Spotify: Bringing audiobooks to South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria in a 180+ market rollout
Audiobooks give Spotify a new paid add-on in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, beyond music and podcasts.
Source: TechMoran
Topic
App launches
New apps, relaunches, super-app features and new paid products from banks, fintechs, telcos, betting operators, retailers and streaming services in our three markets.
9 signals
Safaricom (M-PESA): Opened Ziidi Shari'ah investing to 41M+ M-PESA users via My OneApp, launched AI Pay, and advertised an Executive Head of Product, Digital for M-PESA Africa
Opening Shari'ah-compliant investing to more than 41 million M-PESA users, and launching AI Pay, shows Safaricom pushing more financial services into its app.
Source: TechMoran; MyJobMag Kenya (15 Sep)
Absa Bank Kenya: Launched Absa Next, a standalone savings, investing and loans app that does not need an Absa account
Absa Next is open to people who do not bank with Absa, so it has to win new users on its own, competing with savings and loan products linked to M-PESA.
Source: tech-ish
Remita: Launched the Remita 'super' mobile app at Nigeria Fintech Week
Remita's new super app moves a payments brand best known for business and government collections into everyday consumer finance.
Source: BellaNaija
Odibets: Went live with 24/7 virtual football and tennis from Logifuture in Kenya
Round-the-clock virtual sports give Odibets players a reason to return between live matches in Kenya's competitive betting market.
Source: SBC News
Disney+: Launched a new app in South Africa with a cheaper R49/month Basic plan, moving existing users across
A new app and a R49 Basic plan lower the price of entry for Disney+ in South Africa, while existing subscribers move across to the new app.
Source: MyBroadband
Shuttlers: Launched Shuttlers Pod, a pre-booked shared car service, after Uber's exit, and is hiring a Lead, Performance Marketing (Lagos)
Shuttlers Pod adds a shared, pre-booked car option in Lagos as commuters look for alternatives after Uber's exit.
Source: Launch Base Africa; MyJobMag (15 Sep)
Discovery Bank: Discovery's 'super bank' (phase two of Discovery Bank) set to launch in October 2026
Discovery's second-phase 'super bank' adds travel, fuel, food and fitness to the bank app, raising the stakes in South Africa's digital banking race.
Source: TechCentral
Hollywoodbets: Launched esports betting (770+ markets, 30 titles) and advertised a CRM Specialist on XtremePush, Smartico and Braze
Esports betting opens a new category for Hollywoodbets, and its CRM hiring shows a focus on keeping players engaged.
Source: SBC News; MyJobMag South Africa