Nigerian startup Peppa is making it safer to shop online in Africa, with a focus on social buying and selling, via a payment protection scheme that means buyers are protected from fraud and sellers are protected from losses that come from cancelled orders. Founded in September 2021, though conceived of much earlier, Peppa allows users to safely and seamlessly make payments for purchases on social commerce platforms.
Smile Identity, a KYC compliance and ID verification partner for many African fintechs and businesses, has acquired Inclusive Innovations, the parent company of Appruve, a Ghanaian developer of identity verification software. This strategic acquisition will expand Smile Identity’s footprint across Africa and solidify its position as the continent’s leading identity verification and digital KYC provider.
South African startup Maholla, a viral consumer rewards app, has concluded a US$1.5 million seed funding round to help it continue to scale. Maholla is a viral consumer app that rewards users for scanning any receipt from any store, allowing users to earn rewards irrespective of where they shop. Rewards come in the form of instant airtime, vouchers, in-app games and more.
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell its holdings within a year. The bill now goes to the President Biden, who has said he will sign it. Court challenges are likely to follow.