MNT-Halan, Egypt’s leading fintech ecosystem, has announced the successful rollout of Neuron, the proprietary core banking software it developed and launched earlier this year. Having begun life as a ride-hailing app for two- and three-wheeler vehicles back in 2018, MNT-Halan has morphed into a super app of sorts, and in the process become Egypt’s largest and fastest-growing lender to the unbanked.
Mobiz, a South African startup integrating hyper-personalization into mobile marketing, has raised a pre-Series A round of $4 million from HAVAÍC, Futuregrowth, Launch Africa, Allan Gray E-Squared Ventures, CapaciTech and Endeavor’s Harvest Fund. The investment comes as the startup is ramping up efforts to expand into the U.S. and double down on marketing, sales and account management. Part of the investment will be used to hire more staff in South Africa and support the commercial expansion to the U.S.
Nigerian shared mobility startup Treepz has closed out its seed round at US$2.8 million and expanded to Uganda with the acquisition of bus company Ugabus. Founded in 2019 and known as Plentywaka until its September rebrand, Treepz operates a digital platform allowing passengers to book daily rides along fixed routes. It also serves as an aggregator for bus travel companies across 21 cities in Nigeria, allowing transport operators to replace manual servicing and ticketing with digitalized offerings and services.
It’s all surveys today, Dear Reader. Marigold reports that consumers are eager for personalized content, with 79% saying they’re likely to engage with a personalized email tailored to their interests. Sadly, 33% feel their needs are unmet by current brand messages. Discounts and coupons (95%) top the list of what they want in exchange for personal data, followed closely by loyalty rewards at 94%. Content is last at 61%.