Indonesia
Asia builds its own payment network — one QR code at a time
Indonesia’s expanding cross-border QR-payment system is helping connect Asia’s domestic financial infrastructure, potentially making everyday purchases abroad easier for consumers...
AI - Tool or Threat?
Good morning, teacher — Kenya’s robot answers in sign language
Kenyan startup ZeroBionic has developed an AI-powered robotic system designed to translate classroom speech into sign language, helping deaf and...
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Africa
Nigeria brings digital assets into its tax framework as African payments expand
Nigeria’s tax rules are bringing virtual assets further into the formal economy, alongside rapid growth in mobile money and instant...
On this day
On this day in 1825: The day steam put the world on a new track
On this day in 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in north-east England, marking a turning point in transport...
Financial insights
Global markets end Friday higher as oil prices retreat
Global shares ended Friday, 25 September, mostly...
Middle east
Trump faces difficult choices over Iran’s offer to reopen Hormuz
Iran has proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks with the United States, putting...
MSTRpay
MSTRpay Launches New Global Website as International Expansion Accelerates
MSTRpay has launched a completely redesigned global website, reflecting the company’s expanding international footprint, growing client base and the development...
HM vs Zara
H&M vs Zara: Two Fashion Giants, Two Very Different Money Machines
They sell to many of the same customers, compete on many of the same high streets and operate on a...
China - US
Trump and Xi extend trade truce but leave major disputes unresolved
The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended on Friday with a two-month extension of...
Leapfrog economies
The Solar Projects Waiting for Finance: Odyssey’s Bid to Close the Gap
Odyssey Energy Solutions has raised $74 million to help smaller companies build solar projects across emerging markets. Its approach tackles...
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US politics
Trump moves to cancel nearly $1bn in spending approved by Congress
President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to cancel nearly $1bn in funding already approved by Congress, setting up a dispute...
Digital banking
Philippines offers rural banks a route into digital banking
The Philippines’ central bank is offering eligible rural banks three years of access to a cloud-based core banking system. The...
LATAM
Mexican fintech Fairplay secures $108 million to expand alternative business finance
Mexican fintech Fairplay has secured more than $108 million in new financing as it expands an alternative lending model designed...
India
Indian fintech takes farm credit digital as 300,000 applications move online
India’s fintech transformation is reaching far beyond its major cities, as an agricultural finance platform backed by the National Bank...
Blockchain
Blockchain moves towards everyday payments as Minisend expands into Kenya
Blockchain finance is moving closer to everyday use in East Africa as stablecoin settlement company Minisend expands its operations in...
Caribbean
Jamaica opens a new door for fintech innovation
Jamaica is expanding the infrastructure around its fintech economy, creating a new regulatory sandbox that will allow financial companies to...
Climate & Energy
The world is draining its water savings account
The world's rivers experienced one of their driest years in more than three decades in 2025, while freshwater stored in...
Russian election
United Russia dominates wartime election as votes are counted
Russia’s ruling United Russia party has taken a commanding lead in the country’s first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion...
Election in Sweden
Sweden wakes to razor-thin election as opposition takes narrow lead
Sweden woke on Monday to one of the closest parliamentary elections in its modern political history, with the centre-left opposition...
Sunday article
H&M vs Zara: Two Fashion Giants, Two Very Different Money Machines
They sell to many of the same customers, compete on many of the same high streets and operate on a...
Everybodys Dolly
Dolly Parton dies at 80, leaving a legacy far beyond country music
Dolly Parton, the country music legend whose songs, warmth and unmistakable style made her one of the world’s most recognisable...
Business of the week
From small Nigerian start-up to $250 billion fintech engine
Moniepoint began in Lagos in 2015 as a self-funded technology venture created by two Nigerian software engineers. Just over a...
Inside the scam - Serie
Inside the scam (Part 5): Can anyone stop the scam economy?
Online fraud has evolved into a global industry supported by trafficking networks, stolen identities, artificial intelligence and an international system...
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Newshub long read
H&M vs Zara: Two Fashion Giants, Two Very Different Money Machines
They sell to many of the same customers, compete on many of the same high streets and operate on a...
Financial inclusion
6. The infrastructure of freedom
Why financial inclusion deserves to stand alongside roads, schools and electricity as essential development infrastructure Every generation eventually discovers that...
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World Cup 2026
Sweden wakes to razor-thin election as opposition takes narrow lead
Sweden woke on Monday to one of the closest parliamentary elections in its modern political history, with the centre-left opposition...
Trump in office
Trump’s crypto ventures generated more than US$1bn in 2025, financial filing reveals
Businesses linked to US President Donald Trump generated more than US$1 billion in revenue from cryptocurrency-related activities during 2025, according...
Serie - HIdden financial giants
Trump and Xi extend trade truce but leave major disputes unresolved
The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended on Friday with a two-month extension of...