Bonjour,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Safaricom tackles fraud risks with M-Pesa update
- Showmax to shut down in April 2026
- Starlink launches in Central African Republic
Safaricom tackles fraud risks with M-Pesa update
In Africa’s fast-growing fintech ecosystem, privacy is becoming the next big battleground. For years, sending money meant exposing your phone number, a small detail that opened the door to spam, scams, and unwanted contact. Now, Safaricom is trying to change that.
Safaricom is rolling out phone number masking on M-Pesa transactions, meaning users will no longer have their full numbers visible when sending or receiving money. Instead, only partial digits and limited identity details will show, while recipients can request full details, subject to the sender’s approval.
What this means is a shift towards “data minimisation” in everyday payments. Whether you’re paying a merchant via Till or PayBill, or sending money to a friend, your personal contact details won’t be fully exposed anymore. The move comes after approval from the Central Bank of Kenya and will apply across peer-to-peer and merchant transactions.
Why does it matter? Scale. M-Pesa processes tens of millions of transactions daily, making it one of Africa’s most critical financial rails. Masking phone numbers reduces the risk of fraud, unsolicited contact, and social engineering, issues that have quietly followed the growth of mobile money across the continent.
The context is bigger than Kenya. As mobile money becomes infrastructure across Africa, regulators and fintechs are under pressure to build “privacy by design” systems. Safaricom’s move signals where things are heading: less data exposure, more user control, and tighter trust in digital payments, especially as platforms like M-Pesa expand into everything from savings to stock trading.
Showmax to shut down in April 2026
Subscription models might not be the go-to play in Africa, at least not yet. Investors and operators keep running into the same friction: low card penetration, high data costs, and users who prefer flexible, pay-as-you-go spending over fixed monthly fees. That’s a point Offiong Isyah, an Investment Analyst at Microtraction, has raised at this month’s Pitch Friday, where he questioned how scalable subscription-heavy models really are on the continent. Now, the shutdown of Showmax is giving that argument fresh weight.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
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Here’s the news: Canal+ and MultiChoice Group have confirmed that Showmax will stop taking new subscribers from March 31 and fully shut down by April 30, 2026. Instead, its content, including Showmax Originals, will be folded into the DStv Stream app, with a dedicated section for now.
What this means is simple: customers are being pushed up the pricing ladder. A Showmax subscription that costs as low as R50–R99 monthly is effectively being replaced by DStv packages starting at R299. There’s no like-for-like streaming replacement, which makes the transition feel less like an upgrade and more like a forced migration.
Why should anyone care? Because Showmax wasn’t just another platform, it was one of the few relatively affordable ways to access African content and live football on mobile. For many users, especially younger and mobile-first audiences, this shift could price them out entirely. It also raises bigger questions about whether streaming, at least in its global subscription form, truly works at scale in African markets.
The context tells the deeper story. Showmax, once positioned as MultiChoice’s growth engine, became a financial drain, with losses ballooning and a costly partnership with NBCUniversal adding pressure. Add earlier cuts like exiting international markets and shutting down Showmax Pro, and the trajectory was clear. Now, as banks pull voucher support and regulators scrutinise the broader Canal+ deal, Showmax’s shutdown looks less like a surprise and more like the end of an experiment that didn’t quite fit the market.
Starlink launches in Central African Republic
The Central African Republic is betting on satellites to fix one of its biggest problems: Internet access. In a new move, the government has tapped Starlink to help bridge the country’s deep digital divide.
Starlink has officially launched commercially in the Central African Republic, marking a major step for a country where Internet penetration remains extremely low. The rollout follows regulatory approval and is expected to bring high-speed, low-latency connectivity to areas that traditional telecom infrastructure has struggled to reach.
What this means is that connectivity in CAR could leapfrog the usual infrastructure cycle. Instead of waiting years for fibre or mobile towers, users can connect directly via satellite, a model that’s increasingly gaining ground across Africa. For a country where about 88% of the population was still offline as of 2025, the impact could be immediate.
Why it matters is straightforward: access. Better Internet opens the door to digital services, from education and healthcare to eCommerce and financial tools. For businesses, it means reaching new markets; for individuals, it means participating in a digital economy that has largely been out of reach.
The broader context is that Africa’s connectivity gap is still massive, with hundreds of millions of people offline. Satellite players like Starlink are racing to fill that gap, alongside competitors and governments exploring similar solutions. But challenges remain, from high hardware costs to affordability, raising a bigger question: can satellite Internet truly scale across the continent, or will it remain a premium solution for a few?
In case you missed it
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What I’m watching
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Opportunities
- e-Tranzact is looking to hire a product marketing office. Apply here.
- Bumpa is hiring for several roles, including Bumpa Expert Lead (Account Management) – Customer Success; Product Designer; and Mid-level Motion/Graphic Designer, Mid-level Full-stack Engineer (Commerce), and Senior Fullstack Engineer (Commerce). Apply here.
- Tech Unite Africa returns on March 26, 2026, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, bringing founders, investors, and industry leaders together for panels, exhibitions, and networking. Selected startups will compete in Startup World Cup Nigeria for a chance to reach the global finals and compete for a $1 million investment prize. Register or explore sponsorship opportunities here.
- ABDS 2026 will take place April 29–30, 2026, in Lagos, gathering founders, investors, developers, and policymakers shaping Africa’s blockchain and Web3 ecosystem. The summit focuses on industry insights, partnerships, and investment opportunities in one of the world’s fastest-growing crypto markets. Secure your pass or sponsorship here.
- Scrum Day Nigeria 2026 takes place on March 24 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, bringing together product leaders, Scrum Masters, engineers, and executives passionate about building better products. The one-day conference features practical keynotes, hands-on workshops, coaching clinics, and real-world case studies focused on product leadership, agile ways of working, and modern engineering practices. If your organisation is considering accelerating delivery whilst improving business outcomes at the same time, this is the room to be in. Apply here.
- Gates Foundation Africa is recruiting Senior Communications Officer at Abuja, Nigeria. Apply by March 25, 2026 here.
- Paga is hiring a Sales Manager. Apply here.
- Paga is hiring senior sales executives. Apply here.
- Paga is looking for sales executives. Apply here.
- Paga is recruiting Senior Key Account Managers. Apply here.
- Paga is hiring Account Managers. Apply here.
- As one of Techpoint Africa’s most engaged readers, you have a direct hand in shaping what we publish next. Take our quick, 3-minute survey to tell us the stories and features you value most. Your responses are anonymous, and your feedback will help guide our editorial focus in the months ahead. Fill the survey here.
- Interswitch is hiring a Strategic Partnerships Executive. Apply here.
- CANAL+ Group is looking for a CDI – Finance & Administrative Director GVA. Apply here.
- Tix Africa is hiring a finance operations specialist (Lagos, Nigeria). Apply here.
- Flutterwave is hiring for several marketing and finance roles. Apply here.
- Credit Direct is expanding and hiring across Product, Tech, Risk, Strategy & HR. Apply here.
- Spot & Tango is looking to hire a Customer Experience Specialist (Remote). Apply here.
- Infuse is looking to hire a Senior Product Manager (Contract, Remote). Apply here.
- LemFi is looking to hire a Customer Support Associate (Lagos, Hybrid). Apply here.
- Moniepoint is hiring for over 100 roles. Apply here.
- Building a startup can feel isolating, but with Equity Merchants CommunityConnect? You can network with fellow founders, experts, and investors, gaining valuable insights and exclusive resources to help you grow your business. Click here to join.
- To pitch your startup or product to a live audience, check out this link.
- Have any fresh products you’d like us to start selling? Check out this link here.
- Follow Techpoint Africa’s WhatsApp channel to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the African tech space here.
Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
