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2025

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Larry Ellison Leaps to World’s Second Richest At $258bn as Oracle Shares Soar on AI-Fueled Rally

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Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has added a staggering $40 billion to his net worth in just two trading days, overtaking Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg to become the world’s second richest man, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires ranking.

His wealth now stands at $258 billion, second only to Elon Musk, whose net worth sits at $414 billion.

The extraordinary jump in Ellison’s fortune follows a historic rally in Oracle’s stock, driven by the company’s better-than-expected quarterly earnings and mounting investor optimism over its role in powering artificial intelligence workloads. Oracle shares surged 13% on Thursday and climbed an additional 7% by mid-Friday, closing in on $215 per share—an all-time high.

The rally added a massive $104 billion to Oracle’s market capitalization in two days, a valuation increase larger than the entire worth of tech giants like Intel or retail brands like Nike. For Ellison, who owns 41% of Oracle, the market surge translated to a $25 billion gain on Thursday and another $16 billion on Friday—easily the largest daily wealth increase recorded by any billionaire this year.

According to Forbes, “Ellison’s net worth accordingly rocketed by more than $40 billion to $258 billion from Wednesday to Friday… vaulting Ellison past Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos ($228 billion) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($238 billion).”

Oracle’s AI Pivot Sparks Investor Frenzy

Oracle’s quarterly earnings report released on Wednesday, exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.70 and total revenue of $15.9 billion, largely fueled by soaring demand for Oracle’s cloud infrastructure services—a critical component in the AI supply chain.

Analysts say this marks a pivotal turning point for Oracle, signaling a fundamental shift in the market’s perception of Oracle’s future trajectory. Many believe that Oracle’s fiscal year 2026, which began this month, could usher in a new phase of accelerated growth, anchored by expanding adoption of artificial intelligence technologies across industries.

Oracle has quietly but firmly entrenched itself as a cornerstone of AI infrastructure. Its cloud platforms not only power enterprise applications but also handle sensitive government data. It serves as the U.S. hosting provider for TikTok user data and has been ramping up its AI offerings through recent strategic partnerships.

Ellison’s Expanding Influence in Tech and AI

At 80, Ellison remains an active force in both technology and political spheres. Beyond his executive role at Oracle, he recently helped launch “Stargate,” a major AI infrastructure venture backed by Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank. The project, unveiled with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to build out next-generation AI capabilities at scale.

He also previously served on Tesla’s board and has been a financial contributor to Republican political campaigns, further embedding himself in high-level business and policymaking networks.

A Broader Tech Trend

Ellison’s meteoric wealth gain is the latest example of how AI infrastructure is reshaping wealth dynamics among tech billionaires. As the industry races to build the foundations of an AI-driven global economy—data centers, chips, cloud platforms, and specialized software—investors are pouring capital into companies positioned to support and scale these capabilities.

With the AI sector projected to surpass $1.8 trillion in market value by 2030, according to Grand View Research, infrastructure providers like Oracle are emerging as some of the biggest financial winners.

The Oracle stock rally not only marks a personal triumph for Ellison but also signals investor confidence in the company’s long-term role in the AI economy.

Jumia Reshapes Business Strategy to Defend Its Market Share, Amid Growing Competition From Chinese E-commerce Giants

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Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, is revamping its business strategy to strengthen market share, enhance profitability, and regain investor confidence.

This strategic move by the e-commerce giant comes amid growing competition from Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.

As Temu and Shein gain ground in Africa with ultra-low prices and efficient logistics, Jumia is forging partnerships with Chinese merchants to broaden its product range and localize offerings. Jumia’s CEO Francis Dufay emphasized the company’s competitive edge, stating, “We have more diverse product offerings in categories they can’t offer, we’re more tailored to the market, and we have competitive products from international sellers.”

Temu and Shein have rapidly expanded in Africa, particularly in South Africa, by leveraging ultra-low prices and efficient logistics, significantly disrupting local retail markets. Their success stems from offering a vast variety of products at prices that local competitors struggle to match, driven by sophisticated pricing strategies, economies of scale, and streamlined supply chains.

Temu launched in Nigeria in November 2024, gaining traction through aggressive advertising, deep discounts, and promises of delivery within two weeks. Shein, while more targeted, is using influencer-driven marketing to expand in major urban centers across South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana. Neither retailer has established full physical operations on the continent.

Both e-commerce giants’ entry into Africa is disrupting established local e-commerce businesses like Jumia. This has also seen local retailers face challenges in competing with the low prices and aggressive marketing strategies of these platforms. 

However, while Temu and Shein can win the price war, their cross-border model comes with trade-offs, longer shipping times, complicated returns, and limited after-sales support. Some analysts argue that trust remains Jumia’s critical advantage and the company could still dominate the market by being consistent, if not the cheapest.

Recall that earlier this year, Jumia announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. The company reported a revenue of $36.3 million, down 26% year-over-year or 18% year-over-year on a constant currency basis.

Despite these losses, Jumia posted a significant improvement in its loss before income tax, narrowing it to $16.5 million, compared to $39.6 million in Q1 2024. This was mainly due to a $33.5 million improvement in net finance costs, as foreign exchange losses experienced in 2024 did not recur in the same magnitude.

CEO Dufay acknowledged Jumia’s challenges since its 2019 NYSE IPO, with its market capitalization dropping from over $1 billion to about $400 million and its stock declining nearly 90%.

“My focus is simple, deliver the numbers. The target is break-even by 2027,” he said, distancing his tenure from past overpromising.”

Since taking the helm in late 2022, Dufay has reduced losses from $206 million to a projected $50–$55 million in 2025 by cutting jobs, exiting unprofitable markets, and focusing on nine core countries. Following the recent exit of major investor Baillie Gifford, Dufay is engaging new investors through roadshows, prioritizing results over rhetoric.

With improving order growth, customer retention, and fulfillment efficiencies, Jumia appears to be on a clearer path toward long-term profitability and sustainable growth. Nigeria remains central to Jumia’s growth, with the CEO highlighting its vast potential.

The company aims to expand beyond urban centers to reach low-income customers, while also eyeing growth in Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt. Notably, Jumia is focused on achieving profitable growth in 2025 by increasing usage, improving operational efficiency, and significantly reducing cash burn.

How artificial intelligence is transforming online gaming

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly but profoundly reshaping the online gaming industry. No longer limited to backend algorithms or support tools, AI is now central to how games are built, how they play, and how players experience them. From smarter in-game opponents to personalized challenges and procedurally generated content, the digital playground is evolving faster than ever.

Smarter NPCs and real-time reactions

AI has revolutionized the behavior of non-player characters (NPCs). Rather than sticking to predictable patterns, NPCs now react intelligently to the actions and strategies of players. This means that enemies, allies, or even neutral characters can now change tactics mid-game, creating more dynamic and engaging gameplay.

This smart behavior leads to greater immersion. Players feel as if they’re interacting with living, responsive entities rather than scripted code. It’s especially noticeable in open-world and multiplayer games, but even smaller-scale titles are starting to adopt adaptive NPC logic.

Adaptive difficulty and personalized experiences

Beyond NPCs, AI plays a crucial role in adjusting difficulty based on each player’s individual performance. Instead of selecting a fixed difficulty setting at the start, modern games can adapt in real-time—offering extra help when players struggle or increasing the challenge when they’re breezing through.

This keeps gameplay exciting without being discouraging. Many popular titles use this system to keep players coming back. Even casual games, which often rely on short, intense gameplay loops, use AI to fine-tune pacing and risk.

Take Mission Uncrossable, for example—a deceptively simple game where players guide a chicken across hazardous paths. Beneath its playful surface, the game quietly adjusts tension and tempo based on how cautious or aggressive the player is. That subtle AI touch makes every run feel slightly different, keeping the challenge fresh without overwhelming the user.

AI in game design and content generation

Developers are also harnessing AI to create game environments, levels, and narratives. With procedural generation, AI can design endless variations of maps or puzzles, cutting down development time and enhancing replayability. This is particularly useful in sandbox games or titles that rely on player-driven exploration.

Beyond visuals, AI can suggest story developments, dialogue choices, or branching narratives based on player interaction history. This adds a layer of unpredictability that makes story-driven games more immersive and less linear.

Enhancing user experience beyond gameplay

AI isn’t just improving the game itself—it’s improving the overall gaming experience. In online casinos or social games, AI can analyze player behavior to identify patterns, offer game recommendations, or even detect unhealthy habits. It can also power chatbots for customer support, manage game moderation, and suggest real-time improvements to the user interface based on user actions.

These enhancements are increasingly common across all platforms. Whether you’re playing on mobile, desktop, or a browser, AI works behind the scenes to keep everything smooth, responsive, and tailored to your style.

A new era for interactive entertainment

As AI continues to evolve, so will the nature of online games. From hyper-personalized gameplay to AI-powered storytelling and real-time adaptation, the future of gaming looks increasingly intelligent. Titles like Mission Uncrossable showcase how even short-form games can benefit from these technologies, proving that innovation isn’t limited to big-budget releases.

Online gaming is no longer static. With AI in the driver’s seat, every session is smarter, every challenge more relevant, and every experience more personal. This is only the beginning.

Africa’s Cryptocurrency Revolution: Adoption Trends and Market Dynamics Across the Continent

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Walk into any bustling market in Lagos, Nairobi, or Cape Town today, and you will see something wonderful occurring in a traditional business. Young entrepreneurs are paying with Bitcoin, cross-border merchants are saving the high bank fees using stablecoins and university students are mining altcoins on their laptops in between classes. The entire continent is accepting cryptocurrency in that innovative spirit which has always characterized the African approach to technology.

The change has been quite radical. Whereas conventional financial institutions took years to argue about the validity of crypto, African users had already figured out practical issues with digital assets. The continent exemplifies one of the most vibrant cryptocurrency markets in the world these days, with a more practical, rather than a speculative, motivation.

Building on Mobile Money Success

The crypto boom in Africa is perfectly logical when taking into consideration the foundation. Nations in the continent did not hesitate until the establishment of Western-style banking infrastructure, instead, they skipped to mobile payments. M-Pesa in Kenya demonstrated to the rest of the world what financial inclusion might be, with billions of dollars being transacted using the simple SMS technology. The same entrepreneurial spirit is driving the adoption of crypto currently.

In Kenya, the transactions carried out using cryptocurrencies have exceeded 1.2 billion US dollars per year. The shift was more organic to the consumers who were already familiar with the digital wallets and mobile transfers. Local exchanges such as BitPesa became advanced financial bridges, linking African markets to international crypto liquidity pools that have so far been off-limits.

This move has especially profited the digital entertainment industry. In Africa, gaming and betting sites have also integrated cryptocurrencies, allowing customers to easily transact using international markets previously inaccessible due to the restrictions of traditional banking systems. Modern casino platforms accepting crypto payments have opened doors for African players to participate in global real money gaming markets, processing deposits and withdrawals instantly while bypassing the lengthy verification processes typical of conventional financial systems.

This is more than convenience—it’s genuine financial inclusion for populations historically underserved by traditional banking.

Remittances: Where Crypto Proves Its Worth

In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, remittances exceed $50 billion a year, yet conventional money transfer services have been charging enormous fees- up to 15 percent of the whole amount. To households that rely on foreign earnings, these fees translate into missed meals, school fees and health care.

Cryptocurrency has flipped this equation. The London and New York communities of Nigerian diasporas now routinely remit Bitcoin back home and reduce the transfer expenses to less than 3 percent. The effects are not just savings; beneficiaries can get the money in hours as opposed to days and they are not restricted by working hours and holidays.

The experience of Ghana shows this change. A tech-savvy populace was able to pick up on the potential of crypto in remittances particularly well, with services such as Bitland helping to onboard even non-technical users to the process. As opposed to the hostile regulatory environment in Nigeria initially, Ghana Bank was relatively open, promoting legitimate innovation under watchful eyes on risks.

Trading Culture Takes Root

Something interesting is brewing in the universities and technology hubs of Africa. Trading cryptocurrencies has become a not-so-hypocritical hobby to a full-fledged passion, and African factors have a role to play. Crypto is another technological leapfrogging opportunity for young people who observe their local currencies deteriorate against the dollar.

The educational slope has been very high and satisfying. Crypto education social media groups today have millions of members in Africa. Blockchain meetups are a common occurrence in university campuses with students strategizing and reviewing the market trends. It is not gambling, this is organized wealth creation with instruments their parents never possessed.

Institutional adoption is spearheaded by South Africa. Cryptocurrency custody services are already provided by major banks, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange considers crypto-linked products. This institutional approval has given credibility to digital assets to conservative investors who have so far kept off the sector altogether.

Real Challenges, Real Solutions

Africa’s crypto adoption story isn’t without obstacles. The internet coverage is patchy in a large part of the continent especially in the rural settings where the majority of the population resides. The penetration of smartphones has been increasing at a high rate but has not yet attained 100 percent coverage. Such infrastructural gaps restrict the immediate access of crypto.

There is the complexity of regulatory uncertainty. Nations are flipping and flopping on their decisions to welcome or ban digital assets, sometimes in the same year. In 2021, the central bank of Nigeria banned crypto transactions, but later permitted them quietly under growing public pressure. Environmental factors Ghana recently raised the taxes on crypto transactions, which may halt its adoption at the moment when it was gaining traction.

Another obstacle is education. Tales of misplaced private keys and actual scams are all over, and this helps to tame down would-be users. The un-reversibility of blockchain transactions, which is a feature in developed markets, is a bug when the users are not technically confident.

Government Digital Currency Experiments

African governments are watching crypto adoption with mixed emotions. They like the innovation and inclusion advantages but are concerned with financial control and taxation. Many think the answer is central bank digital currencies, which combine the benefits of crypto with government control.

Nigeria’s eNaira launch in 2021 marked Africa’s boldest CBDC experiment. While the uptake has been less swift than desired, the project sees official acknowledgement that digital payments are the way of the future. Other countries in the region are coming up with similar initiatives and hoping to benefit from the experience of Nigeria.

The Central African Republic has hit the news by introducing Bitcoin as legal tender, however, execution has been found to be difficult due to the poor infrastructure. The gap between policy ambition and practical capability illustrates broader continental challenges.

The Road Ahead

The future of crypto in Africa will be dictated by a number of trends. Rural connectivity is being increased by satellite internet projects, and fintech companies are creating user-friendly apps that are suited to regional requirements. An indication of confidence in long-term growth is the flow of venture capital into African cryptocurrency companies.

It seems that institutional adoption is prepared to pick up speed. Major corporations are thinking about Bitcoin treasury strategies, and African pension funds and insurance companies are starting to have discussions about crypto allocation.

The regulatory landscape will be important. Countries that create frameworks that are balanced and promote innovation while safeguarding consumers will reap disproportionate advantages. The necessary coordination may be provided by the African Union’s discussions regarding digital asset policies for the entire continent.

The adoption of cryptocurrencies in Africa is a reflection of broader economic trends. Young people who are dissatisfied with conventional financial constraints come up with their own solutions. Entrepreneurs who are obstructed by banking bureaucracy discover alternate routes to international markets.

Blucera WinGPT Enterprise Will Help You Unify Your Business Internal Knowledge And the Market

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Imagine if you can make decisions with full knowledge base of your company. That means you include annual reports, strategy reports, sales data, regulator’s notices, rule books, transcripts of audio/video meetings, discussion forum data, etc, as you examine the next thing about your company. It is important to know that in the age of artificial intelligence, making sense of proprietary data offers asymmetrical competitive advantage.

More so, your public facing tools like Gemini and ChatGPT will provide directions based on publicly available knowledge. So, whatever that is not available to them becomes strategic. And making sense of that knowledge with the powers of AI provides a new positioning in the market.

With Blucera WinGPT Enterprise, we will help you run a proprietary AI system that works using your internal data, and if you want it superimposed on the global knowledge, we will enable that for you.

For companies and universities, we invite you to learn more about Blucera WinGPT and WinGPT Enterprise. Email our team at tekedia.com via your company email and we will explain how we can unify your knowledge and advance your mission. And if you do join, as a bonus, your team will have access to Blucera WinGPT, powered by Tekedia Institute’s global knowledge on business education.

(I know that many want Tekedia Institute to offer technical courses on AI. We’re reading and if I can make time, that technical component will come. If that happens, you will learn AI from the first principle, and that is mathematics. We will see…)