World
Banco Agrario, Telefonica, Comviva Take Financial Inclusion to Rural Areas in Colombia
By Olubori Oduntan
Banco Agrario, a prominent state-run bank focused on rural and agricultural sector, Telefonica Colombia, one of the leading telecom operators in Colombia, and Comviva, the global leader in mobility solution have come together for a mobile wallet pilot project in Colombia.
The project will focus on leveraging the ubiquity of mobile phones in Colombia to extend digital financial services to agricultural producers and the rural population.
In the pilot phase, customers will be able to open a mobile account, deposit money into account, withdraw cash from the account, transfer money to other users, pay utility bills and recharge their prepaid mobile connection, among other transactions.
To increase the service reach to rural and remote areas, Banco Agrario will use its extensive network of bank tellers and branchless banking agents to offer last mile services such as deposit and withdrawal.
The electronic money service – AGROMOVIL will be available through mobile app as well as USSD ensuring that all users, whether they have smartphone or feature-phone are able to access the service. The pilot project will run for six months and will be executed in some towns with around 1,000 customers using the service.
The collaboration will see all entities combining their expertise to make this project a success. Banco Agrario would be managing the electronic money service by establishing the distribution network for last mile services, training the tellers and agents, acquiring customers and marketing the service.
Telefonica Colombia will be the telecommunications provider and will bring its expertise in the field of telecommunications and in mobile technology and will facilitate access to the service through channels like USSD. Comviva is the technology partner for the project and will deploy its world-class electronic money platform mobiquity® Money to enable instant and secure transactions.
Speaking on the project, Luis Enrique Dussán López, CEO of Banco Agrario said “According to World Bank Findex, 54% adults in Colombia do not have a financial account. This figure rises to 59% in rural areas.
“This project will help to bank the financially excluded people by providing simple and cost-effective mobile financial services to agricultural producers, rural population and people living in remote areas. Our vision is to meet the financial needs of the underserved segments and create a more financially resilient society.”
Luis Martin, Director de B2B de Telefonica Colombia added “At Telefonica Colombia our aim has always been to use mobile technology to enhance the lives of people. Through this project we are extending the access of people on rural areas to virtual financial services through the mobile telephony. Electronic money solutions will help to accelerate the financial inclusion in the country and deliver greater value to consumers.”
Manoranjan Mohapatra, Chief Executive Officer at Comviva said “We are honoured and excited to be part of this project. We will bring best practices from our global experience of over 60 electronic money deployments to this project.
“We have adopted a broad strategy for fostering financial ecosystem in Colombia. On one hand, we will provide an easy-to-use, convenient and secure mobile wallet for consumers ensuring greater adoption.
“On the other hand, we will provide an open platform that facilitates rapid and seamless integration with billers, merchants and other financial systems, paving the way for extensive use of mobile payments.”
Banco Agrario de Colombia is a state-run bank which came into existence in 1999. Its main objective is to provide banking services in the rural sector and support finance, agricultural, livestock, forestry and agro-industrial activities. It has an extensive network of 766 branches, 96 extended offices, and 5,648 branchless banking agents, one of the biggest in Colombia.
Comviva is a global leader in providing mobility solutions. Its flagship electronic money platform mobiquity® Money delivers a host of electronic money services that transforms the way consumers save, borrow, transfer and spend money. Apart from delivering convenience to consumers, the solution enables financial service providers to acquire new customers, create long-term loyalty with existing ones, and seize new revenue opportunities to increase their footprint in the market.
mobiquity® Money empowers financial service providers to be agile in their markets, with complete focus on the customers. mobiquity® Money has clocked over 60 deployments in more than 45 countries. It powers three of the top 10 deployments globally and processes more than 4 billion transactions every year amounting to over USD 80 billion annually.
Telefonica Colombia is one of the biggest drivers of the digital economy in the Colombia. The activity of the company, is mainly focused on mobile telephony and connectivity, broadband services, home fiber optic, satellite television, fixed telephony and the offer of digital solutions for small, medium and large companies and corporations.
Telefonica Colombia is present in 280 municipalities with fixed broadband, 957 with mobile telephony and in 315 it offers 4G LTE technology. Likewise, it offers fixed telephony in 769 municipalities. Telefonica Colombia ended 2017 with a customer base of 17.9 million: 14.6 million mobile lines, 1.2 million broadband customers, 530 thousand digital satellite TV and 1.6 million fixed lines in service.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Africa is set to make history as it hosts the World Public Summit for the first time, with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, welcoming global leaders and changemakers from July 29–30, 2026, for the landmark gathering under the theme “New World: Africa in Shaping a Shared Future.”
The inaugural African edition of the World Public Summit marks a significant milestone in the continent’s growing role in shaping international dialogue on governance, sustainable development, human-centred leadership and global cooperation.
Hosted by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with African and international organisations, the summit will convene government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics, journalists, youth representatives, civil society organisations and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world.
According to Andrey Belyaninov, General Secretary of the World Peoples Assembly, “the Summit is not just a meeting—it is a space for unity. A space where the ‘values that unite us’ come to life: respect for people, openness to the world, responsibility for the future, and a commitment to creation.
“Today, we understand more clearly than ever: the future cannot be built alone. It is born in dialogue, in trust, in the ability to listen to one another and to act together.”
The programme begins on July 29 with a series of high-level roundtables and expert discussions covering Pan-African economic integration, civil society, education, scientific cooperation, cultural diplomacy and humanitarian partnerships.
The opening plenary, “Values, Development and Partnership as the Basis of a Sustainable and Just World,” will explore how African values—including Ubuntu—can help shape a more inclusive and sustainable global future. Discussions will also focus on youth leadership, innovation, civil society, ethical AI, public initiatives and international partnerships.
The summit will also showcase Africa’s creativity and innovation through the “Innovations for the Future” exhibition, the contemporary African art exhibition “Unity,” and the international exhibition “The World Paints Happiness.”
Another featured initiative is “The Zambezi River: Economy, Society, Soul,” an international interdisciplinary project exploring the river’s socioeconomic importance across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the shared heritage and development potential of one of Africa’s most important waterways.
The event will conclude with the adoption of the African Communiqué, reflecting the summit’s shared vision for stronger international cooperation, sustainable development and people-centred leadership.
Tsegaye Chama, General Secretary of the Global Black Centre, promised that, “The Summit will be delivered with exceptional distinction, reflecting the magnitude and spirit of the World Peoples Assembly. It embodies a unity that is not transactional, but purposeful and conscious, a unity that shapes new contours for a world that works for all peoples of the World.”
As delegates prepare to arrive in Addis Ababa, anticipation continues to build for what promises to be one of Africa’s most significant international gatherings of 2026—one that will place the continent firmly at the centre of global conversations about the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria regained its position as Africa’s leading destination for equity startup investment in the first half of 2026, raising $214 million in equity financing and a total of $254 million across equity and debt, according to the latest Africa: The Big Deal report.
The report, titled H1 2026: Mapping the Money, showed that Nigeria ranked second on the continent in total funding, behind Egypt, which attracted $327 million, while Kenya and South Africa followed with $126 million and $83 million, respectively.
However, the report noted that Egypt’s top position was largely driven by a single fundraising by electric mobility company Spiro, which secured $327 million, including $270 million in equity and $57 million in debt. Excluding debt financing, Nigeria emerged as Africa’s largest equity funding market in the first six months of the year.
According to the breakdown by Africa: The Big Deal, Nigeria’s equity funding of $214 million was higher than Egypt’s $183 million, while South Africa and Kenya attracted $66 million and $46 million, respectively.
Beyond funding value, Nigeria also led the continent in the number of startups that raised at least $100,000 during the review period, reclaiming the top spot after what the report described as an “underwhelming” second half of 2025.
The publication observed that Nigeria’s fundraising performance has remained relatively stable over the past few years and exceeded the $250 million mark for the first time since 2022, pointing to renewed investor confidence in the country’s startup ecosystem.
It also found that while the Big Four startup markets—Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa—continued to dominate Africa’s investment landscape, their combined share of total funding stood at 58 per cent in the first half of 2026.
“Zooming back on the Big Four (110 out of 190 $100k+ deals, i.e. 58%), Nigeria is head and shoulders above its peers, with Egypt and Kenya almost tying, and South Africa in fourth position again,” the report noted.
The report highlighted contrasting performances among the continent’s largest startup ecosystems. While Nigeria and Egypt maintained strong funding momentum, Kenya recorded its weakest funding performance since early 2021 after a strong second half of 2025, and South Africa failed to attract $100 million in funding during the period despite leading the continent a year earlier.
Africa: The Big Deal also noted a broader shift in investor behaviour, with funding increasingly concentrated in larger transactions while early-stage investments continued to decline. According to the publication, the drop in smaller funding rounds reflects growing concerns about limited capital available for early-stage startups across Africa.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Accessing the US Dollar in the East Africa region has now been made easier with the expansion of the stablecoin settlement infrastructure of SCRYPT.
This development enables banks, payment providers and corporate treasury teams to move value into and out of the continent in real time.
Businesses paying international suppliers frequently have to convert local currency into USD before purchasing stablecoins for settlement, incurring FX conversions and spreads before any payment is made.
But SCRYPT is eliminating this intermediate conversion by enabling direct settlement corridors for local African currencies into stablecoins.
This development allows businesses to move from local currency to stablecoin settlement in a single licensed transaction, without first sourcing rationed bank dollars, as stablecoins are increasingly becoming settlement infrastructure rather than an investment product.
The expansion adds settlement support across four African currencies: the Kenyan shilling (KES), Tanzanian shilling (TZS), Rwandan franc (RWF) and Ugandan shilling (UGX). Each corridor is delivered through the same full-stack infrastructure our clients already use for trading, custody and treasury operations.
Speaking on this, the chief executive of SCRYPT, Norman Wooding, said, “Across Africa, stablecoin adoption is driven by economic need, not speculation.
“Businesses here are not chasing yield; they are trying to pay suppliers and manage treasury without losing margin to a banking system that rations dollars. Licensed, fair-rate dollar access is the clearest proof of what this infrastructure is for.”
Also commenting, the Managing Director of Markets & Trading at SCRYPT, Mr Gabriel Titopoulos, said, “Until now, reaching stablecoins from local African currencies meant buying scarce dollars and incurring several layers of conversion costs.
“SCRYPT removes this friction. Firms and payment providers can now settle straight from local currencies through live corridors, with local partners.”
