Author: damazah@gmail.com

As digital finance reshapes economies and expands financial inclusion, industry leaders argue that technology alone is no longer enough. They contend that trust—built on security, transparency and reliability—will ultimately determine whether the next wave of digital innovation delivers sustainable growth and broad-based adoption, writes Nume Ekeghe For more than two decades, Nigeria’s financial sector has pursued a singular ambition: expanding access to financial services. From the banking consolidation era of the mid-2000s to the introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), instant payments, agent banking, mobile money, fintech innovation, digital identity and, more recently, artificial intelligence-driven financial services, the country’s financial…

For years, India was the world’s largest app download market but one of its toughest places to make money. That is beginning to change as Indian consumers spend more on AI, entertainment, and other premium apps. India’s mobile app market generated a record $345 million in consumer spending during the second quarter of this year, up 35% from a year earlier, according to a new report by Sensor Tower. The app-market intelligence firm said the gains were increasingly driven by generative AI, streaming, and productivity apps rather than gaming, as Indian consumers became more willing to pay for digital subscriptions.…

The rising use of artificial-intelligence tools by scientists could increase their productivity, but this might come at the cost of quality.Credit: GettyScientists who use large language models (LLMs) to help them with their research will spend less time refining their work and instead jump quickly to fresh projects, according to a modelling study1.Adoption of LLMs will cause scientists to “do more, less well — rather than the same amount, better”, write the authors. But they say that such artificial-intelligence tools do not bear all of the blame for that outcome.The results reflect a flawed incentive system in science that prioritizes…

Cameron Norrie’s promising run at the Los Cabos Open in Mexico ended with a three-set semi-final defeat by defending champion Denis Shapovalov.Norrie had returned to some form by reaching the last four – having previously lost six matches in a row – but was beaten 6-3 5-7 6-4 by his fellow left-hander.The British number two, who won the Los Cabos title in 2021, was broken in his first service game of the match to fall 2-0 down and, despite chances to break back, failed to do so on the way to losing the opening set.Norrie made a disappointing start to…

Billy Corgan delivered “Luna” and “Thirty-Three” with his surprise guests It was the good old Nineties again during the Smashing Pumpkins stunning Lollapalooza performance. To mark the occasion, Billy Corgan surprised the massive Chicago crowd by bringing out special guests Olivia Rodrigo and Yungblud. Less than an hour after his own high octane set, Yungblud joined the band on stage to deliver a rendition of “Luna,” the closing track on the Smashing Pumpkins’ second studio album, 1993’s Siamese Dream. Yungblud easily took on the song’s euphoric verses as Corgan accompanied on guitar, both clad in all-black, from the four-time-platinum LP. At…

The news that Marks & Spencer is selling Ann Summers crotchless knickers on their website has been greeted – as might be expected – with outrage online, being described as everything from “tawdry” to “S & M”.But it could be this is just the latest evolution in what the UK’s biggest underwear retailer has available for the smalls drawer. In recent years, the store has sold vastly different options through its own products, ranging from full-brief knickers to thongs, period knickers and those that can be used by women who wear stomas. The introduction of other brands in clothing came…

Group B of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations remains delicately poised after South Africa produced a dramatic second-half comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw against Côte d’Ivoire, while Burkina Faso claimed a historic 2-1 victory over 10-player Tanzania to throw the race for the quarter-finals wide open. After suffering a shock opening defeat to Tanzania, South Africa looked set for another disappointing outing when Côte d’Ivoire stormed into a two-goal lead at the Stade Père Jégo on Friday. The Lady Elephants dominated the opening half and were rewarded in the 18th minute when 18-year-old Grace Sery finished off…

Parliament is “Britain’s last alcohol-soaked workplace” where MPs are offered free drinks as early as midday despite alcohol-related scandals, a report has revealed.Drinking is commonplace and some MPs have had their stomachs pumped after consuming so much alcohol that they ended up in hospital, one disclosed.Alcohol is “embedded” in how Westminster works, driven by loneliness among MPs, socialising in order to meet ministers, and drinks being served at daytime and evening events.The Churchill Room bar on the terrace of the House of Commons. Photograph: Lisa Ryder/AlamyThose are the findings of a survey of 190 MPs and their staff which shows…

•Records 18% drop in currency printing By Elizabeth Adegbesan The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, recorded N136 billion surplus in 2025, representing a 251 percent increase compared to N38.83 billion in 2024. This significant improvement was due to improved investment income, gains from foreign exchange transactions, and effective cost containment. The apex bank also grew assets Year-on-Year, YoY, by 18.07 percent to N138.86 billion in 2025 from N117.6 billion in 2024. This was contained in the apex bank’s 2025 Annual report and statement of account released yesterday. The report showed CBN decline an 18 percent shortfall in currency production in the…

For Arlan Rakhmetzhanov, 19, there is no middle ground. Either he builds a company as valuable as Google, he says, or he fails and ends up on the streets. He started coding at 15 in his native Kazakhstan, completed a couple of summer programs in San Francisco, and cold-DM’ed every Y Combinator founder he could find on LinkedIn until one gave him an angel check for his first company at age 17.   That company, now the YC-backed Nozomio, is an API index for AI agents — a tool that helps AI agents find and use software services — and has…