Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Monday October 19th, 2015

Amrote Abdella appointed as the new regional director for Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative.

US investor to offer loans on M-Pesa, Facebook data…. Kwanji, the online forex portal, now available in Kenya…. Uganda’s Centenary Bank orders PIN change of all ATM cards….and more.

US investor to offer loans on M-Pesa, Facebook data

A US company has launched a Facebook-linked mobile phone lending service that allows users to borrow and repay small loans through M-Pesa. The service, accessible through an app dubbed Branch is set to raise competition for other M-Pesa-based loan disbursement platforms such as M-Shwari and KCB M-Pesa.

Kwanji, the online forex portal, now available in Kenya

Kwanji.com, the online foreign exchange and payments platform, that provides businesses with fast, easy and unrestricted access to the very best foreign exchange rates, has selected Kenya as the first African country to roll out its unique suite of services. Headquartered in the UK, the company’s goal is to level the playing field on international trade and payments by bridging the gap between emerging and traditional markets.

Uganda’s Centenary Bank orders PIN change of all ATM cards

What looks like a system upgrade mishap at Centenary bank, one of Uganda’s largest financial institutions has led the bank to advise all the thousands of its customers using ATM services countrywide to change their PINs. Change of PIN is normally a security measure to mitigate and check on anticipated or ongoing risks. A frenzy of anxiousness gripped customers all over the country as the news trickled in on Friday. They flocked to the bank’s various branches in big numbers as information spread that even withdrawals were being limited to a specific amount for all customers. The bank has responded by deploying additional staff and the necessary equipment to speed up service delivery for its customer at all its 63 branches.

Amrote Abdella appointed as new regional director for Microsoft 4Afrika

Amrote Abdella has been announced as the new regional director for Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, effective October 2015. Previously the director of Startup Engagement and Partnerships at 4Afrika, she takes over from Fernando de Sousa and affirms Microsoft Corp.’s commitment to Africa across the 54 countries. In her new role, Abdella will oversee Microsoft’s investments in Africa, deepen Microsoft’s engagements on the continent and scale 4Afrika’s work across different markets.

Ericsson to demonstrate smart utilities solutions at Transform Africa

Ericsson envisions a Networked Society in which connectivity is the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing. Given that more than half of the world’s population already lives in cities – and nearly 70 percent of people will be urbanized by 2050 – Ericsson is particularly focused on contributing to smart and sustainable cities.