Samsung is heading to London on July 22 for Galaxy Unpacked, and this year the Fold lineup is different: two book-style foldables at the same event. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra builds on everything the Z Fold 7 started, with a bigger battery, faster charging, and upgraded cameras. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an entirely new shape, shorter and wider, built around a 4:3 inner display that sits closer to a small tablet than a phone. 

Here is everything we know about both, before Samsung makes it official.

When and where

Samsung is expected to hold Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, 2026, in London. Korea Economic TV was the first outlet to report the date, and it has since been confirmed by Android Police, SamMobile, Android Authority, and Tom’s Guide. This will be Samsung’s first summer Unpacked event in the UK. Samsung has not issued an official media advisory as of mid-June 2026.

Pre-orders are expected to open the same day as the announcement. If Samsung follows its usual pattern, you should be able to buy both phones in the first week of August 2026, roughly two weeks after the event.

Three foldable phones are expected at the event, alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 series and what is being reported as Samsung’s first Galaxy Glasses (a Gemini-powered audio device made with Gentle Monster, no display):

• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (traditional tall book foldable)
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 (new wider, shorter 4:3 foldable)
• Galaxy Z Flip 8
• Galaxy Watch 9 series

Why this launch matters more than usual

Apple’s first foldable phone, widely referred to as the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, is expected to arrive at Apple’s September 2026 event. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in April 2026 that it is on track to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, with a starting price exceeding $2,000 in the US. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo projects the price landing between $2,000 and $2,500, with Apple shipping 3 to 5 million units in its first year. It is expected to use a wider 4:3 form factor.

Samsung’s July 22 launch gives both Fold devices roughly a two-month window in the market before Apple ships a single unit. That means two months of reviews, accessories, trade-in deals, and carrier promotions before anyone can compare them side by side. Samsung chose London for this event as well, a move seen as a direct entry into one of Apple’s strongest premium markets.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the phone Z Fold 7 owners have been waiting for. It keeps the same tall book-style form factor but adds a meaningfully larger battery, faster charging, and the most significant camera upgrade the Fold line has ever seen. Here is what we know.

Specs

1. Design

The overall shape stays the same as the Z Fold 7. Renders from SamMobile put the dimensions at 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.5mm unfolded and 158.4 x 72.8 x 9mm folded. There is a conflict on thickness: tipster Ice Universe says the unfolded thickness drops slightly to 4.1mm. Both figures come from different streams, so treat the exact as unsettled until Samsung announces.

Key design details:

• Weight: 215g, the same as the Z Fold 7 (per Ice Universe), despite the larger battery inside
• IP48 rating for dust and water resistance
• Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the cover
• Side-mounted fingerprint reader
• S Pen support: expected to be dropped. Ice Universe reported in May 2026 that neither the 2026 Fold will support the S Pen. No credible supply-chain source has contradicted this. The digitizer was already removed starting with the Z Fold SE, so this fits Samsung’s thinness direction
• Color options: not yet known

2. Display

The Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps the same display sizes as the Fold 7. Both panels use LTPO OLED technology with adaptive 1-120Hz refresh:

• Cover display: 6.5-inch LTPO OLED, Full HD+, up to 2,600 nits
• Inner display: 8-inch LTPO OLED, QHD+, HDR10+, up to 2,600 nits
• The inner panel is reported to use a dual-layer Ultra-Thin Glass structure with a laser-drilled metal support plate

On the crease: This is the most contested detail. Ice Universe said in May 2026 that the crease will not improve significantly over the Z Fold 7 and that there is no Privacy Display. A separate SamMobile report suggests crease control could come close to the OPPO Find N6, which is nearly invisible. These two positions conflict. The consensus across most outlets is that the crease will improve by roughly 20%, but the phone will not be crease-free.

On the CES 2026 “Mont Flex” panel: Samsung Display showed a genuinely crease-free foldable OLED panel at CES 2026. Samsung told The Verge it is an R&D concept with no fixed commercialization timeline. The weight of current information suggests this panel will not ship on the Fold 8 generation.

3. Performance

• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, globally. No Exynos variant has been reported for the Fold line
• RAM: 12GB on the 256GB and 512GB models; 16GB on the 1TB model
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. No microSD slot
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, NFC, USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)

4. Camera

The camera is where the Z Fold 8 Ultra makes its biggest leap. The ultrawide upgrade alone closes a gap that has been criticized across four Fold generations:

• Main: 200MP with OIS, retained from the Z Fold 7 and in the same sensor family as the Galaxy S26 Ultra
• Ultrawide: upgraded from 12MP to 50MP. This is the headline change. Source: SamMobile (via Tech Maniacs), corroborated by GSMArena, OnLeaks, and Digit
• Telephoto: 10MP with 3x optical zoom and OIS, carried over from the Fold 7
• Front cameras: 10MP on both the cover and inner displays. The cover punch-hole is reported to shrink from 3.7 mm to 2.5 mm
• Video: 4K at 60fps across all cameras, 8K at 30fps on the main and ultrawide

5. Battery and charging

The battery is the other major story. Samsung held the Fold line at 4,400mAh from the Z Fold 3 through the Z Fold 7. That changes with the Fold 8 Ultra:

• Battery: 5,000mAh, up from 4,400mAh. Multiple independent sources agree on this figure
• Wired charging: 45W, up from 25W
• Wireless charging: up to 20W Qi2.2, plus 4.5W reverse wireless (per SamMobile; some reports still cite 15W as the cap)

6. Software

• Ships with Android 17 and One UI 9 out of the box
• Galaxy AI suite: Photo Assist, Portrait Studio, Generative Edit, Now Brief, Now Bar, Samsung Internet multi-window improvements
• Gemini Intelligence: expected to debut commercially on the Fold 8 and Flip 8 (per Seoul Economic Daily, via 9to5Google). This is agentic AI that automates tasks across multiple apps
• Seven years of OS updates and security patches

7. Price

US pricing was leaked by tipster TheGalox in late March and early April 2026, corroborated by SamMobile and SammyFans:

• 256GB (12GB RAM): $1,999
• 512GB (12GB RAM): $2,199
• 1TB (16GB RAM): $2,499

The $1,999 entry price is unchanged from the Z Fold 7’s original launch price. The 512GB and 1TB tiers are roughly $80 to $90 higher than the Fold 7’s original tags.

On the $2,700 claim: Korean outlet NewsPim reported in May 2026 that the 512GB model may cost $2,300 to $2,400 in South Korea, and the 1TB model could exceed $2,700. This is driven by rising memory costs. SammyFans, citing Samsung disclosures, reported that mobile memory prices more than doubled year-over-year, rising 107%. These figures apply to the Korean market and may not translate directly to US pricing. Document the $1,999/$2,199/$2,499 US structure as the most credible position, with the Korean escalation as a documented risk.

Samsung is holding the $1,999 entry price flat partly because Apple’s foldable is expected to launch at $2,000 or above. Raising the price now would hand Apple a competitive opening before it ships a single unit.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is something Samsung has never shipped before: a book-style foldable that is wider than it is tall when open. Its 4:3 inner display gives it a shape closer to an iPad mini than a traditional Fold, and at 201g, it is one of the lightest large foldables ever made. It does trade away some camera hardware to get there.

Specs

1. Design

The Fold 8 Wide looks and feels completely different from the Ultra when you hold it open. According to Ice Universe (via SamMobile), the dimensions are:

• Unfolded: 161.4mm wide x 123.9mm tall x 4.3mm thick
• Folded: 82.2mm wide x 9.8mm thick
• Weight: 201g, which makes it 14g lighter than the Ultra and lighter than any comparable large foldable currently on the market
• IP48 dust and water resistance
• Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the cover
• Side-mounted fingerprint reader

Note on thickness: one source (Geeky Gadgets) pegs unfolded thickness at 4.5mm rather than SamMobile’s 4.3mm.

2. Display

• Cover display: 5.4-inch LTPO OLED (some sources say 5.6-inch), with a 4.7:3 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh
• Inner display: 7.6-inch LTPO OLED, 4:3 aspect ratio, 1-120Hz adaptive, HDR10+, up to 2,600 nits
• The 4:3 inner shape is verified across SamMobile firmware evidence, Ice Universe, and 9to5Google

On the crease: Same contested situation as the Ultra. Ice Universe says no significant crease improvement. SamMobile suggests crease control could rival the OPPO Find N6. The two positions conflict; lean toward a modest but visible improvement.

3. Performance

• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, same as the Ultra
• RAM: 12GB or 16GB
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, no microSD
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, NFC, USB-C

4. Camera

This is the most important trade-off to know before buying the Fold 8. It uses a dual rear camera setup with no telephoto lens:

• Main: 50MP (f/1.8) with OIS
• Ultrawide: 50MP (f/1.9)
• No telephoto and no 200MP main sensor
• Front: 10MP on both cover and inner displays, no autofocus or OIS
• Video: 4K at 60fps, up to 8K at 30fps on the rear cameras, HDR10+ and Super HDR

On the camera gap: The Ultra has a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 10MP 3x telephoto. The Fold 8 drops the high-resolution main and removes the zoom lens entirely. If you take a lot of photos that need zoom, the Ultra is the right choice. Android Authority and others have framed this as Samsung choosing form factor over imaging on the Fold 8, which is an honest way to put it.

5. Battery and charging

Battery capacity (source conflict): SamMobile’s May 4 report lists a ~4,560mAh-rated cell (typical: ~4,700-4,800mAh). A June 2 Ice Universe report by SamMobile says 4,800mAh, but Android Authority’s body text, quoting the same source, says 4,500mAh. The most commonly cited figure from June sources is 4,800mAh. Either way, this is smaller than the Ultra’s 5,000mAh.

• Wired charging: 45W. Supported by the June 2 Ice Universe report and an independent China 3C certification (model SM-F9710 at 15V/3A). Earlier, SamMobile data suggested 25W, but that appears to be superseded
• Wireless charging: 15W or higher, per the older SamMobile baseline page. No newer figure has been confirmed

6. Price

No clean price information exists for the Fold 8. SamMobile has estimated a price of around $1,800 in the US, based on the reduced camera hardware and smaller battery compared to the Ultra. PhoneArena notes that it could be priced similarly to, or slightly below, the Ultra entry. Nothing is confirmed.

Z Fold 8 Ultra vs. Z Fold 8: At a glance

Here is how the two phones compare across the specs that matter most:

Software: What both phones get

Both the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Z Fold 8 ship with Android 17 and One UI 9.0 out of the box. They are expected to be the first devices to receive the stable One UI 9 release, potentially ahead of the Galaxy S26 family and the Pixel 11.

• Galaxy AI suite: Photo Assist, Portrait Studio, Generative Edit, Now Brief, Now Bar, redesigned Bixby with natural language understanding
• Samsung Internet multi-window improvements for working across apps on the inner display
• Gemini Intelligence: expected to debut on these devices. This is Google’s agentic AI that can automate multi-step tasks across apps. It was absent from the early One UI 9 beta on the S26, so it likely arrives with the stable One UI 9 release
• Seven years of OS updates and security patches

The wider cover screen on the Fold 8 is also its biggest software story. A 5.4-inch 4.7:3 cover display is much easier to use one-handed when the phone is closed compared to the narrow, tall cover screen on previous Fold models. Expect expanded third-party app support on that cover screen with One UI 9.

Should You Buy the Z Fold 8 Ultra or Z Fold 8?

You want the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra if:

• Camera quality is your priority. The 200MP main sensor and 3x telephoto are only on the Ultra
• You want the largest inner screen (8 inches vs 7.6 inches)
• You are coming from a Z Fold 5 or older and want the most complete upgrade

You want the Galaxy Z Fold 8 if:

• The wider 4:3 shape appeals to you for multitasking, watching video, or just something genuinely different from every foldable that came before it
• You want the lighter option at 201g
• Zoom is not a priority for you
• You want to spend a bit less

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7:

• The Ultra brings meaningful upgrades in battery, charging speed, and the ultrawide camera. Whether those justify the upgrade depends on how much you use the camera
• The Fold 8 is the more interesting upgrade path if the wide format appeals to you

On the Apple question: Apple’s foldable arrives roughly six to eight weeks after Samsung’s launch and costs $2,000 or more. It will be a first-generation device, with limited supply and an untested form factor. Samsung’s Fold line is now in its seventh generation. That maturity advantage is worth something if you plan to buy at launch.

July 22 is when Samsung makes everything official in London. Keep this page bookmarked as specs get updated the moment Samsung announces.

Samsung is heading to London on July 22, 2026, for Galaxy Unpacked, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the star of the clamshell side of the lineup. Alongside it, Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Here is everything we know right now, before Samsung makes it official.

When and where

Samsung is expected to hold Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, 2026, in London, UK. This would be the first time Samsung launches a foldable phone on UK soil. The date comes from Korea Economic TV reporter Kim Dae-yeon and has since been corroborated by SamMobile, Android Authority, Tom’s Guide, and SammyFans, citing Korean supply chain sources. Samsung has not made an official announcement yet.

Pre-orders are expected to open the same day as the announcement. If Samsung follows its usual pattern, you should be able to buy the phone in the first week of August 2026, roughly two weeks after the event.

Three foldable phones are expected at the event:

• Galaxy Z Flip 8
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 (wider, 4:3 book-style foldable, also referred to as the Z Fold Wide)
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (the direct successor to the Z Fold 7)
• Galaxy Watch 9 series

Note: The naming across these devices is still unsettled. Some sources refer to the wider model as the “Z Fold 8″ and the standard successor as the “Z Fold 8 Ultra.” Samsung has not confirmed the final names.

Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

This is a refinement year for the Z Flip line. The Z Flip 8 keeps the same display size, cameras, and battery as the Z Flip 7, but gets a newer chipset, a slightly lighter and thinner body, and a display that may finally have a much less visible crease. Here is what we know across each category.

1. Design

The overall look stays the same. CAD renders leaked by OnLeaks via MyMobiles in April 2026 show a body that is nearly identical to the Z Flip 7 in height and width, with one key change: the phone folds down to about 13.2mm, down from 13.7mm on the Flip 7. That is a 0.5mm reduction that might not sound like much on paper, but on a phone you open and close dozens of times a day, it is noticeable.

Key design details:

• Dimensions (unfolded): 166.8 x 75.4 x 6.6mm
• Folded thickness: ~13.2mm (down from 13.7mm on the Z Flip 7)
• Weight: ~180g, which is 8g lighter than the Z Flip 7’s 188g (single-source leak via Naver, corroborated by Gizmochina and SammyFans; treat as credible but not confirmed)
• IP48 rating for water and dust resistance, same as the Z Flip 7
• Side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader, built into the power button
• Stereo speakers
• A redesigned hinge that enables the thinner fold and a reduced crease
• Color options: not known yet. The Z Flip 7 came in Jet Black, Blue Shadow, Coral Red, and Mint

2. Display

The Z Flip 8 keeps the same display sizes as the Flip 7:

• Inner display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, FHD+ resolution, adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate, up to 2,600 nits peak brightness, HDR10+
• Cover display (FlexWindow): 4.1-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2

On the crease: Multiple outlets including SammyFans, GSMArena, and SamMobile have reported that the Z Flip 8 could arrive with a “no visible fold line” display structure, essentially making the crease near-invisible. This claim is supported by multiple sources, and the redesigned hinge reinforces the logic. That said, Samsung has not confirmed it, and “dual-layer Ultra Thin Glass (UTG)” is described by GSMArena as an informed assumption. Expect a significantly reduced crease, but do not take “crease-free” as guaranteed until Samsung says so officially.

3. Performance

The biggest story in the Z Flip 8’s performance isn’t just the new chipset, but which chipset you get depending on where you buy the phone. The Z Flip 7 used Samsung’s Exynos chip in every region. The Z Flip 8 is reportedly going back to a split approach.

According to The Bell (a Korean publication), backed up by SamMobile, Android Authority, and Naver leaker Lanzuk (June 2026):

• Exynos 2600 (2nm): South Korea and Europe, including the UK
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy: North America, South America, most of Asia, and Australia

The reason, according to sources, is cost. Qualcomm reportedly offered Samsung a lower-than-usual price for the Snapdragon chip, making the split financially practical. One Samsung insider told The Bell that Z Flip buyers tend to prioritize design and portability over raw performance, which makes the Exynos trade-off easier to justify on this line compared to the Fold.

Other performance specs:

• RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X (no 16GB variant expected)
• Storage: 256GB and 512GB, UFS 4.0 or 4.1, non-expandable
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2)

4. Camera

The camera hardware on the Z Flip 8 is unchanged from the Z Flip 6 and Z Flip 7. GalaxyClub confirmed that the camera module part numbers are identical across all three generations. This will be the third consecutive year with the same setup:

• Rear: 50MP main sensor and 12MP ultrawide lens
• Front: 10MP
• Video: Up to 4K at 60fps, 10-bit HDR
• No telephoto lens (not expected until the Z Flip 9 at the earliest)

Any camera improvements will come from software, specifically Samsung’s ProVisual Engine and Enhanced Nightography, which will benefit from the faster NPU in the new chipset.

5. Battery and charging

The battery capacity and charging speeds carry over from the Z Flip 7 without any upgrade. GalaxyClub identified the two battery cells by model number and confirmed they are identical to those in the Flip 7.

• Battery: 4,300mAh (4,174mAh rated capacity)
• Wired charging: 25W (unchanged since the Z Flip 4 in 2022)
• Wireless charging: 15W
• Reverse wireless charging: Yes (4.5W)

The move to a 2nm chip should translate to better battery efficiency in everyday use, even with the same capacity. Worth noting: GSMArena flagged the Exynos 2600’s battery life as disappointing in its Galaxy S26 review, so if you end up with a European or Korean unit, manage your expectations there.

6. Software

The Z Flip 8 will ship with Android 17 and One UI 9.0 out of the box. Samsung has already begun development of One UI 9 firmware for the device: firmware build F776USQU0AZB1 (model number SM-F776, confirmed to be the Z Flip 8) was spotted on Samsung’s servers in early 2026.

What to expect from One UI 9 on the Z Flip 8:

• Galaxy AI features, including Audio Eraser, Browsing Assist, Note Assist, Now Brief, Now Nudge, Photo Assist, and Writing Assist
• Gemini Intelligence integration for cross-app automation (per Android Authority, this may debut with One UI 9’s stable release)
• Expanded native third-party app support on the FlexWindow cover screen
• Cleaner Gallery app interface and refined widget design
• Seven years of OS updates and security patches

7. Price

Pricing has not been confirmed by Samsung. There is also a genuine conflict between sources that is worth flagging clearly.

Most sources, including Ice Universe, NotebookCheck, PhoneArena, Tech Advisor, and Android Headlines, point to $1,099 for the 256GB model and $1,219 for 512GB in the US. This would match the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 6 at launch, holding the line for a third straight year despite rising component costs.

SamMobile puts the starting price lower, at around $949.99. This figure sits below the prevailing $1,099 figure from other sources and even below what the Z Flip 7 actually launched at. It may refer to a promotional or trade-in price rather than the full retail price. Both figures are on the table, and neither is confirmed.

For UK and European buyers, Tech Advisor has cited a potential starting price of around £1,049 in the UK and €1,199 in Europe. Component cost pressure could push the 512GB variant higher across markets.

What about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 FE?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 FE does not appear to be happening this year. There are no certification filings, and no model number in any database that points to an FE model. Samsung’s 2026 foldable lineup cleared FCC and BIS certification with three devices: the Z Flip 8 (SM-F776), the Z Fold 8 Wide (SM-F971), and the Z Fold 8 Ultra (SM-F976). No FE model number appears anywhere in that list.

Android Central, in a June 2026 piece by Brady Snyder, put it plainly: Samsung might be skipping the Fan Edition this year. An earlier Sammy Fans rumor that tied model number SM-F971 to a Z Flip 8 FE has since been debunked. That number now refers to the Z Fold 8 Wide.

Should you wait for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8?

July 22 is only weeks away. Here is a straightforward breakdown:

• On a Z Flip 5 or older: Wait for the Z Flip 8. The jump in chipset, display, and design refinement will be significant.
• On a Z Flip 6: The Z Flip 8 is worth considering if the lighter body or potential crease reduction matters to you. The camera and battery are unchanged.
• On a Z Flip 7: There is not much reason to upgrade this cycle. The chipset improves, but the camera, battery, and display size stay the same. You are looking at a thinner, lighter phone, but your Flip 7 is not missing anything essential.
• Waiting for the Z Flip 8 FE: Skip it. There is no evidence it is coming this year.

Samsung will make everything official on July 22 in London. Keep this page bookmarked, as the details will be updated the moment Samsung announces.

This is Follow the Money, our weekly series that unpacks the earnings, business, and scaling strategies of African fintechs, financial institutions, companies, and governments. A new edition drops every Monday.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mentioned stablecoin(s) at least 68 times in its newly released Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV 2028).  For a regulator that once wanted banks nowhere near cryptocurrency businesses, this is a remarkable shift. 

A stablecoin is a digital currency pegged to a stable asset, such as a fiat currency, to minimise volatility, used for payments and settlements, especially in cross-border transactions 

In February 2021, the CBN instructed banks and other financial institutions to close accounts associated with crypto transactions. At the time, the regulator argued that cryptocurrencies posed risks to financial stability, money laundering controls, and consumer protection.

Five years later, the same institution is proposing an enabling framework for stablecoins to become part of Nigeria’s regulated payments infrastructure.

Across emerging markets such as Nigeria, stablecoins already help move money across borders, facilitate trade, and provide access to dollar liquidity for businesses and individuals. 

More than 65% of crypto inflows into Nigeria are now denominated in stablecoins, with Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC dominating activity, according to a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on Nigeria. 

For the CBN, the new question it wants to answer is whether stablecoins can be regulated in a way that helps solve some of Nigeria’s most persistent payments and foreign exchange (FX) challenges.

As PSV 2028 attempts to shape its broader ambition to redesign how money moves into, out of, and across Nigeria, stablecoins have emerged as one of the tools the CBN believes could help achieve that objective.

Stablecoins are part of how Nigerians move money

Between July 2024 and June 2025, Nigeria received approximately $92.1 billion in crypto-asset value, with stablecoins driving growth. The country’s numbers are nearly triple that of the next country, South Africa, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. 

In a June 9 report on Nigeria, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the country has become the largest destination for stablecoin inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for roughly 60% of regional inflows between late 2019 and early 2025.

The rise in stablecoins’ attractiveness can be traced to elevated inflation and naira volatility between 2023 and 2024, according to the IMF.

For households, stablecoins could serve as a cheaper alternative for receiving remittances. Remittances are a crucial part of income for many households, and amount to about $21 billion annually in Nigeria. 

By allowing funds to move directly over blockchain networks, stablecoins can reduce reliance on intermediaries that typically charge transfer and foreign exchange fees, helping recipients receive more of the money sent to them. 

For freelancers, stablecoins provide access to international payments. For businesses, they increasingly function as a mechanism for treasury management and cross-border settlement. In effect, stablecoins have emerged as an unofficial dollar rail operating alongside the traditional banking system.

To tap into this growing usage, Nigeria’s first regulated stablecoin, cNGN,  pegged 1:1 to the naira, was launched by WrappedCBDC, a private company, in early 2025. About ₦2.3 billion cNGN held by around 4,805 wallets was in circulation as of June 12. 

To further strengthen stablecoin use cases, the CBN is exploring the creation of a regulatory framework that would formally recognise fiat-collateralised stablecoins as a distinct category of digital monetary instrument.

“Develop regulations that recognise fully fiat-collateralised stablecoins as monetary instruments, with CBN licencing, 100% high-quality reserve requirements, daily attestations, monthly audits, and real-time regulatory visibility via smart-contract ‘regtech nodes,’” it said in the PSV.

Under the model being considered, stablecoins backed one-for-one by reserves in Naira or foreign currencies would function as tokenised representations of fiat currency operating on blockchain networks.

“When fully backed by fiat reserves, such tokens function as on-chain representations of sovereign currency and must therefore be subject to monetary oversight distinct from e-money or crypto-assets,” the CBN said in the PSV.

The regulator is examining whether stablecoins can serve as digital extensions of traditional money.

A dollar-backed stablecoin would represent a digital claim on dollars held in reserve, while a Naira-backed stablecoin would represent a digital claim on naira deposits held within the banking system.

The CBN’s proposal effectively creates a framework where regulated stablecoins could sit alongside existing payment instruments such as bank deposits, electronic money, card networks, and the eNaira.

“In this context, the Bank is also reviewing approaches for the oversight of entities that may seek to issue fiat-collateralised stablecoins intended for use within the Nigerian financial system,” the CBN said.

To achieve this, the CBN said it is pursuing targeted legislative amendments to provide clear statutory recognition of fiat-collateralised stablecoins as monetary instruments rather than securities.

It intends to collaborate with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other key stakeholders to develop a unified policy position that affirms their classification as digital representations of sovereign currency for payments, settlement, and value transfer.

TechCabal Interactive Tool

The CBN Regulatory Evolution Engine

Map the operational mechanics behind the central bank’s transition from an outright ban to on-chain supervision.

Select Timeline Phase:

2021 Ban 2024 Surge 2025 Pilot 2028 Vision

Regulatory Matrix PHASE 1 of 4

CBN Enforcement Strategy: De-platforming & Account Bans

Network Visibility Index: 5% (Total Blindspot)

The 2021 Banking Restriction

The CBN instructs banks to close all accounts associated with crypto transactions, asserting risks to financial stability, money laundering controls, and consumer safety. Capital flows immediately move into unmonitored peer-to-peer networks.

Structural Consequence

By detaching crypto assets from the formal financial loop, capital operations move underground into hidden peer-to-peer execution channels.

User

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Hidden P2P

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No Oversight

Reference Framework: Charted from the CBN’s initial 2021 directives, the 2025 VASP pilot, and the proposed stablecoin frameworks outlined in the Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV 2028).

A new source of foreign exchange liquidity

The CBN increasingly sees stablecoins as a potential source of FX liquidity.

It states that beyond tokenised monetary instruments such as fiat-collateralised stablecoins, the domestic payment system itself can be leveraged as a supplementary source of FX liquidity.

“This can be achieved through targeted regulatory inclusion and transparent oversight mechanisms that integrate licensed non-bank participants into official FX channels,” it said.

Today, Nigeria earns most of its FX from oil, which is constantly under pressure due to low production capacity and global price fluctuation, and diaspora remittances. Gross FX reserves stood at $50.44 billion on June 10, according to the CBN.

Because foreign currency-backed stablecoin reserves sit outside Nigeria’s regulatory visibility, the dollars backing them are typically held by foreign custodians and largely operate outside the domestic financial system.

For Naira-denominated stablecoins, the regulator is considering requirements that 100% of reserves be held in cash, treasury bills, or other approved liquid instruments with licenced Nigerian custodians.

For foreign currency-backed stablecoins, including dollar-backed instruments, the central bank is evaluating rules that would require a minimum portion of reserves to be held domestically with approved commercial banks.

“A minimum percentage of total fiat reserves backing approved stablecoins denominated in foreign currencies (e.g. USD) should be held domestically in approved custodians (licensed commercial banks),” the CBN said. “The remainder may be held in approved foreign custodians/jurisdictions, including short-term sovereign instruments (e.g. US treasuries) to enhance stability and liquidity.”

This approach contrasts with Kenya, where the National Treasury has proposed that stablecoin issuers serving the public must maintain local fiat-backed reserves in high-quality liquid assets, including cash and deposits, held with commercial banks or the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). 

The CBN wants some of the underlying liquidity supporting stablecoins to become visible, regulated, and connected to the formal financial system.

In effect, the regulator is examining whether stablecoins can create an additional pool of regulated foreign currency liquidity that supports trade, remittances, and cross-border commerce.

Already, stablecoins are expected to play a more active role in cross-border payments, with the CBN intending to leverage them and central bank-backed digital currencies to navigate currency hurdles with its trading partners.

The IMF explained that stablecoins can enable near-instant cross-border transfers at low cost by reducing reliance on correspondent banking networks and multiple intermediaries that can make traditional cross-border payments slow and expensive.

According to the World Bank, the global average cost of sending $200 remains high at 6.49%, rising to 8.78% in Sub-Saharan Africa, while global payment giant Stripe reports that sending stablecoins typically entails fees of only a few cents per dollar, although total all-in costs depend on network conditions and on- and off-ramp fees.

TechCabal Interactive Tool

The PSV 2028 Impact Engine

Model conservative cost reductions under the CBN’s proposed framework, accounting for actual fiat on/off-ramp friction.

Transaction Amount (USD): Max $100,000

$

Transfer Frequency: Once (Single Transfer) Monthly (12x/Year) Weekly (52x/Year)

Select Capital Corridor:

SSA Remittance Avg. (8.78%)

Global Trade Avg. (6.49%)

Per-Transaction Cost Breakdown

Traditional Channel

$–

3–5 Days • High friction

Regulated Stablecoin Rails

$–

Near-Instant • ~50% drop

CBN Target Limit

$–

5.00% PSV 2028 ceiling goal

The Compounding Effect

By switching to regulated digital rails at this frequency, you could save an estimated $– over the course of a year.

Infrastructure Shift: Inside the Framework

Onshore Custody Mandate

To prevent capital flight, rules require stablecoin issuers to hold a minimum threshold of foreign currency reserves domestically within licensed commercial banks instead of offshore.

RegTech Node Surveillance

Supervision moves from slow paper audits to programmatic oversight, embedding central bank smart-contract observer nodes into verified networks for real-time tracking.

Data Sources & Methodology:

• Central Bank of Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 Blueprint.
• World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide (Sub-Saharan Africa 8.78% & Global 6.49% benchmarks).
• Stablecoin metrics assume a conservative ~50% reduction from traditional rates to account for on/off-ramp exchange spread friction.

The winners

The CBN’s proposal could create significant opportunities across the payments ecosystem.

Businesses engaged in international trade stand to benefit from faster settlement times and potentially lower transaction costs. Importers could gain access to more efficient payment channels. Exporters could receive funds faster. Remittance providers could reduce costs.

It currently costs about $17.56 to send $200 to Nigeria, according to the World Bank.  For a $2,000 payment, companies and individuals will have to part with $175.6. If stablecoins only cost about 50% of what is currently obtainable, the operating costs for businesses and individuals will also drop.

The CBN ultimately wants to drop the cost of remittances to 5%.

Treasury and cross-border payment startups would also gain regulatory clarity that allows them to scale new products. Already, several African fintech companies are exploring stablecoin-based payment infrastructure for businesses engaged in international commerce. Companies such as Grey, Paga, and Flutterwave are all showing interest in the space.

The banking sector could also emerge as a beneficiary.

If reserve custody requirements are implemented, commercial banks could become key custodians of stablecoin reserves, creating a new role within the emerging digital asset ecosystem.

Building a regulatory framework

To achieve its objectives, the CBN intends to introduce a classification framework that distinguishes stablecoins based on reserve structure, risk profile, and use case.

The framework recognises fiat-backed stablecoins, which are fully collateralised by naira or foreign currency reserves and are considered suitable for regulated remittances, trade facilitation, and tokenised deposits.

It also recognises asset-backed stablecoins, which derive value from commodities or securities and would require stricter transparency and valuation oversight.

The classification system would underpin licensing, reserve requirements, redemption obligations, interoperability standards, consumer protection measures, and disclosure rules.

The central bank said it is studying regulatory approaches in jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Japan, the European Union, and the United States as it develops its own licencing regime.

“Review existing regulatory guidelines to determine how fiat-collagenised stablecoin off-takers may be granted supervised access to relevant payment system functions, including settlement and on/off-ramp operations, in a manner consistent with oversight requirements,” the CBN said.

Under the proposed framework, stablecoin issuers would be subject to prudential, operational, technological, and disclosure requirements, and would be licenced by the CBN.

On March 31, the CBN launched a supervisory pilot for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) that included fintech firms Flutterwave and Paystack, crypto startup Koin Koin, and cNGN, a Naira-backed stablecoin issuer.

The regulator is considering daily reserve reconciliation, real-time reserve attestations, monthly audits, segregation of reserve assets, and mandatory redemption mechanisms.

Stablecoin issuers would also be required to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules, including transaction traceability and Travel Rule obligations.

The CBN wants visibility, not just regulation

PSV 2028 proposes the possibility of CBN observer nodes operating on approved blockchain networks.

The bank is also evaluating a regulatory technology (RegTech) node architecture that would provide real-time visibility into issuance, redemption, circulation, and reserve positions.

A RegTech is a technology solution that helps financial institutions comply with regulations efficiently and effectively, often through automation and real-time reporting. 

“This architecture would give the CBN continuous, tamper-evident insight into stablecoin supply, reserve adequacy, and transaction flow; transforming compliance from periodic audits into real-time supervisory oversight consistent with international best practice in Hong Kong, the EU, and the BIS mBridge framework,” the bank said.

Unlike traditional supervision, which relies heavily on periodic reporting from regulated institutions, the proposed system would allow regulators to monitor activity directly through blockchain infrastructure.

The CBN wants stablecoins to operate in a manner that preserves the transparency and programmability of blockchain technology while maintaining regulatory visibility comparable to traditional financial systems.

That approach reflects a broader global trend among regulators who increasingly view blockchain infrastructure not as something to prohibit but as something to supervise more effectively.

In August 2025, Hong Kong introduced a stablecoin licensing regime requiring reserve backing and redemption rights. In the United States, lawmakers passed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) ACT, which provides a framework for the federal regulation of payment stablecoins, on July 17, 2025.   

The balancing act

The CBN’s embrace of stablecoins remains cautious.

Stablecoins support many of the objectives outlined in PSV 2028, including improving cross-border payments, reducing transaction costs, expanding digital commerce, increasing interoperability, and strengthening financial inclusion.

Yet, they also introduce significant risks. A poorly backed stablecoin can lose its peg. Large-scale adoption of foreign-currency-backed stablecoins could encourage digital dollarisation, weaken demand for the Naira, complicate monetary policy, and create new channels for capital flight, according to the IMF.

“Stablecoins facilitate ‘digital dollarisation,’ allowing users to hold and transact in USD-denominated assets outside the formal financial system. Widespread use of USD stablecoins in such a context could amplify capital flow volatility, deepen currency substitution (dollarisation), and weaken the effectiveness of monetary policy,” the IMF said.

It is noted that, under the current conditions of improved exchange rate stability in the country, these risks appear contained.

The IMF recommended stronger supervision, robust licencing requirements, consumer protection rules, and close coordination between the CBN and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The CBN appears to agree and said it is working with the SEC and other stakeholders.

It wants to “develop a risk-tiered stablecoin framework; set rules for licencing, reserve backing, redemption and disclosures; run controlled stablecoin pilots for low-value trade or remittances.”

Five years after telling banks to stay away from crypto, the CBN has reached a different conclusion about stablecoins. They are no longer viewed solely as speculative digital assets. Increasingly, they are being viewed as part of the country’s payment infrastructure and will start to play a big role from 2026.

Samsung updates its software support chart monthly. Each update can quietly drop a phone from the list, meaning that the device will no longer receive security patches. In June 2026, only one Samsung phone lost its software support: the Galaxy M53 5G. Every other device on the May chart carried over unchanged.

If you own a Galaxy M53 5G or you are thinking of buying one secondhand, here is everything you need to know.

Galaxy M53 5G: The phone that lost software support

The Galaxy M53 5G was removed from Samsung’s quarterly security update row in June 2026. According to Sammy Fans, Samsung’s quarterly chart showed the removal of one Galaxy M-series phone, with no other additions or changes observed. The M53 5G had been grouped with the M54 5G, M55 5G, M55S 5G, and M56 5G. After the June update, that row now starts from the M54 5G.

The last firmware the M53 5G received was M536BXXSFGZE2, which carries the May 2026 security patch and was released on May 28, 2026. Sammy Fans confirmed this is likely the final update for the device.

About the Galaxy M53 5G

Samsung launched the Galaxy M53 5G in India on April 22, 2022, with sales starting April 29. Here are the key specs:

Software support history

The Galaxy M53 5G launched on Android 12 with One UI 4.1. At launch, Samsung promised two years of OS updates and four years of security updates. The phone ended up getting far more than that, receiving four major Android upgrades in total:

• Android 13 (One UI 5.0/5.1)
• Android 14 (One UI 6.0/6.1)
• Android 15 (One UI 7)
• Android 16 (One UI 8.0) in October 2025, its final OS version

The phone was excluded from One UI 8.5, which is based on Android 16 QPR2 and began rolling out on May 6, 2026. Some sources speculated the M53 5G might receive 8.5 as one final feature update, but that did not happen. One UI 8.0 is its last version.

Throughout its lifespan, the M53 5G was always on a quarterly security update schedule, not a monthly one.

What losing software support means for your phone

Your phone does not stop working. Calls, texts, Wi-Fi, your camera, and apps you already have installed keep working. The hardware is unaffected. What changes is the security maintenance that runs in the background.

Here is what losing support actually means:

• No more security patches: Samsung will no longer send fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities. To put that in perspective, the June 2026 patch that the M53 5G will not receive fixes 45 security issues, including five rated Critical and 28 rated High, covering problems in Android and Samsung’s own software.
• App compatibility can decline over time: Apps that check your device’s security patch level, especially banking and payment apps, may eventually limit features or block access entirely.
• Samsung services may flag your device: Samsung Pay, Knox, and Secure Folder rely on a healthy security setup. An unpatched device becomes a weaker link over time, and some services may reflect that.
• Google updates continue for a while: Google Play Protect, Play Services, and Google Play system updates come from Google, not Samsung, so those will keep arriving for some time. They do not replace Samsung’s system-level patches, but they do offer some continued protection.

Samsung phones still receiving software updates

Samsung’s June 2026 scope page currently lists two update tiers: monthly (flagships) and quarterly (mid-range and older flagships). The biannual tier that used to cover the oldest budget devices no longer exists. Samsung discontinued it in 2026.

Monthly security updates

• Galaxy Z series (foldables): Z TriFold, Z Fold4, Fold5, Fold6, Fold7, Fold Special Edition, Z Flip4, Flip5, Flip6, Flip7, Flip7 FE, and the W-series (W23 through W26)
• Galaxy S series: S26, S26+, S26 Ultra, S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge, S25 FE, S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, S24 FE, S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, S23 FE
• Enterprise and A-series on monthly: Galaxy A54 5G, A55 5G, A56 5G, A57 5G, Tab Active5 Pro, XCover6 Pro, XCover7, XCover7 Pro

Quarterly security updates

• Galaxy Z series: Z Fold3 5G, Z Flip3 5G
• Galaxy S series: S22, S22+, S22 Ultra, S21 FE 5G
• Galaxy A series: A04 to A07 range, A14 to A17 range, A23 5G, A24, A25 5G, A26 5G, A33 5G to A37 5G range, A73 5G
• Galaxy M series: M04 to M07 range, M13 to M17e 5G range, M34 5G to M36 5G range, M44 5G, M54 5G to M56 5G range (M53 5G removed)
• Galaxy F series: F04 to F07 range, F13 to F17 5G range, F34 5G, F36 5G, F54 5G to F56 5G range
• Galaxy C series: C55 5G
• Tablets: Tab S11/S11 Ultra, Tab S10 series, Tab S9 series, Tab S8 series, Tab S6 Lite (2024), Tab A11/A11+, Tab A9 series
• Galaxy Wearables: Watch8/Watch8 Classic, Watch Ultra, Watch7, Watch FE, Watch6, Watch5, and Watch4 series, Galaxy XR

How to check for software updates on your Samsung phone

If you want to see your current software version or check for a new update, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Scroll down and tap Software update.
3. Tap Download and install.
4. Your phone will check for updates. Follow the on-screen steps to install if one is available. Samsung recommends doing this on Wi-Fi with your battery above 60%.

To check your Google Play system update separately, go to Settings > Security and Privacy > Updates > Google Play system update. Google sends these updates independently, so they continue to arrive even after Samsung ends its own support.

What to do if you own a Galaxy M53 5G

Your phone is safe to keep using for now. The May 2026 patch (firmware ending in GZE2) is your last expected update from Samsung. Here are a few practical steps to take:

• Keep your apps updated through the Play Store. Google can still push Play Services and Play Protect updates.
• Turn on two-factor authentication for your important accounts, especially your banking and email accounts.
• Avoid downloading apps from outside the Play Store.
• If a banking app or work app starts warning you about an outdated security patch, that is the clearest sign it is time to upgrade.

If you are shopping for a used Samsung phone, skip the M53 5G and other recently retired models. A Galaxy S23 or newer will give you monthly updates and several more years of OS upgrades. If you want a mid-range option, look for a current A5x or A3x model still on the quarterly list.

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update arrived with a lot of promise: Galaxy AI features, camera upgrades, and smarter notifications. But if your phone is a Galaxy S25, S24, or older, you’ve probably noticed that some of the headline features Samsung showed off on the Galaxy S26 simply aren’t on your device.

This is what’s missing from One UI 8.5, which devices are affected, and what you can expect in future updates.

What the June 2026 update finally added

When One UI 8.5 stable rolled out in May 2026, three Galaxy AI features were missing from the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung quietly fixed that with a June 2026 update, released on June 11. The package was about 900MB, noticeably larger than a typical security patch, and for good reason.

The three features now available on the Galaxy S25, Z Fold 7, and Z Flip 7 are:

• Prioritize Notifications: Galaxy AI reorders your alerts so the most important ones appear at the top. Everything is processed on your phone, not in the cloud. One catch: it only works when your notifications are in the same language as your phone’s system language. Supported languages include English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Thai, Polish, Italian, and Vietnamese.
• Summarize Notifications: Long group chats and email threads get collapsed into a short, plain-language summary without you having to open each app. The same language requirement applies.
• File Summaries: In the My Files app, you can now get AI summaries of PDF and TXT files, as well as voice recordings saved in the Voice Recorder app. On-device only.

The update started rolling out in South Korea first, with North America, Europe, and India expected to follow within a week, according to Android Authority and GSMArena.

What One UI 8.5 still does not give you

The June update closed part of the gap, but several S26 features are still absent from the S25 and older devices. Here is what you are still waiting on.

1. Now Nudge

This is the most talked-about missing feature. Now Nudge is a context-aware AI tool that reads what is on your screen and surfaces helpful suggestions in your Samsung Keyboard toolbar. It might offer to add an event to your calendar, save a contact, or share a photo, based on what you are looking at in the moment.

It only works with the Samsung Keyboard, so if you use Gboard, it will not apply. As of June 2026, Now Nudge is only available on the Galaxy S26 series. It is missing from the S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and every older device.

Samsung has not explained why. Digital Trends noted that Now Nudge does not appear to rely on any Galaxy S26-exclusive hardware, which makes its absence on the S25 harder to justify. Samsung markets it as a headline One UI 8.5 feature, which makes the omission even more noticeable.

According to a firmware leak spotted by SamMobile, Now Nudge appears in internal One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, suggesting Samsung may be saving it for the One UI 9 update. But this is based on a leak, not a Samsung statement.

2. 24MP camera mode

On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a 24MP shooting option sits between the standard 12MP and the maximum 200MP modes. It uses AI Fusion processing to produce more detailed shots without the file sizes that come with high-resolution captures. You access it through the Camera Assistant app.

On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that option does not exist in Camera Assistant at all, even though both phones run the same version of the app. SammyGuru confirmed this. There is no confirmed plan to bring the 24MP mode to the S25 or any older device.

3. Video softening

This is a Camera Assistant setting with three levels: Off, Medium, and High. It reduces the sharpening and noise processing that Samsung applies by default, giving your videos a more natural, less over-processed look. Think of it as a processing intensity dial.

Android Authority found it in One UI 8.5 code, but it was never activated on the S25. It is currently reserved for the Galaxy S26. The S25 Ultra is also missing related autofocus speed and sensitivity controls, as well as 8K recording via Smart View or HDMI output.

4. Fingerprint accuracy booster

This feature lets you rescan your registered fingerprint up to 10 times so your phone gets better at recognizing it. It is a software feature with no hardware requirement, which makes its rollout history odd.

It reached the Galaxy S25 FE in May 2026 via a security patch, and the Z Fold 7 also has it. But as of the June 2026 update, the standard Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra still do not have it. Android Authority noted that no one has publicly explained why the S25 FE received it before the S25 Ultra.

5. Horizon Lock and other missing features

A few more S26 features are also absent. Horizon Lock (also called Horizontal Lock) is a Super Steady video stabilization feature on the S26 Ultra that keeps footage level even when your hands are shaky. It is missing from all older Ultra models after the June update.

Other omissions on the S25 build, reported by PiunikaWeb and Digital Trends, include:

• The ‘Show Finder on Home screen’ shortcut
• Samsung Browser’s ‘Ask AI’ feature
• A high-magnification photo remaster tool (30x+)
• Some 8K recording options

Which phones are affected

Here is how the missing features break down by device:

• Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge: Got stable One UI 8.5 in May, then the three notification and file features in June. Still missing Now Nudge, 24MP mode, video softening, Horizon Lock, and the fingerprint accuracy booster.
• Galaxy S25 FE: Unusually got the fingerprint accuracy booster first via its May security patch. Received the June update but did not get the additional AI features from that build, per SammyGuru.
• Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7: Same hardware class as the S25, same gaps. Got the June notification and file features. Already has the fingerprint booster. Still missing Now Nudge, 24MP, and video softening.
• Galaxy S24 series: On the confirmed One UI 8.5 list and has features like Quick Share with Apple devices. It was not confirmed that the June AI features would reach the S24 immediately, per Android Central.
• Galaxy S23 series: Got a reduced version of One UI 8.5 that is missing Quick Share with Apple devices (available on S24 and newer) and Call Screening. PhoneArena and Android Authority both noted this fuelled planned-obsolescence complaints from S23 owners who still have about a year of OS support left.
• Galaxy A-series (A56, A36, A55, A35, and others): Receive One UI 8.5 with a reduced AI subset called Awesome Intelligence, not the full Galaxy AI suite.
• Galaxy S22, Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Tab S8, S21 FE: Not getting One UI 8.5 at all. These devices have reached the end of feature updates.

What Samsung has said

Samsung has issued no public explanation for any of these omissions. PiunikaWeb and Ubergizmo both reported that Samsung has not issued an official statement. Samsung moderators have only responded publicly to bug reports, such as battery drain on certain carrier variants, not to questions about deliberate feature gaps.

What makes this harder to accept is that the Galaxy S25 and Z Fold 7 run the same Snapdragon 8 Elite hardware as the Galaxy S26. The hardware argument does not hold up. Whether this is a scheduling decision or a strategy to differentiate the S26 remains unaddressed by Samsung.

Will One UI 9 fix this?

One UI 9, based on Android 17, entered beta on May 13, 2026, starting with the Galaxy S26 series in six countries: the US, UK, Germany, South Korea, Poland, and India. Samsung has not officially confirmed a stable release date, but multiple South Korean outlets point to a July 22, 2026, Unpacked event at which the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are expected to launch.

The Galaxy S25 and S24 series would likely receive stable One UI 9 around August or September 2026, if Samsung follows its usual rollout pattern. Internal One UI 9 testing for the S25 reportedly began in the first week of June 2026, according to SamMobile.

The strongest signal for Now Nudge on older devices is the firmware leak: SamMobile found Now Nudge listed in internal One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That suggests it is coming with One UI 9, not One UI 8.5. But until Samsung officially confirms it, treat it as expected rather than guaranteed.

For 24MP mode, video softening, and Horizon Lock, there is no leak or statement pointing to a backport. If those features matter to you, the Galaxy S26 is currently the only option.

What to do right now

1. If you have a Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, or S25 Edge, go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. The June 2026 update brings Notification Highlights and File Summaries. Do not expect Now Nudge, 24MP, video softening, Horizon Lock, or the fingerprint booster from this update.
2. If you are waiting for Now Nudge, keep an eye on the One UI 9 beta and stable cycles over the next few months. Based on what is known from the firmware leak, it should arrive then, but there is no Samsung commitment to point to yet.
3. If 24MP mode or video softening is important to you, no backport is confirmed. The Galaxy S26 is the only guaranteed path to those features today.
4. If you own a Galaxy S23 and want Quick Share with Apple devices, it is not coming to the S23. As a workaround, QR-based Quick Share still works for sharing between devices.

Every month, Mampe Seema, a Johannesburg-based domestic worker, remits part of her salary to her family in Lesotho.

The money covers school fees, groceries, and other household expenses. For years, sending money across the border was straightforward. Then the process began taking longer and required additional steps.

“When the banking process became more difficult, I worried that my family would not receive the money when they needed it most,” Seema told TechCabal. “I decided to try Mukuru after hearing about it from a friend. The registration was straightforward, and I could send money without the uncertainty I had started experiencing elsewhere.”

The 53-year-old mother of two is among a growing number of the estimated 400,000 Basotho migrants in South Africa turning to fintechs like Mukuru, Sasai, Ria Money and hello Paisa as cross-border payments become more complex. The shift highlights how regulatory changes are reshaping consumer behaviour and expanding the role fintechs play in regional payments.

In 2025, the South Africa Reserve Bank’s (SARB) changes affecting low-value cross-border electronic fund transfers (EFTs) within the Common Monetary Area (CMA) introduced stricter processing and verification requirements for some transactions. The CMA includes South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, and Eswatini.

The measures were designed to strengthen anti-money laundering controls, reduce illicit financial flows, and improve compliance with international financial standards.

While the changes aim to improve oversight of the financial system, they have also added friction for some consumers accustomed to moving money between South Africa and Lesotho with minimal documentation. In some cases, users have faced additional verification requirements and longer processing times.

For Lesotho, where remittances are a significant source of household income, these changes have direct implications. According to data from the World Bank, personal remittances account for almost 20.9% of Lesotho’s GDP. Statistics South Africa estimates that the 400,000 Basotho living and working in South Africa make up about 11% of the country’s immigrant population.

Cape Town-based Mukuru, a global fintech which says it serves over 17 million across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America, says the SARB’s ban on EFTs to CMA countries has attracted new customers who previously relied on traditional banking channels. Mama Money, Shoprite and Nedbank’s Zaca are the other major money transfers that have entered the Lesotho market.

“Historically, Mukuru focused on serving unbanked customers, but we are now seeing that even banked customers are facing difficulties when trying to send money home,” said Maleseli Mohapinyane, Mukuru’s country manager for Lesotho.

The company launched its South Africa–Lesotho corridor in 2016 and now operates across 22 remittance corridors globally. According to Mohapinyane, the company is seeing increased interest from customers looking for alternatives to conventional cross-border payment channels.

Cost is another factor. 

For Thabiso Nthunya, a mineworker in the Free State Province, what matters most is that the money reaches his family quickly.

“When your family is waiting for money to buy food or pay bills, you need to know it will arrive without delay. Travelling home just to take money to my family is expensive, and carrying cash is not ideal,” he said.

Moroesi Koali, Sasai Econet Financial Services Marketing Manager, agreed with Nthunya that convenience is one of the main reasons migrant workers are increasingly opting for their fintech-based remittance services.

“For many migrant workers, convenience is key,” she said. “They can send money home knowing recipients can access the funds immediately through a wallet or an agent network, without needing to travel long distances or navigate multiple banking processes,” she said.

However, Access Bank says its remittance business to Lesotho has remained largely upbeat despite the regulatory changes and competition from digital payments platforms. Naco Bolote, the bank’s Head of International Remittances, described Lesotho as an important corridor and said the lender had continued to serve the market effectively.

“As a bank, there has not been any noticeable impact for us because our market dynamics are a little different from those of remittance companies. That is because our cross-border payments are at a more formalised level,” he said.

On June 1, Spiro, the electric motorcycle startup, announced a $215 million funding round, one of the largest capital raises ever secured by an African mobility company. The figure grabbed headlines, but the company’s plans for the capital offer the clearest insight into how it sees its future. 

Across Africa’s tech ecosystem, investors have become more demanding about business fundamentals. Growth remains important. However, investors now want clearer evidence that startups can generate sustainable revenue, move towards profitability and maintain sound economics as they scale. 

Spiro’s latest strategy speaks directly to that shift. The company still earns most of its revenue from selling electric motorcycles, yet it spends far more time talking about batteries, swap stations and energy infrastructure than motorcycles. 

Few mobility startups have consistently attracted capital. Spiro has now raised more than $500 million through a combination of debt and equity financing, including a $50 million facility from Afreximbank, a $100 million funding round announced in 2025, and the latest equity raise led by Impact Fund Denmark and Equitane. 

In a statement to TechCabal on Tuesday, Gagan Gupta, the company’s co-founder and chairman, described a business focused on expanding battery capacity, growing its swapping network and building energy services around it. Motorcycles remain the main source of revenue, but batteries and swap stations dominate the growth strategy. 

“Spiro’s revenue mix today is primarily driven by vehicle sales, with energy services, operations and maintenance contributing the remaining share,” Gupta said. 

Vehicle sales still drive the business

Spiro is clear about where its revenue comes from today. Vehicle sales generate the largest share of the company’s revenue—Spiro declined to disclose the figures—while energy services, operations and maintenance account for the remainder. The revenue mix reflects the company’s current stage of development, with motorcycle adoption still growing before battery-swapping services can generate meaningful demand. 

“Vehicle sales serve as the entry point for market adoption, but as fleet density increases, energy demand scales in a compounding manner and with it, the recurring, high-margin revenue profile that defines infrastructure businesses,” Gupta told TechCabal.

Gupta’s comments help explain how Spiro views the relationship between its vehicles and its infrastructure. The motorcycles bring riders onto the platform. The battery-swapping network is designed to generate ongoing activity after the initial sale.

That model differs from that of a traditional vehicle manufacturer, where revenue is largely tied to unit sales. Spiro’s approach depends on building a network that riders repeatedly return to. Every additional vehicle deployed creates another potential user of the company’s battery-swapping infrastructure.

The company expects the balance of revenue to evolve, declining to disclose its revenue from battery swaps or provide projections for when energy-related activities could rival vehicle sales. Revenue today remains tied primarily to getting more motorcycles on the road.

“While we do not disclose market-level payback data at this stage, we can confirm that our most mature markets are already demonstrating the utilisation trajectory consistent with the target unit economics,” Gupta said. 

Why Spiro needed another $215 million

The latest funding round will not be used to launch a new business or test a new market.

According to Gupta, previous funding rounds enabled the company to establish its platform, validate product-market fit and build operational capacity for growth. The latest raise is intended to accelerate the expansion of the infrastructure already in place.

The new capital will be used to expand battery capacity, roll out more swap stations, deepen the company’s presence in existing markets and support further localisation of manufacturing. The plan is notable for what it does not include. Gupta did not point to a new product category, a major technology shift or a new business model. The focus remains on expanding the existing network.

Spiro says it has deployed more than 2,500 battery-swapping stations across Africa. Gupta argues that scale matters because riders need confidence that energy will be available wherever they operate. The company refers to this as “rider anxiety”—the hesitation to switch to electric motorcycles when access to battery-swapping services remains uncertain.

Commercial motorcycle riders earn money only when they are moving. A battery that runs out far from a swap station can lead to lost trips and income. Spiro argues that a dense network reduces much of that uncertainty, making electric motorcycles a more practical option for riders who depend on them for daily earnings.

The latest funding round is built around that premise: rather than pursuing a new line of business, Spiro is directing fresh capital towards expanding battery capacity and extending the reach of its swapping network. 

The race to electrify Africa’s motorcycles

Africa’s electric motorcycle sector is attracting a growing number of startups, drawn by a simple calculation. Some estimates put Kenya’s boda boda operators at three million, who spend a large share of their daily earnings on fuel. That has created an opportunity for companies that can offer a cheaper alternative without sacrificing convenience. The result has been a wave of investment into electric motorcycles, battery-swapping networks and the infrastructure needed to keep them running.

Besides Spiro, startups such as Ampersand, Roam and ARC Ride are also building businesses around electric two-wheelers, with many relying on battery-swapping networks to address charging constraints and reduce operating costs for riders. 

Despite differences in approach, these companies are pursuing the same objective: lowering fuel costs, reducing downtime and making electric motorcycles practical for commercial transport. 

Where Spiro stands apart is the amount of capital it has raised. Ampersand, one of the region’s best-known electric motorcycle companies, has raised over $43 million to expand its fleet, battery-swapping network and charging infrastructure across East Africa. Roam has raised nearly $32 million to expand production of electric motorcycles and buses. 

Spiro, by contrast, has now secured more than $500 million in debt and equity financing, giving it significantly more firepower to build infrastructure across multiple markets at the same time.

The size of that opportunity helps explain the investor interest. Motorcycle taxis form the backbone of transport in many African cities, while rising fuel costs continue to squeeze rider incomes. Companies that can lower those costs and build reliable energy networks are competing for a market measured not just by vehicle sales but by the daily movement of millions of riders and passengers across the continent.

The economics investors want to see

The strongest argument for Spiro’s long-term business model rests on the economics of its battery-swapping network.

Gupta said the network is strongest in markets with high motorcycle volumes and frequent battery swapping. 

“Spiro’s battery-swapping network demonstrates strong underlying unit economics, with station-level profitability driven by two primary levers: vehicle deployment density in a given geography, and frequency of use per rider,” he said.

The logic here is that more vehicles create more demand for battery swaps. More swaps increase utilisation of existing infrastructure. Better utilisation can improve the economics of assets that have already been deployed.

The company did not disclose station payback periods, break-even utilisation rates or market-level profitability data. Those figures would provide a clearer picture of how the network performs financially and how quickly new stations begin generating returns.

“We are already cash positive in our two most mature markets,” Gupta said. 

Spiro did not identify those markets or disclose financial figures. Even so, the statement offers one of the few direct indicators of operating performance contained in the company’s responses.

Much of the public discussion around electric mobility has focused on funding announcements, expansion plans and deployment targets. Cash-positive operations point to a different measure of progress, suggesting that at least part of the business has moved beyond pure deployment and into a stage where operations are generating positive cash flow.

Spiro did not disclose enough details to assess the scale of that performance or how it compares across markets. Still, the disclosure is crucial because it shifts attention from fundraising and expansion to the company’s financial performance. 

Looking beyond transport

“Electric mobility and energy infrastructure are two sides of the same coin. To succeed in one, you must deliver the other,” Gupta said, pointing out that the company’s longer-term ambitions extend beyond motorcycles and battery swapping.

The network Spiro is building was designed to support electric motorcycles, but the company sees broader applications for the underlying infrastructure. Batteries need to be charged, monitored, stored, and moved across a network that keeps them available when riders need them. Once that system exists at scale, the company believes it can support more than transport alone.

Battery storage, distributed energy solutions and grid-related applications are among the areas being explored internally, according to Gupta. They are not major contributors to revenue today, but they offer a glimpse into how Spiro views the role of its infrastructure over the longer term.

One idea that appears further along is opening the network to outside partners. Gupta said the company is preparing to make parts of its energy infrastructure available to third parties, extending its use beyond Spiro’s own fleet.

“Looking ahead, we are also preparing to open Spiro’s energy infrastructure to third-party partners,” Gupta said.

The company sees a role for that infrastructure beyond its own fleet. Gupta pointed to Spiro’s acquisition of Coexlion, a UK engineering and design firm in May 2026, as part of a broader effort to strengthen its engineering, product development and energy infrastructure capabilities.

Gupta disclosed little about station economics, utilisation rates or profitability across individual markets. What he did disclose was that two of Spiro’s most mature markets are already cash-positive. For a startup that has spent years being defined by the number of motorcycles it deploys, that may be the most revealing figure of all.

Agenz, a Moroccan proptech startup that digitises real estate transactions, has raised $5 million to support product development and strengthen its investments in artificial intelligence.

The funding round saw participation from Breega, a European venture capital firm, Attijariwafa Ventures, and Saviu Ventures, an Africa-focused growth capital fund. 

The raise comes three years after Agenz’s $1.3 million pre-Series A financing round as activity in Morocco’s property market picks up. Residential land transactions surpassed 140,000 in 2023, an increase from 2022, according to a World Bank document, highlighting the opportunity for digital platforms that simplify property transactions for users.

“We believe the future of real estate will be built on the responsible use of data and artificial intelligence,” said Malik Belkeziz, Co-founder and CEO of Agenz. “Our ambition is to leverage technology to create a more transparent, secure and accessible market, while keeping user trust at the centre of everything we do. This funding will allow us to accelerate this vision for the benefit of the entire Moroccan real estate ecosystem.” 

Founded in 2021 by Malik and Badr Belkeziz, Agenz operates an integrated real estate platform that combines property valuation tools, market intelligence, solutions for professional services, and digital transaction solutions.  The fresh capital will also be used to expand the company’s services for individuals, real estate agents, developers, investors and financial institutions, according to the company.

“Agenz has built, in just a few years, the platform the Moroccan real estate sector was missing, bringing together data, tools and transactions into one seamless experience,” said Driss Ibenmansour, Partner at Breega. “We believe this funding will help accelerate an already ongoing transformation of the market.”

The company said it has recorded growth in transaction volumes since launching its transaction platform in 2023, including surpassing 730,000 monthly visits on its Agenz.ma website in May 2026.

Bolaji Anifowose is a product marketing manager and go-to-market (GTM) engineer with over 7 years of experience helping startups across Africa and beyond sharpen their positioning, launch products, and build compounding growth engines. He has led growth, GTM, and marketing efforts for high-impact companies such as Simpu, Distrobird, Chatbase, and Tecno, delivering successful product launches, demand generation campaigns, and market expansion strategies that produce significant results.

Before tech, Bolaji studied Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, a background that shaped how he approaches marketing today: systems-first and evidence-led. He is a graduate of the pioneer cohort of the GTM Engineer School and spends a lot of his time these days at the intersection of marketing and AI, building automations and workflows that let small teams punch far above their weight.

• Explain your job to a five-year-old.

You know when you make something really cool, like a drawing or a sandcastle, but nobody comes to look at it? My job is to make sure people come and look. I help companies that have built something good figure out how to tell the right people about it, in a way that makes them go “I want that.” I find the people who would love it, work out what to say to them, and build little machines that help do it again and again.

• Did your 16-year-old self ever imagine he’d end up in marketing?

Not even close. At 16, I was deep in science, headed for engineering, convinced my future involved metals and lab coats. Marketing wasn’t on the map. If you’d told that kid he’d spend his days writing, building automations, and obsessing over why people buy things, he’d have laughed. But here’s the funny part: the engineer never left. I still approach marketing the way I’d approach a materials problem. Test, measure, find the system underneath the noise. I didn’t abandon engineering. I just changed what I was building.

• Who’s a GTM engineer, and what’s the path to becoming one?

GTM engineering is a term Clay coined in 2023. The simplest way to think about it is this: a GTM engineer builds systems that generate revenue. You’re combining artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and creative problem-solving to do work that would normally require a much larger team. That’s the core of it: giving a small team the firepower of a big one.

Think about traditional growth work. You’re manually searching LinkedIn for leads, writing outreach emails one by one, juggling inboxes, and tracking replies. Now flip that. Clay finds and enriches leads. A signal tool identifies who’s actually in-market. Claude and OpenAI personalise outreach. A sequencer sends it, and an n8n agent handles responses. Same goal, far less manual work. That’s what a GTM engineer builds.

There isn’t just one type of GTM engineer. I usually break it into three. First, the software engineer who could work on a product or data team but chose revenue instead. Second, the systems specialist, often from revenue operations (RevOps) or marketing operations, who excels at orchestrating tools. Third, the marketer or salesperson who picked up technical skills and sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. That’s me, and for most people, it’s the most realistic path in.

The skills transfer more than you’d think: systems thinking, customer understanding, copywriting, learning new tools quickly, and being comfortable working alongside code. You don’t need a computer science degree.

To get started, learn the fundamentals first: ideal customer profile (ICP), positioning, channels, and messaging. Then look at your week and identify a repetitive task, whether that’s lead research, follow-ups, or reporting. That’s your first automation opportunity.

Build with tools companies are hiring for today, like Clay, n8n, and Claude Code. Turn a real task into a working system, then run it on actual campaigns. After that, document what you built, make it part of your portfolio, and join the communities where jobs and collaborations happen.

Every system you ship becomes proof that you can do the work. In this field, proof beats a fancy résumé every time.

• What’s your hot take on why most product launches fail?

Here’s my hot take—and the numbers back me up on this: most product launches don’t fail because of the product. They fail because teams mistake shipping for creating demand.

The numbers back it up. Depending on the study, 80–95% of new products fail. Harvard’s Clayton Christensen put the figure at 95%. In B2B, only about one in four launches hits its revenue target. That’s not bad luck. That’s a pattern.

The mistake is usually the same. Teams build the product, pick a launch date, post about it, then wonder why the market shrugs. But a launch was never an announcement. It’s the moment you prove you understand your buyer well enough to make them care.

The data shows where things break. Simon-Kucher’s global pricing study found that 72% of new products miss their sales targets, and a quarter of companies said none of their recent launches met expectations. That’s rarely a product problem. It’s usually a failure to understand what buyers value and what they’ll pay for. Many teams build on assumptions and don’t test them with real customers until it’s too late.

Messaging is another common culprit. Most launches focus on the company and its features: look what we built. Buyers care about something else: what’s changing for them, and why now. If that isn’t clear, no amount of launch-day promotion will save you.

That’s why I think launches don’t fail on launch day. Launch day simply exposes months of skipped homework. If you can’t clearly explain who the product is for, what changes for them, and why it matters now, you don’t have a launch. You have an announcement nobody asked for.

The teams that win do the unglamorous work first. They talk to customers, sharpen their positioning, and align around a clear story. By the time they hit publish, demand already exists. The launch just opens the door.

• What’s your favourite and least favourite part of the work you do?
  

My favourite part is the moment a system clicks. I’ll build a workflow, go to sleep, and wake up to find it has spent the night finding leads, enriching data, and sending personalised outreach without me lifting a finger. There’s something magical about that. You build it once, and it keeps paying you back. That feeling of compounding, where yesterday’s work keeps working for you, never gets old.

It’s the same with marketing. When positioning I’ve shaped makes a prospect say, “This is exactly what we needed,” that’s just as rewarding. For me, the real payoff is building something that creates results without me having to be in the room.

My least favourite part is keeping up with the tools. In AI, the pace is relentless. Every day there’s a new product, a new feature, or a new model. You finally master a tool and build it into your workflow, then three new alternatives show up claiming to be faster, cheaper, or smarter.

You can’t ignore them because some genuinely are better, and clients expect you to stay current. But you also can’t chase every shiny object, or you’ll never get anything done. So you’re constantly balancing learning with execution. I love that this field forces me to keep growing, but even for someone who enjoys learning, the pace can be exhausting.

• What’s the one mistake you wish you could save every early-career marketer from making?

Don’t chase titles in the beginning. Just do the work.

I see a lot of people early in their careers obsessing over the label. They want “Manager” in their title, they want to be “Head of” something, they want the senior tag before they’ve built the skills those titles are supposed to represent. And I get it. It feels like progress. But a title is just a word on LinkedIn. It doesn’t make you good. The work makes you good.

When you’re starting out, your job is to get your hands dirty. Build the campaigns. Write the copy that flops and figure out why. Run the experiments. Learn the tools. Get close to customers and understand why they buy. That’s where real growth happens: in the doing, not in the title.

Because here’s what nobody tells you: when you become genuinely good at the work, the titles come looking for you. You don’t have to chase them.

The people who skip work and chase titles early often get exposed. They land the senior role, but the title isn’t backed by real ability. So my advice is simple: forget what they call you for now. Get obsessed with becoming great at the craft. Be the person who can actually do the thing.

The recognition, the titles, and the money follow. They always do.

Kolawole Bekes is a Database Administrator, Database Reliability Engineer, and DevOps Engineer with over a decade of experience spanning multiple industries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Abuja. Following his relocation to the United States in 2015 and subsequently to Canada in 2017, he has built a career working with organisations such as Microsoft, AppDirect, WorkJam, Sunwing Airlines, Agio, and Big Fish Games. 

He is also the founder and chief executive officer of WakaMi, an on-demand errand service platform focused on delivering reliable and efficient errand solutions to Nigerians both locally and in the diaspora.

• Explain what you do to a 5-year-old.

Once upon a time, there was a big fruit garden where fruits kept falling everywhere—apples here, bananas there, and oranges rolling all over the ground. Nobody could find what they wanted.

So I became the helper of the garden. I picked up all the fruits and put them into the right baskets; apples in one basket, bananas in another, and oranges in their own place.

I also made sure the fruits stayed fresh and safe. Whenever someone came looking for a fruit, I could quickly say, “I know exactly where it is,” and give it to them right away.

My job is to keep everything neat, safe, and easy to find, just like the fruit baskets in the garden.

• How did you become a Database Administrator?

I became a Database Administrator as part of a deliberate effort to improve my earning potential and build a more reliable career path. I joined a community of IT professionals in North America, where I was exposed to new ideas and opportunities. 

Through that network, I discovered and enrolled in a bootcamp, completed several training sessions, and gained hands-on experience. I then applied to multiple roles, and eventually secured an opportunity that marked the beginning of my career as a Database Administrator.

• What is the easiest and most difficult part about your job?

The easiest part of my job is when systems are well-structured and everything is running smoothly. Tasks like monitoring, backups, and routine maintenance become very straightforward.

The most difficult part is handling unexpected issues, like performance bottlenecks or outages, especially under time pressure. But that’s also the most rewarding part, because it challenges me to think critically, troubleshoot quickly, and ensure systems are restored with minimal impact.

• If your job had a warning label, what would it say?

Warning: Unexpected issues may occur at any time. Requires patience, quick thinking, and a strong relationship with coffee.

• What’s one real-world incident where your database decisions directly saved (or cost) a company big time?

Early in my career, I was involved in a deployment where a change was made directly in production without a proper rollback plan. Unfortunately, it caused a temporary disruption to a critical service.

Although we resolved it quickly, it highlighted the importance of change management. From that point on, I enforced stricter deployment processes introducing staging validation, rollback strategies, and better communication.

It significantly reduced risk for us in future deployments, critical because it now shapes how I approach database changes today.

• As a first-time founder living abroad, what is the hardest part about building a startup for a market where you’re not physically present? How do you deal with this?

One of the hardest parts of building a startup remotely while living in Canada and operating in Nigeria is maintaining strong team alignment and accountability when you are not physically present day to day.

Early on, I experienced challenges with staff management, particularly around consistency, ownership, and productivity. Some team members struggled with structure, and it became clear that the issue was not just about effort. It was about clarity, expectations, and systems.

To address this, I shifted my approach in a few ways. First, I implemented clear performance metrics and deliverables so everyone understands exactly what success looks like. Second, I introduced regular check-ins and reporting structures to improve visibility. Third, I focused more on hiring for accountability and cultural fit, not just technical skills.

I also make it a point to spend time in Nigeria periodically, which helps reinforce relationships, build trust, and reset expectations with the team.

Overall, the experience taught me that managing a remote team, especially across different environments, requires intentional structure, strong communication, and the right people in place. Once those are aligned, performance improves significantly.

• What’s the vision behind WakaMi and why do you think a marketplace for managed services can scale in Nigeria?

The vision behind WakaMi came from a personal experience. While living in Canada, I needed someone to handle an errand for me in Nigeria. I tried finding help online, but unfortunately, I had a bad experience where I lost money.

That led me to dig deeper, and I realised this was not just my problem. Many people, especially those in the diaspora, face the same challenge. There is no reliable, structured way to get trusted services done remotely in Nigeria.

WakaMi was built to solve that. It is an on-demand managed services marketplace that connects people who need errands or services done with verified service providers. It also provides oversight by tracking progress and only releasing payment once the task is completed and confirmed.

I believe it can scale in Nigeria because it addresses a real and growing problem. As more Nigerians live and work abroad, and as urban life becomes busier locally, the demand for trusted on-demand services will continue to increase.

What makes it scalable is the combination of trust, structure, and technology, bringing accountability into an otherwise informal market. Once you solve trust at scale in a service marketplace, growth becomes a natural outcome.

Swoop, an Eswatini food delivery startup, has raised $7.3 million in seed funding to support its expansion into Nigeria as it pursues its super-app model outside its home country for the first time. 

The round, backed by Silicon Valley investors including Long Journey, Variant, Version One, Dune Ventures, Soma Capital, and Zero Knowledge Ventures, will fund the buildout of a consumer platform starting with food delivery. Walter Kortschak and Base Capital also participated. 

Swoop’s seed raise is one of the largest seed rounds disclosed by an African consumer startup, and nearly as large as the $9 million Series A that Chowdeck closed in August 2025 after four years of operations and expansion into 11 cities. 

“It’s super hard to build a super app, and our investors recognise that. They recognise that you need a bit of runway and foundation to be able to do the things that you need to do operationally,” said Demola Adesina, Swoop’s Nigerian country manager. 

Swoop believes Nigeria’s food delivery market—valued at $1.1 billion in 2025—has more room to grow than its competitors suggest. According to Nigerian payments processor Paystack, which processes payments for Swoop and all the major food delivery companies in Nigeria, the sector grew by 187% between 2021 and 2024. 

Nigeria’s ratio of food ordered for delivery to food consumed outside the home is far lower in the country than in peer markets in Africa or Southeast Asia, and the real opportunity lies in converting non-consumers rather than poaching existing users, Adesina said. 

“We think that the food delivery space in Nigeria is still significantly under-penetrated. Our target is not existing consumption but the users that are not consuming,” he said. “We are not getting into a war with other platforms. We are trying to grow the pie.”

Swoop, formerly known as Thumo, launched in Eswatini in August 2025 and acquired 6,000 users in its first month, according to co-founder Aubrey Niederhoffer. Edwin Ruiz, another co-founder, told local press in Eswatini that the goal was to build a pan-African super app combining food, groceries, and rides. 

The startup is starting with food delivery in Yaba, a neighbourhood in Lagos Mainland, already served by Chowdeck, Glovo, and FoodCourt, its competitors in Nigeria’s growing food delivery sector. 

“There is more confidence regarding regulatory risk, and international investors committing capital to us proves that,” Adesina said. “Beyond that, I am passionate about Nigerians. There is better market education and more interest in positively changing consumer habits. We think this is the perfect time to build on that.”

Swoop says it uses a network of independent riders rather than an employed fleet, generating revenue through commissions on restaurant sales and customer handling fees. While riders retain 100% of delivery fees, the startup applies a 7% service charge to fund operations.

Adesina declined to disclose the startup’s fee structure or unit economics, saying current fees are low because the priority is user acquisition. He added that the company is not interested in a price war. 

“Our approach is to find the reason why some people are not consuming [through food delivery] and to make them consumers. We are not just slashing prices and getting into a price war,” he said. 

Picking food delivery as the first vertical in a multi-product approach allows Swoop to acquire daily customers that create a habit with the app, a proven but costly growth engine for its super-app ambitions. OPay, one of Nigeria’s largest fintechs, initially bundled food delivery and ride-hailing with its payments wallet to drive daily usage for its wallet before shutting down the non-fintech products.

“Food delivery is a metric for how developed the ecosystem is. If you get food delivery right, you can essentially be the node of the ecosystem,” Adesina said. 

“We believe that if we have a group of customers around that node, we are able to translate that into other areas and verticals,” he shared, adding that Swoop will let its users determine the next vertical to launch. 

Nigeria’s ‘difficult’ food delivery market

Food delivery in Nigeria is a tightly contested sector that has claimed many startups and local divisions of well-funded international companies like HelloFood, Jumia Food, Bolt Food, and OFood, as the unit economics rarely work at scale. According to Jumia’s 2022 financial report, its food delivery arm lost $1.80 for every $10 it made. 

The logistics and marketing costs exceeded the revenue made from the order, which meant Jumia was essentially paying customers and restaurants to use the service. These unit economics are a primary reason why Jumia eventually shuttered its food delivery business in late 2023.

Despite Jumia Food’s shutdown, Chowdeck, the largest food delivery platform in Nigeria, serves two million registered users with over 20,000 riders operating across 14 cities in Nigeria and Ghana while maintaining profitability, a rare feat for young food delivery startups. 

Swoop’s strategy will require acquiring high-volume, lower-income customers on the outskirts of Lagos and in smaller cities, where local restaurants and quick-service outlets dominate, if it is to create a new set of food delivery consumers.

Whether Swoop becomes a success depends on three things: what it builds after food delivery and in what order, a monetisation strategy that ensures it is profitable, and whether it can scale beyond Yaba and Lagos before it runs out of cash. 

Nigeria’s telecom subscribers will receive airtime refunds as compensation for poor service experienced between November 2025 and January 2026. The refunds will begin on Friday, April 24, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The NCC said operators failed to meet required performance benchmarks in several parts of the country following a March 29, 2026, directive.

While this is not the first time the regulator has ordered compensation for service failures—MTN and Celtel (now Airtel) were fined in 2008—the latest directive signals a more assertive approach to holding telecom operators accountable. 

The NCC said it has also directed tower companies responsible for many of the outages to channel their compensation obligations into upgrading tower infrastructure. These investments, separate from their annual capital plans, will be monitored by independent auditors to ensure compliance.

“It’s actually compensation for the quality of service experience you may have had,” NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman and chief executive officer, Aminu Maida, said at a press briefing on Thursday in Lagos, adding that subscribers will begin receiving alerts via SMS detailing the credits applied to their lines.

Unlike previous enforcement approaches, which assessed service quality at the state level, the NCC said it has shifted to a more granular system. Performance is now measured at the local government level, allowing the regulator to better capture variations in network experience across the country.

“What we have now adopted is to carry out the assessment at local government levels,” Maida said. “This ensures that whatever we measure is as close as possible to what subscribers actually experience.”

Under this framework, operators are evaluated across multiple network layers—2G, 3G, and 4G—against key performance indicators set out in the commission’s quality of service regulations. Where operators fall short, penalties are imposed, part of which is now being redirected as compensation to affected users.

Maida acknowledged the gap between demand and current network capacity but pointed to ongoing investments by operators as a sign of progress. In 2025, the industry invested over $1 billion upgrading networks, importing equipment, and building new towers. According to Maida, one operator has already invested $1 billion in infrastructure this year. 

“Things actually improve, but we need to be patient,” he said, noting that infrastructure expansion remains the primary driver of better service quality.

According to him, operators deployed just under 300 new sites last year. In contrast, they have committed to rolling out about 12,000 sites in 2026. So far, around 2,800 have been completed, including new builds, spectrum additions, and upgrades such as converting 3G sites to 4G and deploying 5G in select locations.

“You can see we’re already moving way ahead of what we did last year,” he said.

Operators say they are complying with the directive while continuing to invest in network improvements. MTN Nigeria said in a statement on Thursday that all affected customers will receive airtime compensation in line with the NCC framework, describing the directive as one that “places customers at the centre of regulatory decision-making.”

While many African countries race to deploy artificial intelligence, Mauritius has made governance and ethics the starting point of its AI strategy, rather than a problem to solve after the technology is in use.

Central to the strategy is the FAIR framework, a set of guidelines that governs how AI systems are designed, deployed, and managed. It sets clear expectations across sectors and applies to the entire AI lifecycle, from design and development to deployment, monitoring, and eventual decommissioning.

Mauritius’s approach reflects a broader shift in how African countries may position themselves in the AI landscape. While larger markets such as Nigeria and Kenya emphasise scale and ecosystem growth, and South Africa focuses on institutional regulation, Mauritius is advancing a governance-led model centred on enforceable standards. 

The Mauritius National AI Strategy 2025–2029, alongside the FAIR Guidelines introduced in April 2026, is designed to be vendor-neutral and border-agnostic. Any AI system operating within the country, regardless of origin, must comply with a unified set of ethical and operational standards.

Imported AI tools are subject to the same level of scrutiny as domestic systems. The framework requires compliance with principles of fairness, accountability, inclusiveness, integrity, and responsibility. In high-risk sectors such as fintech and gaming, systems must undergo bias audits to mitigate discriminatory outcomes. Accountability provisions also require foreign providers to designate locally based representatives who can be held responsible for system outcomes.

Any AI system that affects individuals, organisations, or public interests in Mauritius falls within the framework’s scope, reflecting a recognition that AI risks are not bound by geography and that governance should be determined by impact rather than origin.

Although the FAIR Guidelines are currently non-binding, there are no immediate legal penalties or fines for non-compliance—at least not yet; they are designed with a clear legal and policy trajectory. They are expected to shape government policy, inform sector-specific regulations, influence procurement standards, and eventually underpin future legislation. 

In effect, Mauritius is building a regulatory framework that can evolve alongside the technology, rather than locking in rigid rules too early. This contrasts with approaches like South Africa’s Draft National AI Policy, which proposes steep penalties—including fines of about $530,000 or up to 10 years in prison—for serious ethical breaches. 

The Mauritius approach allows the country to remain flexible while still establishing a stable reference point for accountability. Policymakers, regulators, businesses, and even courts can rely on these principles as AI adoption expands.

The framework has four pillars: fairness, accountability, inclusiveness, and integrity. Each addresses a specific risk that has emerged in global AI deployment and is tied to concrete expectations.

Fairness focuses on preventing bias. AI systems must not discriminate based on income, gender, ethnicity, or geography, the policy stated. This is particularly important in a small and diverse society, where flawed systems could quickly exclude entire groups from access to services or opportunities. To address this, the guidelines emphasise the use of representative local datasets and require bias testing, especially in high-impact sectors such as finance and public services.

Accountability tackles one of AI’s most persistent challenges: the “black box” problem. Under the FAIR framework, there must always be a clearly identifiable party responsible for an AI system’s decisions. This includes defining liability, maintaining audit trails, and establishing mechanisms for redress when harm occurs. AI decisions are not meant to be opaque or unchallengeable.

Inclusiveness ensures that the benefits of AI are widely distributed. Rather than concentrating advantages among large firms or urban populations, the strategy promotes AI literacy through initiatives like “AI for All,” supports small and medium-sized enterprises, and expands access to digital infrastructure. The goal is to prevent a new form of inequality—what the policy’s authors describe as a potential “digital divide 2.0.”

The final pillar, integrity and responsibility, addresses the technical and ethical robustness of AI systems. It covers data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and safeguards against misuse, including fraud and manipulation. For a government that plans to integrate AI into public service delivery, trust in system reliability is essential.

What sets Mauritius apart is not just the inclusion of these principles, but how they are embedded into the broader economic strategy. The FAIR framework is tied directly to procurement decisions, system design, and policy development. It is positioned as a baseline requirement, not optional guidance.

This reflects a broader strategic choice: as a small, open economy of just 1.26 million people and a roughly $15 billion GDP, Mauritius cannot compete on scale with larger economies like South Africa, with an over $400 billion GDP.

It is not that South Africa and Nigeria are ignoring trust. The difference lies in priorities and timing. Mauritius is using its smaller size to position itself as a focused, “boutique” AI regulator, while South Africa and Nigeria must balance building trust with driving the scale of growth their larger economies demand.

In doing so, it hopes to attract investment, build partnerships, and integrate into global AI value chains.

The country’s economic ambitions reinforce this direction. AI is seen as a new growth pillar, alongside traditional sectors like manufacturing, whose contribution to GDP has steadily declined—from over 20% in the late 1990s to about 10.7% in 2020, and only a modest recovery to roughly 12.8% in 2024. 

According to the policy, the country now sees AI as a way to revitalise these sectors, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities in areas such as fintech, logistics, and the ocean economy.

To drive this transformation, Mauritius is building institutional capacity in the form of an AI Council. The council would be supported by public and private sector stakeholders, and international experts, who will oversee implementation, coordinate projects, and measure socio-economic impact. Incentives such as tax credits, grants, and regulatory support are also being deployed to encourage adoption.

This governance-led approach stands in contrast to other African AI strategies. Nigeria, for instance, is prioritising large-scale deployment and talent development, with governance structures still evolving. Kenya is focused on building a regional innovation hub and a powerful AI sheriff, while South Africa is leaning toward a more regulation-heavy model with multiple oversight bodies.

Mauritius, by comparison, is betting that trust can be a competitive advantage.

There are risks to this strategy. Overemphasis on governance could slow down innovation if not carefully managed. And as the guidelines transition into binding rules, questions will arise about enforcement capacity and regulatory burden. But for now, the country appears to be striking a balance, setting clear expectations without stifling experimentation.

BuuPass, a Kenyan mobility startup,  is expanding beyond its consumer roots with the launch of a corporate travel platform, Gavanpass, as it looks to capture a largely undigitised segment of Africa’s enterprise economy.

The Nairobi-based company told TechCabal on Thursday that more than 20 enterprises across Kenya—including banks, fintechs, insurers, and manufacturers—are already using the platform to manage business travel.

The move marks a strategic expansion for BuuPass, which has spent the past eight years building a consumer-facing marketplace for bus, rail, and flight bookings. 

Since its founding in 2017, the company says it has sold more than 30 million tickets and processed over $100 million in travel transactions in the past year alone, primarily across Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

With Gavanpass, BuuPass targets finance and procurement teams that oversee corporate travel budgets, as well as operations staff who coordinate trips. The platform integrates bookings for flights, hotels, buses, ground transfers, and group travel into a single system, while embedding approval workflows, policy controls, and real-time spend tracking.

“Finance leaders have been telling us their problem is bigger than consumer travel,” BuuPass co-founder and co-CEO Sonia Kabra told TechCabal. “They need one platform that handles everything, but also gives them the controls they actually need.”

Corporate travel accounts for an estimated 3–5% of enterprise revenue globally, but in many African markets, the category remains heavily manual. Bookings are mostly handled via phone calls or messaging apps, while approvals are dispersed across email chains, and reconciliation can stretch weeks, particularly for companies operating in multiple currencies.

The company argues that existing global corporate travel tools are poorly adapted to African operating environments, where currency volatility, supplier fragmentation, and cross-border travel present unique challenges.

“Most enterprise software is built elsewhere and then localised,” said Wycliffe Omondi, BuuPass co-founder and co-CEO. “We built this from the ground up with African finance and procurement teams.”

The launch comes as African startups look to enterprise software as a path to more predictable revenues, amid tougher funding conditions and rising pressure to demonstrate profitability. 

FrontEnd Ventures, an early investor in BuuPass, said the new product reflects the founders’ track record of building products that respond to user needs. 

“Gavanpass applies the same instinct to the enterprise market,” said Njeri Muhia, a general partner at the firm.

BuuPass plans to roll out Gavanpass across sub-Saharan Africa in the coming months, betting that regional companies—especially those with operations in multiple countries—will adopt a unified system to manage travel spend and compliance.

Absa Bank Kenya will spend up to KES 3 billion ($23.2 million) a year on technology to deepen its digital strategy, according to a Business Daily report, as the lender seeks to move more customer activity to mobile and other self-service channels.

The bank said the recurring investment will make transactions easier and support its push into digital banking, even as competition intensifies and customer expectations shift away from branches.

The change reflects a broader migration across Kenya’s banking sector towards mobile and self-service channels, a trend accelerated by the country’s entrenched mobile money ecosystem and rising expectations for instant, always-on financial services.

“Typically, we now do KES 2 billion ($15.4 million) to KES 3 billion ($23.2 million) of investments per year [in technology], and 2025 was no different in ensuring we are migrating transactions to digital platforms. We are making it easier for our customers to transact with us,” Absa Kenya chief executive Abdi Mohamed told Business Daily.

The bank spent KES 2.16 billion ($16.7 million) on technology in 2025, underscoring how quickly digital investment has become a fixed cost in its operations. About 94% of all transactions in 2025 took place outside branches, compared with roughly 40–50% a decade ago, according to the lender.

The technology push comes as Absa continues to reshape parts of its consumer banking leadership around digital banking. In February, the bank appointed former M-Pesa Africa chief executive Sitoyo Lopokoiyit to head its personal and private banking division, a move widely read as a signal of where it expects retail growth to come from.

Lopokoiyit, who built his reputation overseeing the expansion of M-Pesa, is expected to bring mobile banking experience to retail and affluent banking at a time when the boundaries between banks and fintechs are becoming blurred.

Efficiency gains

The efficiency gains are already visible in the bank’s cost base. Other operating expenses fell 21% to KES 7.35 billion ($56.9 million) in the year to December 2025, with management attributing much of the decline to digitisation and automation. The impact of the technology push has also been reflected in performance metrics.

Absa’s cost-to-income ratio—a measure of banking efficiency—improved to 36.5% in 2025 from 46% a year earlier, helped by lower costs and improved revenue generation.

Net profit rose 10% to KES 22.9 billion ($177.3 million) over the period, suggesting that efficiency gains from digitisation are beginning to support bottom-line growth, even as investment spending remains elevated.

M-TIBA, a mobile health platform run by Kenya-based healthtech startup CarePay, is shutting down its My Health Funds (MHF) wallet that lets customers set aside money specifically for healthcare.

On April 8, users began receiving refunds directly into their M-PESA wallets without initiating withdrawals, indicating payouts are already underway. Five M-TIBA users confirmed to TechCabal that they had received the funds.

The decision marks a shift in M-TIBA’s model, from a consumer health savings wallet to an insurance management platform. The move, however, leaves users who depended on the service to set aside small amounts for care without a clear alternative for planning or paying for treatment.

CarePay declined to comment for this story.

M-TIBA first informed users on March 3 via SMS and its website that the MHF wallet would be discontinued, stating that access to insurance benefits on the platform would remain unchanged.

Users were asked via SMS to withdraw their balances via USSD or receive M-PESA refunds by March 8, 2026. M-TIBA also said it would process refunds using verified details, with any unresolved balances sent to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority, the government agency that holds unclaimed funds until owners come forward.

Refunds began on April 8, and users who had not withdrawn their balances by the March 8 deadline received their wallet savings automatically.

On its website, CarePay said withdrawals would be free, and funds would remain safe, but did not fully explain why the savings product is being retired.

“M-TIBA has some exciting updates on how we’re evolving to better serve you and millions of others,” the company said on its website, without providing further detail.

Launched in 2015, M-TIBA built its early momentum on the idea of ringfencing healthcare funds so they cannot be spent elsewhere. The MHF wallet allowed individuals, employers, and donors to allocate money strictly for medical use across a network of providers. It provided an option for users who could not afford insurance but wanted a structured way to save for care.

CarePay said on its website it will focus on “improving health insurance management,” pointing to a model where insurers and partners drive usage rather than individual savings.

“Since we launched the M-TIBA wallet, we’ve helped many people save and access healthcare, and thanks to your trust, we’re growing into something even bigger and better,” CarePay said on its website. “That’s why we aim to focus on improving health insurance management to ensure more people get access to more affordable healthcare and a better experience.”

CarePay has not disclosed how many users are affected, the total value of refunds, or how many accounts may be transferred to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority due to failed verification. It has not outlined clear alternatives for users who cannot transition to insurance products. The shutdown follows scrutiny in 2025 after a cyber attack exposed user data, as reported by TechCabal. M-TIBA said it will delete personal data once MHF accounts are closed, in line with its privacy policy. It has yet to disclose whether the decision is linked to security, compliance, or cost pressures.