Dia dhuit,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Canal+ moves fast to trim MultiChoice’s fat
- Stablecoins are coming to Flutterwave merchants
- Canva gets its own AI brain
Canal+ moves fast to trim MultiChoice’s fat
Canal+ isn’t wasting time shaking things up at MultiChoice. The new owner of the DStv parent company has reportedly suspended payments to suppliers, from production companies to even toilet paper vendors, as part of a sweeping cost-cutting move. Per TimesLive, Canal+ wants a 20% discount on invoices before releasing any payments.
The decision has sent ripples through South Africa’s media industry, but honestly, it’s not that shocking. MultiChoice has been bleeding subscribers and struggling financially for years. Canal+ stepping in to plug the leaks was always on the cards; it just seems suppliers are the first to feel the pinch.
MultiChoice’s numbers tell the story: the company has reported losses in three of the last seven years (2019, 2023, and 2024). It only returned to profit in 2025 thanks to the sale of a 60% stake in its insurance arm, NMS Insurance Services, to Sanlam, a one-time boost that masked deeper issues.
At the heart of it all is DStv’s slow fade. As Netflix and other global streamers eat into its market share, Premium customers — DStv’s biggest spenders — have been cancelling or downgrading since 2015. While mid-tier users grew for a while, the overall subscriber base in South Africa has been sliding since 2021 and peaked group-wide in 2023.
Here’s where it gets tricky for Canal+. To get regulatory approval for the takeover, the company agreed not to retrench any staff in South Africa for three years, maintain favourable deals with SABC News, and continue investing in local content. That means cutting costs elsewhere, and suppliers are the easiest target.
It’s a tough balancing act: trim spending without breaching competition conditions or hurting local production. MultiChoice insists the move is part of an ongoing “efficiency drive” to keep the company sustainable long term. Whether suppliers will play along or push back is another story entirely.
Stablecoins are coming to Flutterwave merchants
Flutterwave is taking another big swing at cross-border payments. This time, with help from Polygon. The payments giant just signed a multi-year deal that will make Polygon its default blockchain network for stablecoin transactions. In simple terms, merchants will soon be able to send and receive payments using digital dollars (stablecoins like USDC) directly through Flutterwave.
The pilot phase kicks off in 2025 with a handful of verified merchants before expanding to all users through the Send App in 2026. Flutterwave says it’ll start with USDC, the stablecoin issued by Circle, and will work closely with Circle for liquidity and issuance. Enterprise clients like Uber and Audiomack are expected to be among the first to test it out.
Per the company, this move could help slash Africa’s notoriously high cross-border transfer fees, which currently average above 8%, and cut settlement times from days to seconds. “Stablecoins on Polygon can turn high fees into pennies,” said Polygon Labs CEO, Marc Boiron. Flutterwave CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, added that the partnership fits perfectly with the company’s goal of making international payments “simpler and cheaper than many local ones.”
But it won’t be an open field for everyone just yet. Flutterwave says only verified and approved merchants will get access initially, following stricter Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) checks. The service will also roll out only in markets where regulators are supportive. “We’re working closely with regulators to ensure compliance,” said Vincent Yang, Flutterwave’s Senior Product Manager for Stablecoins and Crypto.
Polygon’s Head of Payments, Aishwary Gupta, described the partnership as a big leap for Africa, bringing it in line with regions like Europe and Asia, where Polygon already powers fintech payments. For Flutterwave, it’s one more step toward embedding blockchain into everyday payments, or as Yang put it, “bringing stablecoins closer to home.”
Canva gets its own AI brain
Canva just turned things up a notch. The design platform everyone loves is officially getting its own brain, a new AI design model that actually understands layers and formats, not just flat images. Think of it as Canva giving its AI some proper design sense.
The company says its in-house “foundational model” can now generate fully editable designs across posts, presentations, whiteboards, and even websites. So, instead of battling prompts endlessly, users can start with an AI draft and tweak it like they normally would. “We’ve found that people don’t just want prompts; they want to create and iterate,” said Robert Kawalsky, Canva’s global head of product.
That’s not all. Canva’s chat-style AI assistant is now available across the platform, meaning you can tag it in comments, ask for text or media suggestions, and even copy design styles. It can also generate 3D objects and new layouts directly in your workspace.
The company also went deeper into productivity with updates to its Sheets tool — now you can turn data into widgets or mini apps — and a new all-in-one marketing suite called Canva Grow, powered by its recent acquisition of MagicBrief. The idea? Let marketers design, publish, and measure campaigns all in one place.
And for pros, Canva’s big promise is even bolder: its high-end Affinity design tool is now free forever. The redesign also merges vector, pixel, and layout capabilities into one smooth interface, seamlessly connected to Canva’s main platform.
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Opportunities
- Techpoint Africa is creating a video series where people discuss and debate policies and current events. If you enjoy thoughtful conversations, fill out this form. Apply here.
- Flutterwave is hiring a Manager, Pricing. Apply here.
- Kuda Technologie is recruiting a DevOps Engineer. Apply here.
- Ecobank Nigeria is looking for a Relationships Manager in South-South and South-East regions. Apply here,
- Western Union is recruiting a Business Development Associate Lagos, Nigeria. Apply here,
- SeamlessHR is hiring a Brand Specialist. Apply here.
- PalmPay is recruiting a Talent Development Manager. Apply here.
- Andela is looking for an Advocacy and Event Community Manager. Apply here.
- Onchain Festival 2025, happening on October 30th at The Dome, Lekki, offers funding, knowledge, live product demos, powerful networking, and visible growth, where ideas find investors, creators meet collaborators, and innovation comes alive. Don’t miss out. Be part of the story; get your tickets now.
- TLP Advisory is surveying the listing potential of Nigerian venture-backed businesses on the NGX. Share your insights by completing this survey.
- Join Africa’s top female founders, investors & innovators at AWFS 2025. Register here.
- Flutterwave is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
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Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
