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Apple Pay Comes To Nigeria Via Paystack
Nigerian fintech startup, Paystack which has been acquired by US-based Stripe, is announcing a big integration: Apple Pay for Nigerian businesses and people. Yes, if you run a business in Nigeria, the Apple world can now pay you. There is a clear trajectory here – the world of big tech wants to work with those who understand the terrains rather than build from scratch.
Nigerian fintech startup, Paystack which has been acquired by US-based Stripe, has announced that it is launching Pay with Apple Pay on its platform, unlocking a new cross-border payment channel for Nigerians.
Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payments and digital wallet service, provides users with a secure and private way to pay on their iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macbooks.
For years, Nigerians have been locked out of many international payment platforms. For instance, PayPal forbade Nigerians from receiving money using its platform until its partnership with Flutterwave. But things are changing. The evolution of fintech is dismantling the status quo with Nigerian payment startups partnering with their overseas counterparts to close existing international payment gaps.
PayPal with Flutterwave, Apple Pay with Paystack….this is just the beginning as nothing has touched Oriendu Market in Ovim, Abia State; it is still all cash every Orie day!
Paystack said the Apple Pay integration is “the fastest, secure way for Nigerian businesses to accept international payments.”
Read the full details here.
Paystack Integrates Apple Pay for Nigerian Businesses
Nigerian fintech startup, Paystack which has been acquired by US-based Stripe, has announced that it is launching Pay with Apple Pay on its platform, unlocking a new cross-border payment channel for Nigerians.
Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payments and digital wallet service, provides users with a secure and private way to pay on their iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macbooks.
For years, Nigerians have been locked out of many international payment platforms. For instance, PayPal forbade Nigerians from receiving money using its platform until its partnership with Flutterwave. But things are changing. The evolution of fintech is dismantling the status quo with Nigerian payment startups partnering with their overseas counterparts to close existing international payment gaps.
Paystack said the Apple Pay integration is “the fastest, secure way for Nigerian businesses to accept international payments.”
In the product announcement report, TechCrunch’ Tage Ekene-Okafor analyzed how Paystack/Apple Pay partnership is different from that of PayPal and Flutterwave, and why the deal beams bright future for Paystack. Read below:
Despite having a presence in almost every continent since 2014, Apple Pay only made its way into Africa this March through South Africa.
While the launch in South Africa showed Apple’s keen interest in increasing its penetration in sub-Saharan Africa, the tech giant didn’t say if it would expand to other countries like Nigeria and Kenya. Like South Africa, these countries have also seen the adoption of digital payments significantly increase these past few years.
However, instead of waiting for Apple’s next move, Paystack has taken the initiative to integrate the payment service on its platform.
The company is now the first payment gateway in Nigeria to support Apple Pay. Doing so gives Nigerian businesses access to millions of Apple Pay users in the more than 60 countries where the payments service is active.
Here’s how it works: A customer with Apple Pay enabled will see the option to checkout using Pay with Apple Pay when they tap to buy from a Paystack merchant. Using Touch ID or Face ID, they can then go ahead and pay.
Pay with Apple Pay is available to Nigeria-based businesses that use Paystack. They can accept payments made through any of the Paystack-hosted Commerce tools — Paystack Storefronts or Invoices — and via multiple payment channels including cards, mobile money, USSD, QR codes and EFT.
Over the past few years, Paystack merchants have accepted international payments from customers following the integration with global commerce platforms Wix and Shopify.
Khadijah Abu, the head of product expansion at Paystack, told TechCrunch that the integration with Apple Pay is the platform’s first global payment channel integration.
“We’re the first payment platform to support this channel in Nigeria, and we intend to integrate more global payment channels in the future to help connect Paystack merchants to the global economy,” she said. “We’ve integrated with Apple Pay because we want to give our merchants and their customers more payment choices. Customers also love Apple Pay, the conversions are great and our merchants can now reach an even larger audience.”
Paystack integration with Apple Pay is similar to what Flutterwave, another big-name African payments platform, did with PayPal back in March. In earlier report, TechCrunch had referenced how PayPal and Flutterwave would coexist if PayPal decided to expand to Nigeria and other African countries where Flutterwave offers the integration.
While the same applies to Paystack and Apple Pay, the playing ground is quite different. In Nigeria, Android is king in the mobile operating system market, where the OS commands a more than 87% share, compared to 7.75% for Apple’s iOS. Little wonder why the iPhone maker isn’t too keen on expanding Apple Pay into Nigeria (in South Africa, iOS has a 14.89% market share).
This statistic might be behind Paystack’s optimism that its integration with Apple Pay will not be affected should Apple decide to extend the payment service in Nigeria. If anything, the company is looking to eat into Apple Pay’s market by replicating the integration for businesses in South Africa and Ghana.
“We’re seeing impressive growth in South Africa, with thousands of new businesses of all sizes joining us every month,” Abu said regarding Paystack’s progress in the country. “Apple Pay is super convenient and secure, and while we’re beginning with Nigeria, we aim to bring this payment channel to all our markets.”
Giving her opinion on how this would impact e-commerce in Nigeria, Abu said that in addition to merchants being able to sell to an international audience, the success rates of international transactions on the platform would improve significantly.
“There’s an existing eagerness to connect with the global market. This new payment channel makes it significantly easier to access and sell to that market.”
11 Smart Devices That Will Ease Your Life
It’s amazing how many things modern technologies have brought to other lives. From entertainment services, like TonBet or Netflix, to education platforms, like Coursera. But with modern technologies new gadgets appear. These are the most useful devices that have just been released but have already changed our lives.
Smart Light Bulb
Now it’s time for the light bulbs to get smarter. With this device, you can not just turn on the light, it allows you to control the brightness and temperature of the light in the room. A huge number of light circuits can be configured with a smartphone – the bulb is connected via Wi-Fi. Advanced models have voice control, so you can simply say, “Turn on my light!” – and not have to get up off the couch.
Smart Socket
If you have a smart bulb, you also need a smart socket. This device, too, connects via Wi-Fi and is controlled via an app on your phone. Depending on the model, with a smart outlet you can control power and energy consumption, it has an on/off setting, automatically turns off in bad weather, supports voice messages, and is dust and moisture-proof.
Gyroscope Aerial Mouse
It sounds like science fiction, but in fact it’s a remote control for your TV. You can’t do without it if you have the latest smart TV with a thousand functions. The mouse can transmit hand movements to the TV cursor, just like a game console joystick. By the way, it also comes in handy as a remote control for gaming: the device can be connected to the TV, game console, or computer.
Wireless Charger
This device is a great choice for those who have a lot of gadgets and need to charge them all. Smartphone, smartwatch, wireless headphones, audio headset – with this device, you can charge everything at once without wires.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
It’s time to finally say goodbye to the broom. Even the most budget-friendly version of the robot vacuum cleaner can clean most types of surfaces in the house. With the help of the gadget, you can schedule cleaning for any time and control it with your smartphone. The robot can even return to the recharging station on its own if the battery runs out.
Smart Lock
It’s a great gadget that will greatly simplify your life. This smart lock is installed on top of the usual one. This lock is controlled by a mobile device. Now you do not forget about whether you have closed the door or not. What’s more, another important function of this device is that you will immediately receive a notification on your phone in case of unauthorized opening of the door.
This lock can be installed on any door (house, shed, garage), it can also be installed on the barrier.
Compact Surveillance Cameras
Compact size, discreet surveillance, built-in smoke and gas detectors. Modern surveillance cameras are a full-fledged assistant who stays in charge of the house when the owner is away. With such a camera, you can remotely monitor what is happening in the apartment. The question of whether you forgot to turn off the iron or gas is now closed forever. You won’t forget or forget, while the “smart eye” gadget captures what is happening with FullHD resolution, gives unimaginable viewing angles and detail, recognizes faces, and – in case of the slightest alarm – reports the signal to your smartphone. It’s amazing how people used to live without such a thing.
Smart Kettle
Boil water for your kettle while still on your way home by pressing a button on your smartphone! This kettle is controlled by an app in your phone. The product has already managed to become one of the most purchased among modern people. Eh, it’s a pity that it doesn’t pour the tea itself and bring it to bed.
Window Sensors
The primary purpose of this system is to protect your home, but these sensors can also perform other functions. For example, if you link them to a smart home system, they can turn off the air conditioner when you open a window, they can turn on the lights when you come home. A thing that doesn’t burn out, but it’s useful.
Smart Tracker
Finally, the gadget that everyone has been waiting for, who wants to “call” a lost item to find it as soon as possible. This “beacon” will help track everything from your car to your baby or cat, not to mention your keys, wallet, passport, and so on. Thanks to the reminder function, you’ll never arrive at the airport without your documents.
Smart Button
This small button can be placed anywhere you need it. It can be used to start/continue the operation of an appliance, one or more at once. The button can also be used as an emergency call. If the child can’t reach the switch, if you need to turn on the air conditioner in the office, turn off the light before going to sleep, call someone in another room without shouting at the whole house. The button we’ve all been waiting for is here.
Combating entrepreneurial stereotypes through education
The popular stereotype of entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs or Elon Musk is of heroic individuals battling alone against the odds. These stereotypes are strongly embedded, but they are limiting, incorrectly framing entrepreneurship as attainable only through unique talent and exceptional skill. Recently published research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, highlight how introducing questions of identity into entrepreneurial education can help break down these limitations and yield greater diversity in the field.
“Our research sheds light on the ongoing challenges associated with the prevailing stereotypes in entrepreneurship and its education. Addressing this issue is important for students and educators alike – to raise awareness of how easy it is to overemphasise the common examples of ‘Steve Jobs’ or ‘Elon Musk’, and how restricting these examples can be” explains Chalmers researcher Karen Williams-Middleton, who recently published the scientific article ‘The relatable entrepreneur: Combating stereotypes in entrepreneurship education’ in the scientific journal Industry and Higher Education, together with Stephanie E Raible at the University of Delaware.
“Stereotypes are prominent in entrepreneurship – and therefore entrepreneurial education – and brought into the classroom by both students and educators. They can be a significant limiting factor towards imagining oneself ‘becoming entrepreneurial’. Entrepreneurship educators should therefore aim to provide more and varied examples of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial individuals. Key to this is training students how to practice ‘identity management’ – understanding and managing other identities they might aspire to, to learn how to ‘filter’ various social media and environmental influences for themselves,” says Karen Williams-Middleton.
Entrepreneurship is often stereotyped as attainable only through exceptional skill and talent, and often characterised exclusively by ostensibly ‘masculine’ qualities. The article raises discussion of stereotyping in entrepreneurship education, by using the stories of two current female entrepreneurs who themselves struggle with the issue. The two candidates were selected for the mixture of similarities and differences they shared, and because, importantly, both had only recently entered into entrepreneurship. Some of the factors investigated included whether they had co-founders, if they had children, if they received financial support from their spouse, and whether they themselves actually identified as entrepreneurs, or ‘small business owners’.
“The stories’ similarities and differences mirror the different perspectives and reactions to social media and other environmental inputs that students may experience themselves, thereby opening up for reflection and discussion. Identity management as an important tool in entrepreneurship pedagogy has previously received only limited research attention,” says Karen Williams-Middleton.
She continues, “the important thing is to be aware of stereotype use; and then to address it. Try to use a spectrum of examples and engage students in discussion about stereotypes and perceptions. It is surprising how easy and quickly we all fall into different stereotypical perspectives. We should – and do – know better, but it still happens, perhaps because of the lack of familiarity beyond the big names that are reified constantly in the media.”
The paper “The relatable entrepreneur: Combating stereotypes in entrepreneurship education” in scientific journal Industry and Higher Education is written by Stephanie E Raible, University of Delaware and Karen Williams-Middleton, Chalmers University of Technology.