E-Business
Blockchain, AI to Shape Fintech’s Future – Report

Advanced technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving growth in the financial technology (fintech) sector.
This is according to a report published yesterday by market analyst firm Frost & Sullivan titled FinTech: Growth Opportunities in the Global Market.
The report highlights emerging products and services, technology-enabled sub-segments, new business models, and innovations that are set to disrupt the industry.
Commenting on the African fintech front, Frost & Sullivan says the continent is known for innovations such as mPesa, one of the earliest mobile phone-based money transfer initiatives. It points out that the unique nature of challenges in Africa prompted many local participants to innovate.
In recent years, the region received funding from investors from other locations as well, indicating an interest among foreign players.
In Nigeria, Access Bank has established a fintech programme through African Fintech Foundry to strategically assess the emergence of new technologies in the industry, and to consider its regulatory implications.
Advanced technologies, digitisation and changing consumer demands are leading financial services companies to adopt a more consumer-centric approach, says Frost & Sullivan.
As a result, it adds, many companies have launched innovative products, services and solutions. The use of advanced technologies – which include cloud, platforms, Internet of things, AI, machine learning, blockchain and application programming interfaces – impact company operations and customer experience, says Frost & Sullivan.
It points out the application of technologies enhances the outcome of services and sub-segments like fintech platforms, robo-advisory, insurtech, regtech and paytech, which are expected to grow rapidly.
While it is early days for quantum computing, Frost notes, the use cases and experiments are extremely encouraging.
“With the number of connected devices expected to reach 40 billion by 2022, big data will significantly increase the need for cloud storage, analytics, AI and machine learning within the financial sector,” says Deepali Sathe, Frost & Sullivan’s ICT senior industry analyst.
“The impact will be seen across banking, wealth management and insurance, and we can expect a significant shift in how the industry operates. New business models and innovative products and services from neo-banks, insuretech and wealthtech companies will drive the change in the entire industry.”
Sathe points out that factors hindering market growth include issues related to security of data, the regulatory environment and prevailing confusion, lack of skilled personnel to apply advanced technologies, and a slow pace of change.
“The industry is gearing up to meet these challenges by working together in order to create a more cohesive ecosystem, including liaising with regulators to ensure greater clarity.”
E-Business
Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.
China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.
The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.
“Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue to target systems which have not installed its security updates.
It added that it would update its website blog with more information as its investigation continues.
Microsoft said it had observed attacks in which hackers had sent a request to a SharePoint server “enabling the theft of the key material by threat actors”.
Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting firm, a division of Google Cloud, told reporter, it was “aware of several victims in several different sectors across a number of global geographies”.
Carmakal said it appeared that governments and businesses that use SharePoint on their sites were the primary target.
A number of adversaries who stole material encoded by cryptography were then able to regain ongoing access to the victims’ SharePoint data, he said.
“This was exploited in a very broad way, very opportunistically before a patch was made available. That’s why this is significant,” Carmakal said.
Carmakal said the “China-nexus actor” was deploying techniques similar to previous campaigns associated with Beijing.
Microsoft said Linen Typhoon had “focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defence, strategic planning, and human rights” for 13 years.
It added that Violet Typhoon had been “dedicated to espionage”, primarily targeting former government and military staff, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, higher education, the media, the financial sector and the health sector in the US, Europe, and East Asia.
Meanwhile, Storm-2603 was “assessed with medium confidence to be a China-based threat actor”.
E-Business
NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued a public warning that it is not associated with NINcard.com.
According to the commission, the website has been circulating online to offer services for Nigerians seeking National Identification Number (NIN) services.
NIMC, in a post on its official X account on Wednesday, said, “NINcard.com is not in anyway affiliated to NIMC. Stay vigilant!”
The warning was accompanied by screenshots of fake payment receipts and OTP request pages from the website, both of which were boldly stamped “FAKE” by NIMC to alert the public.
E-Business
NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with the Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API), has convened a one-day workshop in Abuja to advance dialogue on the draft Online Harm Protection (OHP) Bill to confront harmful online content.
The bill, a rights-based, locally rooted, and multi-stakeholder initiative, is aimed at addressing the challenges of the digital age.
The event, which held yesterday, brought together government officials, civil society, academics, digital platforms, and legal experts to shape a policy framework designed to combat online ills such as cyberbullying, disinformation, hate speech, digital exploitation, and gender-based violence, while safeguarding democratic freedoms and digital inclusion.
In his keynote remarks, Kashifu Inuwa, director general, NITDA urged a paradigm shift in the way society engages with digital technologies.
“For almost two decades, we have viewed digital technology through a consumer lens. But these technologies are not just products and services. They are transforming how we live, work, and interact. They shape our politics, our society, and our democracy,” he said.
Warning against unaccountable digital power in the hands of private corporations, the DG likened the digital journey to the tale of Alice in Wonderland, where initial fascination with innovation has given way to deeper concerns about privacy, autonomy, and manipulation by big tech platforms.
“We thought we were using Google, but now we realise Google is using us. Social media, once a tool of expression, has become a tool of surveillance and influence,” Inuwa noted.
He, therefore, emphasised the urgency of developing a democratic and accountable framework. He explained that following the 2021 Twitter ban, NITDA facilitated dialogue between the government and platform operators, leading to a Code of Practice that stressed Nigeria’s sovereignty and legal standards.
According to him, the same process birthed the multi-stakeholder steering committee and the OHP White Paper in December 2024, laying the foundation for the current legislative push.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Victoria Manya, co-founder, API, observed the moral and civic necessity of the bill.
Her words: “The internet did not break society, it merely revealed its unfiltered version. Every day, Nigerians are exposed to harassment, disinformation, exploitation, and even algorithmic violence. The OHP Bill is not a war on the Internet. It is a peace offering to its users, a social contract for a digital future that is safe, inclusive, and democratic.
“We cannot answer the question of algorithmic power with unchecked state control. We must answer it with shared, rights-based governance. This bill must not be written for the people, but with them.”
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