Trump’s Dollar Boom Spells Doom for Zambia’s Recovery

Zambia’s central bank governor, Denny Kalyalya, is sounding the alarm about the strengthening U.S. dollar’s impact on Zambia’s economy. A stronger dollar, fueled by Donald Trump’s election victory, could lead to decreased capital flows, increased inflation, and reduced access to cheaper financing, the central bank argues. This is particularly concerning for Zambia, which is still … Read more

Crypto Kidnapping: Tourist Held Captive, Forced to Transfer $250K in USDT

A 23-year-old Ukrainian tourist in Phuket, Thailand, was kidnapped and forced to transfer $250,000 in USDT stablecoins (about 8.56 million baht) to two armed robbers. Viacheslav Leibov was threatened with violence until he complied with the robbers’ demands. Initially, the two robbers, an Armenian and a Ukrainian, demanded $500,000 in USDT but agreed to settle … Read more

Zimbabwe Plans to ‘Float’ Rapidly Depreciating Gold-Backed Currency

Zimbabwe has said it plans to let its rapidly depreciating gold-backed currency, Zig, float freely on the foreign exchange market. A central bank official said this would help the currency achieve price discovery without administrative interference. However, the official did not give a timeline for when the central bank intends to implement this policy. Since … Read more

Zimbabwe Imposes $50-$2,500 Licensing Fee on Whatsapp Admins to Curb Misinformation

Zimbabwe’s government has introduced a licensing requirement for Whatsapp group administrators to curb misinformation and enhance accountability on social media platforms. The licensing fee ranges from $50 to $2,500, depending on the type of Whatsapp group. Administrators must provide personal information to obtain a license from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). … Read more

Nigerian Crypto Crackdown: Two More Firms Convicted, Forced to Cough Up $30,000

A Nigerian court has convicted two more cryptocurrency firms, Egomsinachi Road Autos Limited and Chimera Log & Haulage Services Limited, for conducting unauthorized USDT-to-naira transactions. As a result, they’ve been ordered to transfer nearly $30,000 to the federal government. The latest court decision came just a few months after other crypto firms, Paparaxy Global Ventures … Read more

Nigeria Unveils Amnesty Program to Recover Illegally Held Dollars Amid Forex Crisis

The Nigerian government has announced a nine-month program allowing individuals to deposit U.S. dollars held outside the formal banking system without facing penalties or scrutiny. Finance Minister Wale Edun said his ministry will first issue guidelines for the program, followed promptly by additional guidelines from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Participating individuals will need to … Read more

Google Fuels Nigeria’s AI Ambitions With Million Dollar Grant

The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) in Nigeria has announced a $1.7 million (NGN2.8 billion) Google grant to promote artificial intelligence (AI) talent development. This will support the Ministry’s AI initiatives and align with Google.org’s $5.8 million commitment to digital skills programs across Sub-Saharan Africa. The grant will aid Data Science … Read more

President Joe Biden Thanks Nigerian Leader for Role in Ex-Federal Agent’s Release

President Joe Biden thanked Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for securing the release of American citizen Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. law enforcement official and Binance employee, on humanitarian grounds. Gambaryan spent eight months in Nigerian detention, where his deteriorating health and alleged mistreatment by prison officials sparked widespread calls for his release. During his imprisonment, … Read more