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Fintechs are a central part of the global payments ecosystem, and amidst COVID-19 have launched further into the spotlight, reporting sizable upticks in the usage of their apps, as more people manage their money from their personal devices. Visa today is proud to announce its continued support of the global Fintech community, having grown the Fast Track Program to over 140 Fintechs . Since expanding globally in mid-2019, the Fast Track program has grown 280%, highlighting the surge in demand for digital payments worldwide. Fast Track allows both new and established businesses to leverage the speed, security, reliability and scale of the Visa network to get up and running quickly, taking the process from months to weeks . The program provides turnkey access to Visa’s ecosystem partners, online licensing, Visa’s APIs as well as extensive go-to-market toolkits, online education and expert advice to help Fintechs scale their business. With new members from Africa, Asia Pacific, E...

Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of VivaTech that was to be held in Paris, Sanofi will on June 11 th  organise an online pitch session as part of its AfricaTech Challenge. The objective is to ensure that Sanofi is continually committed to encouraging innovation in Africa, improving access to healthcare and transforming the health ecosystem throughout the continent. For this 3 rd  edition, Sanofi received 268 applications from 34 countries across the continent registering a 20.7% increase in applications as compared to 222 applications last year. 11 finalists were selected based on their project maturity, early results, the relevance of their solution, market potential, business model and the skills and expertise of their team. This year, a total of 22 applications were made from East Africa with 18 applications received just from Kenya, three from Uganda and one from Tanzania. Mama Prime, a Kenyan health fintech company has been selected to take pa...

Following a partnership announced today between Visa and MYDAWA, it is now simpler and safer to purchase medication through the online pharmacy.  The partnership is part of a drive to encourage consumers to embrace cashless payments and avoid leaving their homes where possible in support of calls by the government for citizens to observe social distancing during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the incentives, Visa customers who order medication and other essential products via the MYDAWA platform get a discounted rate on their purchase. “This partnership with Visa could not have come at a more important time for the country.  We are fighting an invisible enemy and every Kenyan must follow the Government’s guidelines of staying at home unless they have essential matters to attend to.  By using MYDAWA, people will be able to stay at home and stay safe as they order for their essentials at a discounted price. This will ease the financial burden on tho...

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech announced today that the first participants have been dosed in the U.S. in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent COVID-19. The trial is part of a global development program, and the dosing of the first cohort in Germany was completed last week. The Phase 1/2 study is designed to determine the safety, immunogenicity and optimal dose level of four mRNA vaccine candidates evaluated in a single, continuous study. The dose level escalation portion (Stage 1) of the Phase 1/2 trial in the U.S. will enrol up to 360 healthy subjects into two age cohorts (18-55 and 65-85 years of age). The first subjects immunized in Stage 1 of the study will be healthy adults 18-55 years of age. Older adults will only be immunized with a given dose level of a vaccine candidate once testing of that candidate and dose level in younger adults has provided initial evidence of safety and immunogenicity.  Sites currently dosing participants in...