments market is estimated at US$251.34 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach US$422.56 billion by 2030.

It points out that with rising demand for fast, secure and efficient payment solutions, this partnership bridges key gaps in financial connectivity and infrastructure readiness, enabling millions of individuals and businesses to engage more fully in the global economy.

Through secure PayPal account linking, TerraPay says it will serve as an enabler, allowing mobile wallet and bank users across the Middle East and Africa to seamlessly transfer funds to their PayPal accounts.

This collaboration will provide enhanced accessibility for customers by facilitating secure account linking and seamless fund transfers from mobile wallets and bank accounts with PayPal.

TerraPay says it will also enable expanded financial connectivity, empowering millions of customers to transact internationally with ease, and greater financial inclusion, enabling businesses and individuals to participate more effectively in the global digital economy.

Ani Sane, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at TerraPay, says: « This partnership with PayPal marks a major milestone in expanding financial access across the Middle East and Africa, where our strong global infrastructure helps overcome the limitations of traditional banking. With built-in interoperability, TerraPay connects various financial systems, from banks to mobile wallets, making it easier for businesses to scale and users to transact seamlessly on a global scale. »

There was some interesting metro fiber M&A this week along the eastern seaboard of the US. Fiberlight has found a means to expand its footprint in Virginia, signing a definitive agreement to acquire Metro Fiber Networks. … [visit site to read more]

Globe Telecom has moved forward with its acquisition of a 50% stake in AB Capital Securities Inc (ABCSI), aiming to strengthen the stock brokerage capabilities of its fintech unit, Mynt, which operates the widely used GCash mobile wallet.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the companies signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition in 2023.

Globe currently holds a 23.5% indirect stake in ABCSI through Mynt. It increased its shareholding in the brokerage firm to 16% last year after acquiring an additional 7.5%.

Notably, Globe independent director Antonio Periquet also serves as executive chair of ABCSI, a connection that could smooth the path for the acquisition.

“This partnership will bolster our shared mission of promoting financial inclusion by expanding stock ownership among Filipinos,” Periquet told the Inquirer.

He pointed out that while only 2% of Filipinos currently own stocks, a higher percentage already hold cryptocurrency –  highlighting the opportunity for growth in retail investment.

The Inquirer also reported that the Philippine Stock Exchange credited GCash’s stock trading service with helping drive a 21% year-on-year increase in online stock market accounts in 2023, rising to 1.5 million, now accounting for 80% of total stock market accounts.

Spanish telecom company Telefonica has finally confirmed  that it has agreed to sell its Peruvian unit, Telefonica del Peru, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection. It will be sold to Argentina’s Integra Tec International for about EUR900,000 euros (about US$1.02 million).

Though there appears to be little specific information about the new shareholder, Telefonica says Integra Tec International has extensive experience in Latin America, in the telecommunications, public services, media, energy, chemistry and natural resources industries, as well as in the recovery of companies in financial difficulties and special situations.

Telefonica adds that the objectives of the new shareholder are the maintenance and expansion of the service, the restructuring of the company’s debt within the framework of the bankruptcy process and the establishment of a sustainable business plan with a solid capital structure.

It adds that Integra Tec intends to work amicably with creditors, suppliers, workers, the Government of Peru and all parties related to Telefonica del Peru. The deal, says Telefonica, will ensure the continuity of telecommunications services for more than 13 million customers in urban and rural areas of Peru.

Telefonica del Peru, which was 99.3% owned by the Spanish company, said it ran into trouble following tax disputes and administrative decisions that put it « in competitive disadvantage », despite being the largest telecom company in the South American country.

As part of the deal, Integra Tec will assume the EUR1.24 billion (about US$1.4 billion) debt that Telefonica’s Peruvian unit owes the local tax agency and bond holders. Integra Tec has also committed to buying the 0.7% of Telefonica del Peru shares held by minority shareholders.

Reuters reports that Telefonica had bought the former state-owned Peruvian telecom monopoly in 1994 for about US$2 billion.

The transaction apparently also involves the indirect transfer of control over the shares that Telefonica del Peru holds in the rural operator Internet para Todos.

With AI driving data center demand in virtually every imaginable market, we are seeing major new projects almost daily. The scale of the work, whether envisioned or already underway, is far beyond anything we have seen before, and making it all happen will be challenging. New technologies are emerging     to help the process, and AI itself may be able to help. With us today is Dr. Atif Ansar, co-founder and executive chairman at Foresight. Foresight’s SaaS platform leverages AI and machine learning to keep data center construction projects on schedule. … [visit site to read more]

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom expanded its partnership with telecom IT solutions provider Netcracker Technology, in a bid to expand operational efficiency.

Netcracker said in a statement it will provide various services covering support for mission-critical processes such as order fulfilment, fallout management, service quality, proactive monitoring and performance management to accelerate Globe’s business objectives, including its broadband business. Netcracker added Globe will continue to see faster issue resolution and improved order processing time.

Globe Telecom VP and Head of Network Digitalisation, Dennis Abella said: “Through this collaboration, we have significantly improved our fulfilment process KPIs, reinforcing our commitment to broadband growth and delivering superior service to our customers.”

“We are extremely excited to continue our journey with Globe as they undertake this critical step to boost business efficiency and deliver more value to customers,” said Yaniv Zilberman, VP Strategic Accounts at Netcracker.

“This is also an important milestone for us with the Singtel Group as we continue expanding our solutions with its affiliate companies.”

Zimbabwe’s telecoms regulator is urging the government to introduce mandatory handset registration in a bid to tackle rising cybercrime and improve the safety of mobile money transactions.

Hasha Myambo, an engineer at the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), called for handset registration to complement the country’s existing SIM card database. He argued that this would enhance transaction security and help rebuild trust in Zimbabwe’s digital infrastructure.

While SIM card registration has been in place since 2013, Myambo is advocating for the creation of a national database of mobile phone IMEI numbers. He noted that this could play a crucial role in combating fraud, especially as more unconnected users come online and become vulnerable to digital threats.

One of the key benefits of the proposed system, according to Myambo, would be the ability to block lost or stolen handsets from accessing mobile networks – helping to curb device theft and unauthorised use.

Myambo also highlighted that POTRAZ is working with ICT stakeholders and other regulators to develop a national strategy aimed at integrating ICT into economic and social development. He added that the regulator is shifting away from a “command and control” model in favour of a more collaborative approach to drive Zimbabwe’s digital economy forward.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Avishay Shraga, Sr. Director (CTO), Head of Security Technologies at Sony Semiconductor Israel

The key to modern asymmetric cryptography is to create an equation that is easy to solve in one direction but difficult to reverse by an adversary in the other direction. Traditionally, this was done through modular arithmetic, where a large prime modulus and a generator were used to generate a key, although … [visit site to read more]

Inflight connectivity tech firm SkyFive says it has signed a MoU with Kazakh telecoms operator Freedom Telecom to provide inflight connectivity to airlines and other aircraft operators using SkyFive’s air-to-ground (A2G) solution.

Under the deal, SkyFive and Freedom Telecom will deploy A2G coverage for Kazakhstan’s main air route, which they say is also a key overflight corridor for routes between Europe and Asia. 

Skyfive said this will enable foreign airlines equipped with A2G to seamlessly roam into the new network, which will be compatible with other SkyFive A2G networks.  

SkyFive CCO Dirk Lindemeier said the deal marks its entry into the Central Asian aviation market. 

“Kazakhstan is important in its own right, represents a significant step toward a contiguous A2G corridor across the Eurasian supercontinent, and is a major addition to our global A2G footprint,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. 

SkyFive – which was spun off from Nokia in 2019 – has launched services across Europe and has established an A2G network in Saudi Arabia. It is developing others in Australia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, according to Aviation Week. 

In October 2024, SkyFive and Viasat signed of a roaming agreement between the European Aviation Network (EAN) and SkyFive’s Middle East networks.  

Freedom Telecom received regulatory approvals to provide A2G connectivity earlier this year. Freedom Telecom CEO Kairat Akhmetov said that its A2G deal ties into its broader strategy to provide connectivity to airports across the country. 

“Freedom Telecom has already provided free Wi-Fi coverage to the international airports of Almaty and Astana, and we are committed to extending connectivity to all airports across Kazakhstan by the end of this year, » Akhmetov said.  

Freedom Telecom says it has already launched free Wi-Fi in 150 locations across Kazakhstan, with plans to achieve blanket Wi-Fi coverage across all cities.

The operator also said it has constructed over 2,500 km of fibre infrastructure and connected 24,000 households to high-speed broadband internet in the last two years.

In February, Freedom Telecom said it was investing around US$200 million to develop a “West-East” fiber-optic hyper-highway and Tier-4 data centers in a bid to position Kazakhstan as an alternative route for international data transit between Europe and East Asia. The project is slated for completion sometime in 2026.