National Bank bets big on mobile banking services to spur growth

Nairobi, October 19^th 2017:- National Bank is revamping its mobile banking services as it seeks to expand its retail banking business, the Bank’s Managing Director Wilfred Musau has said.  

Effectively, the Bank has upgraded its mobile banking capabilities to include new service offerings backed by enhanced safety. 

The app, NatMobile, now allows users to conveniently access an array of services via their mobile phones as it opens new opportunities for the bank to grow new revenue streams by deepening its digital banking offerings.

“Our customers want efficient and convenient ways to bank at their fingertips. With this app, we can more easily offer our customers the banking products and services they need to help them reach their financial goals and at the same time offers the Bank the opportunity to grow revenue streams," National Bank Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Wilfred Musau said.

The new mobile banking platform can be accessed through the Bank’s USSD code *625# or the mobile app. All transactions are authenticated by an OTP (One Time Pin) validation through customers’ registered phone numbers.

The services available on the new NatMobile includes account to account & account to mobile transfers, Mvisa, Pesalink, forex rate information, statement requests and applications for cheque books and cards. Other services available are school fees payments, Credit Card statements, NHIF contributions, and Kenya power utility payments.

The bank is also working to expand its mobile banking offering to include the mobile lending service to enable customers’ access financial facilities easily. It also provides additional widgets like Currency converter and loan calculator.

Part of digital transformation

The move to revamp the mobile banking offerings is part of the Bank’s digital transformation agenda which is expected to help the Bank leverage on technology to improve customer experience via self-services, improve efficiency in processing customer transactions, control cost, manage operational and market risk as well as adopt best practices in organizational performance.

“National Bank continues to embrace innovation while driving a digital bank agenda as a way of increasing efficiency in service delivery and driving financial inclusion. Our goal is to become the go-to digital bank and we are therefore excited over our unique mobile banking solutions, which offer versatility to our customers,” he said.

Over half of the Bank’s customers have already registered to use the NatMobile Banking platform and do an average of 6000 transactions per day.

I&M Bank Allocates Sh300m for Social Investment This Year

October 31, 2016: I&M Bank has set aside Sh300 million for investment in project that empower members of the community in which it operates, the Bank’s Executive Director Mr. Sarit S. Raja Shah has said. 

Sarit Shah -Executive Director I&M Bank

Speaking during the launch of a two day free medical camp at St Martins Kibagare Primary School in Loresho, over the weekend, Mr. Shah said the Bank was reaching out to the under-privileged population in three social pillars of health, education and environment.

“Each year, I&M Bank sets aside 2% of its pre-tax profits which is kept under a fund to support various social initiatives in the areas of health, education and environment,” Mr. Shah said.

Mr. Shah noted that, in addition to the health initiative, the bank was constructing St. Ann’s Suresh Raja Shah Girls Secondary School, Kairi, at a cost of Sh200 million which is expected to be completed next year.  The bank also set aside Sh4.5 million and Sh3.5 for environment and health initiatives respectively.

“We have broken ground for the school project and the construction is going on,” Mr. Shah said. “We are also actively involved in the conservation of Karura Forest where our staff plant trees and clean Karura River every year.”

The bank has recorded growth in pre-tax profits over the past four years.  In 2015, the Group’s profit before tax reached Sh8.6 billion, Sh7, 480,487 in the years 2014, Sh5, 987,131 in the year 2013, and Sh5, 301,608 in the year 2012.

Tigo Pesa returns TZS 3 Billion to customers as first quarterly payment !

The first mobile money service in the world to pay profit to its users

 Tigo announced today the first of its regular quarterly payments worth 3bn/- (US $ 1.8 million) to Tigo Pesa users.  

This payment comes three months after the company paid a staggering profit of TZS 14.25 billion (US $ 8.64 million) accumulated in the Tigo Pesa Trust Account to become the first mobile money service in the world to pay profit to its users. Tigo Pesa has a subscriber base of 3.6 million customers.

(Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Gutierrez)

Tigo General Manager Diego Gutierrez said “This second round of profit disbursement shows the company’s continued commitment to benefit and improve the lives of Tanzanians. The payment goes to all Tigo Pesa users including super agents, retail agents and individual users of the service.”

“The first payment was bigger due to the fact that the profit had been accumulated over a period of three and a half years. This second payment is the profit accumulated from funds held in trust in commercial banks for three months in the quarter July to September 2014,” the General Manager said.

Mr Gutierrez explained that, as before, the average return to a customer will vary based on their average daily balance in their Tigo Pesa e-wallet. This applies to super-agents, retail agents and individual customers. 

The next installment for the quarter of October to December 2014 will be paid out in February 2015.  

I wonder if Safaricom will take a cue from its next door neighbor !

General Electric bags two prestigious awards at coveted Africa Investor (Ai) Investment and Business Leader Awards 2014

•            GE Africa awarded Green Investment Initiative of the Year

•          GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt awarded Global Investment Personality of the Year

•          The Ai Investment and Business Leader Awards reward exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across Africa.

 WASHINGTON, October 21, 2014/ -- General Electric Company (GE: NYSE)picked up two awards at this year’s Africa Investor (Ai) Investment and Business Leader Awards. GE Africa was awarded Green Investment Initiative of the Year for the Power Africa initiative. In addition, GE’s global Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt was awarded Global Investment Personality of the Year. These awards are evidence of GE’s belief in the vast investment opportunities on the continent and the company’s commitment to the sustainable development of Africa. 

While congratulating the awardees, Hubert Danso, CEO and Vice Chairman of Africa investor, said he was pleased that with the awards Africa Investor is able to showcase African investment and business success stories. “We cannot emphasize enough the importance of the role these institutions play in improving the perception of Africa as an investment destination and we commend their contribution and commitment to this effort,” said Danso

GE Africa scooped the prestigious award in the Green Investment Initiative of the Year category. Some of the criteria used by the judges were evidence of efforts to support the sustainable growth of local markets as well as consistent involvement and commitment to financial transactions in Africa. The initiative that distinguished GE in this category was its Off-Grid Energy Challenge launched in 2013 in partnership with the US Africa Development Foundation (USADF) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This three-year challenge is part of Power Africa, President Obama’s initiative to increase access to reliable, affordable, cleaner and more sustainable power in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Power Africa is also helping ensure responsible, transparent and effective management of energy resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.  In its first year, 6 winners were drawn from Kenya and Nigeria whilst in 2014, 22 winners were drawn from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Liberia. The winners all received $100,000 each, towards implementing or scaling up their renewable energy projects.

President and CEO for GE Africa, Jay Ireland emphasized that GE is in Africa for the long run and will continue working with various stakeholders in government and the private sector. He said, “GE is committed to continue partnering with Africa by broadening the innovation play, localizing our technological solutions and also investing in skills development. The award therefore is a clear testament that GE’s partnership based strategy for Africa is adding value to our stakeholders.”

Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt was also awarded Global Investment Personality of the Year during the ceremony. At the recent Africa Heads of State summit in Washington, GE announced plans to invest $2 billion in Africa by 2018 to boost infrastructure, worker skills and access to energy. Some of GE’s key projects across Africa are MOU signings with the governments of Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya to develop infrastructure projects including sustainable energy solutions, rail transportation, quality healthcare, training and capacity building.

These prestigious Ai Awards are the longest standing international investment awards that reward exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across Africa, and recognize the institutions and individuals improving the continent’s investment climate.

Energy sector is key to powering prosperity in sub-Saharan Africa - Report

 IEA World Energy Outlook Special Report finds that action in the energy sector could unleash an extra decade of growth

LONDON, United-Kingdom, October 13, 2014/ -- Increasing access to modern forms of energy is crucial to unlocking faster economic and social development in sub Saharan Africa, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Africa Energy Outlook a Special Report in the 2014 World Energy Outlook series. More than 620 million people in the region (two-thirds of the population) live without electricity, and nearly 730 million people rely on dangerous, inefficient forms of cooking. The use of solid biomass (mainly fuelwood and charcoal) outweighs that of all other fuels combined, and average electricity consumption per capita is not enough to power a single 50-watt light bulb continuously.

A better functioning energy sector is vital to ensuring that the citizens of sub-Saharan Africa can fulfil their aspirations,” said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. “The energy sector is acting as a brake on development, but this can be overcome and the benefits of success are huge.”

In the IEA’s first comprehensive analysis of sub-Saharan Africa, it finds that the region’s energy resources are more than sufficient to meet the needs of its population, but that they are largely under-developed. The region accounted for almost 30% of global oil and gas discoveries made over the last five years, and it is already home to several major energy producers, including Nigeria, South Africa and Angola. It is also endowed with huge renewable energy resources, including excellent and widespread solar and hydro potential, as well as wind and geothermal.

The report finds that investment in sub-Saharan energy supply has been growing, but that two-thirds of the total since 2000 has been aimed at developing resources for export. Grid-based power generation capacity continues to fall very far short of what is needed, and half of it is located in just one country (South Africa). Insufficient and unreliable supply has resulted in large-scale ownership of costly back up generators. In the report’s central scenario, the sub-Saharan economy quadruples in size by 2040, the population nearly doubles (to over 1.75 billion) and energy demand grows by around 80%. Power generation capacity also quadruples: renewables grow strongly to account for nearly 45% of total sub-Saharan capacity, varying in scale from large hydropower dams to smaller mini- and off-grid solutions, while there is a greater use of natural gas in gas-producing countries.

Natural gas production reaches 230 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2040, led by Nigeria (which continues to be the largest producer), and increasing output from Mozambique, Tanzania and Angola. LNG exports onto the global market triple to around 95 bcm. Oil production exceeds 6 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2020 before falling back to 5.3 mb/d in 2040. Nigeria and Angola continue to be the largest oil producers by far, but with a host of other producers supplying smaller volumes. Sub-Saharan demand for oil products doubles to 4 mb/d in 2040, squeezing the region’s net contribution to the global oil balance. Coal supply grows by 50%, and continues to be focused on South Africa, but it is joined increasingly by Mozambique and others.

The capacity and efficiency of the sub-Saharan energy system increases, but so do the demands placed upon it, and many of the existing energy challenges are only partly overcome. In 2040, energy consumption per capita remains very low, and the widespread use of fuelwood and charcoal persists. The outlook for providing access to electricity is bittersweet: nearly one billion people gain access to electricity by 2040 but, because of rapid population growth, more than half a billion people remain without it. Sub-Saharan Africa also stands on the front line when it comes to the impacts of climate change, even though it continues to make only a small contribution to global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

“Economic and social development in sub-Saharan Africa hinges critically on fixing the energy sector,” said IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol. “The payoff can be huge; with each additional dollar invested in the power sector boosting the overall economy by $15.”
In an “African Century Case”, the IEA report shows that three actions could boost the sub-Saharan economy by a further 30% in 2040, and deliver an extra decade’s worth of growth in per-capita incomes by 2040. These actions are:

•         An additional $450 billion in power sector investment, reducing power outages by half and achieving universal electricity access in urban areas.

•         Deeper regional co-operation and integration, facilitating new large-scale generation and transmission projects and enabling a further expansion in cross-border trade.

•         Better management of energy resources and revenues, adopting robust and transparent processes that allow for more effective use of oil and gas revenues.

As well as boosting economic growth, these actions bring electricity to an additional 230 million people by 2040. They result in more oil and gas projects going ahead and a higher share of the resulting government revenues being reinvested in key infrastructure. More regional electricity supply and transmission projects also advance, helping to keep down the average cost of supply. But the report warns that these actions must be accompanied by broad governance reforms if they are to put sub Saharan Africa on a more rapid path to a modern, integrated energy system for all.

Able Wireless: Why Government(Communications Authority)Should Enable Rather Than Disable Local Entrepreneurship !

Its hardly two months since the Government re branded the statutory regulatory body  Communications Commission of Kenya to the Communications Authority of Kenya. The move was hailed as "a new dawn" for in the ICT sector in Kenya. At the Launch His Excellency the President stated and i quote  “In establishing an independent regulator, we gather to mark a new beginning for the Information and Communications Technology sector and indeed for the whole Nation”As with any other statutory body i am a bit apprehensive and pessimistic as to whether Kenyans and foreign investors are experiencing a new dawn with regards to service delivery.Case in point :The Able Wireless Company.

A lot of verbal pep talk has been made about vision 2030, empowering the youth, making it ideal for local investors to get an enabling environment with little legal impediments ...etc.But time and again you read of local start ups by vibrant young men being hounded and frustrated left right center in Government  offices trying to get regulatory approvals and that is repeated time and again and you wonder is it all talk and little or no action with our systems?Do we ever take audit of what our leaders say and what happens in  practice shortly thereafter?

 Speaking of which note the tone of frustration and economic sabotage that has faced Able Wireless( a company founded by a young Kenyan entrepreneur) in their quest to roll out their services due to regulatory impediments ...and i quote from their blog

But in Kenya, despite the push to help enable youth driven businesses, The Regulatory atmosphere has failed to adapt. Come August 2nd 2014, we will have spent a year seeking Regulatory Approval to start operating in Kenya. This Regulatory overhead means that every month, we have to meet financial commitments to our suppliers per contractual agreements without having earned a single shilling. August 1st marks the 2nd time The Regulator will have delayed our launch owing to their own internal processes. Despite us being gazetted on March 21st 2014, we only know that the process is still ongoing, and approval is due soon, but this is proving to be a protracted endeavor. Two months ago, it seemed impossible that we would be forced to wait longer than August. We were wrong.

Able Wireless TopBox

Able Wireless is a Company that seeks to revolutionize content delivery and connectivity in the local market by streaming Video On Demand (VOD) content and other services at an all time low fee of Kshs 500 per month(See the video interview  explaining the service)The founder is a pioneer blogger and techie  Kahenya Kamunyu a brilliant chap and a friend. Therefore when i read his blog post on 31 July, 2014 detailing the  bottlenecks he is facing as he tries to realize his venture and create value for Kenyans. I had to throw in my support and highlight that its time we changed our modus operandi if we expect to improve the collective livelihoods of fellow Kenyans.

 
Its imperative to note that often it may not be the policy of a Government body to stifle investment but individually Government staff have a responsibility to be thrifty and hardworking in their duties and service delivery.Corruption ,bureaucracy ,tribalism and other malignant  practices are a shot at ones own foot;self defeatist at best.Once an investor meets the required statutory requirements thresh-hold , the Licenses  should be issued promptly.To keep people visiting your offices as if that is their daily occupation is ethically, economically and morally unsound.

I hope someone from the "newly" re branded Communications Authority of Kenya picks up on this issue and grant s Able Wireless the opportunity to start providing services  to Kenya and enable us to have a cheaper local alternative to the foreign based content providers that  have dominated the entertainment industry in Kenya for a considerable period.

To Kahenya Kamunyu....don't let that stop you soldier on, sky is the limit!

I&M Bank Lists New Shares at the Bourse

Nairobi: June 25^th 2013: I&M Holdings has officially listed its new shares at the Nairobi Securities Exchange after a successful conclusion of the merger deal between I&M Bank with investment company, City Trust through a share swap.

The ceremony was presided over by Central Bank of Kenya Deputy Governor Dr. Haron.

Speaking at the ceremony to mark the commencement of the trading, the Company Chairman Daniel Ndonye said the merger process now opens up to the Group a myriad of opportunities as it beats a new growth path.

“The success of I&M Bank’s merger with City Trust has opened a new chapter in the growth and expansion of our business in the region which comes as good news to our shareholders. It is now much easier for the shareholders of I&M Bank to trade in their shares at the Nairobi Securities Exchange and at the same time unlock the value of shares held by City Trust investors thus boosting the liquidity of these shares,” said Mr. Ndonye.

“The listing of the Bank also makes it easier for Kenyans to invest in this home-grown institution and share in its success,” he added.

The merger which concluded early June resulted in set up of a holding company, I&M Holdings Limited, in a transaction that enabled I&M Bank’s shareholders to exchange their shares for those of City Trust in a reverse takeover.

“We are excited about this transaction which has enabled the shareholders of the Bank to list on the NSE thus providing liquidity for our institutional, corporate and individual shareholders. The listing also provides us with the platform to raise additional capital in the future to facilitate the achievement of our long term growth and expansion strategy and to improve on our capacities to successfully manage the growth we have achieved in the last few years,” said I&M Bank’s Executive Director Sarit Raja-shah

Dr. Sirima noted that the I&M Bank transaction had been a learning curve for the regulator, who is in the process of undertaking changes in law to allow for the set-up of non-operating holding companies for banks.

“The new law is still in draft form, so this transaction has given the Central Bank of Kenya a good opportunity to test the law and note what may need to be changed and/or enhanced,” said Dr. Sirima.

Originally, City Trust Limited was listed on the alternative investment market segment of the NSE. Mr. Eddy Njoroge the Chairman of Nairobi Securities Exchange noted that,” This is truly a monumental occasion as it is the first reverse takeover that has been witnessed in our capital markets, where a private company’s shareholders exchange their shares for those of a public company , making the non-listed company a publicly-traded one. It is also a unique listing as I&M Holdings has used the reverse takeover of City Trust which was listed on AIMS to migrate the new firm to MIMS. The NSE emphatically congratulates I&M Holdings for successfully listing through this avenue and urges other organizations to take up this opportunity to list on the bourse as it is a cost effective avenue for listed and non-listed entities to raise funds.”

Mr Mathur, the Chief Executive said that the bank’s main focus is now turned on customer service and product innovation to enhance on it’s competitive edge. 

“The new growth path we have taken will give our network capacity to offer quality and efficient service to our customers as well as providing more innovative technology-driven products to our clients,” said Mr. Mathur.

As the new shares begin trading, the bank is making progress in its efforts to expand into the regional markets.

Central Bank of Kenya Deputy Governor Dr. Haron Sirima rings the bill to mark the beginning of trading in I&M Holding share after a successful conclusion of the merger deal between I&M Bank with investment company, City Trust  Limited through a share swap. Looking on is I&M Holdings Limited Group Chairman Daniel Ndonye  (immediate left), NSE Chief Executive officer, Peter Mwangi (second left), NSE Chairman Eddy Njoroge (immediate right), Dyer & Blair Chairman Jimna Mbaru (second right) and I&M Bank Chief Executive Office Arun Mathur  (far right), among other Directors of the Bank.  

“Our regional expansion drive remains a key focus for us for the better part of the remainder of 2013 and 2014 with feasibility studies going on for possible acquisitions or fresh licenses in Uganda, South Sudan and Zambia. In our recent visits to Tanzania and Rwanda we have witnessed growing enthusiasm towards I&M Bank’s regional platform renewing our belief that our regional agenda will meet our objectives and drive the development of the financial system in the region,” said Mr. Mathur.  

New Directors

The listing will see the reconstitution of the Board of Directors and a new shareholding structure of I&M Holdings. The new board led by Mr Daniel Ndonye as Chairman will include Mr. SBR Shah, Mr. Michael Karanja, Mr. Sarit Raja Shah, Mr. Madabhushi Soundararajan, Ms. Christian Gabener and Mr. Guedi Ainache.

Ziyungi Limited becomes the largest shareholder with 18.74% followed by Minard Holdings Limited with 17.27% and Tecoma Limited with 16.66%. Others include Biashara Securities (13.92%), DEG (6.25%), Proparco (4.43%), Prime Securities (3.65%), Bhagwanji Raja Foundation (2.41%), I&M ESOP Trust (0.35%), and the Public (16.32%). 

For avid Kenyan investors please take note that the shares started trading on the Nairobi stock exchange at the value of Kenya Shillings 90 and are currently trading at Kshs 103 as at writing of this post.Now that's a hot cake!!!!!

British American IPO(Kenya) Starts Today

The British American Investment Company limited will be going to the market today (Tuesday July 12th 2011) to raise Ksh5.58 billion through issuance of 650 million new ordinary shares at sh9 (nine) per share.

Addressing members of the Association of Kenya Insurers British American Investment Company Chairman Nicholas Ashford- Hodges said the fund raised would be used to boost the company’s operations in Kenya and to expand to the regional markets.

“This IPO will give British-American an opportunity to increase the scope of its operations and widen its footprint. Having recently opened operations in Uganda, the company’s strategic intent is to spread its wings even further to the rest of Eastern Africa and the next step will be to open offices in Tanzania, Rwanda and Southern Sudan,” said Mr Ashford- Hodges.

The British American Investment Company Limited Group Managing Director Benson Wairegi said that in addition to regional expansion, the company is also keen to take advantage of emerging opportunities through innovative products and distribution channels such as microinsurance and bancassurance.


“We seek to fundamentally redefine the scale and scope of the insurance sector in Kenya and the wider region. We will tap the economic potential nascent in the newly created counties by building on our core distribution strengths, in particular our sales force presently one thousand strong and intended to be expanded considerably further. Our established model of scale, reach and multi-layered selling will also be extended to the retail market and SMEs in the wider geographical region,” said Wairegi.



Mr. Wairegi continued: “We believe the offer price of Ksh9 is affordable and will appeal to many investors. Whilst the Group is already over 60% owned by Kenyan investors, this IPO will reinforce its position as a truly Kenyan financial institution. I therefore invite you to join us as a shareholder of this great company.”


The offer which will be officially launch by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga today at the Norfolk Hotel closes on August 5th.


The offer will be opened to the east African retail investors for whom 30% of the shares have been allocated. Foreign investors have also been allocated 30% of the shares with 37% reserved for institutional investors. The remaining 3% has been reserved for Employee, Agents and Individual Life Policy Holders.

How To Make Money Online From Home With Twitter

With the global recession it really doesn't hurt if one can make some extra money online at home or while on the go so long as you are connected to the Internet. However few people have the skills or the technical know-how to make money online but it can be really simple. Today i focus on Twitter. Twitter is a social media whereby the users can send short online messages to their friends and twitter is huge-much huge than facebook at the moment. So if you don't have a twitter account please sign up @Twitter.

After signing up please look up for services that sponsor you to post short URLs to your twitter account and each time a person clicks on the link you earn a CPC(a cost per click) pre-defined amount that can later on be credited to your account or paid to you via PayPal so long as you reach the minimum thresh hold.To increase your earnings and possibility of people clicking on your ads get more people to follow you by posting interesting tweets.And as a rule DO NOT SPAM your twitter followers.

So which advertising platforms can you try out; i recommend the following, just click on the banners and you are off to a good start:

1. Revtwt
   
2. SponsoredTweets
   
   
   
3. (List to continue...)
   
   
   This information is particularly useful for African Twitter followers and users, you can make money online and get well paid for it.It is not a must you adorn a suit to make money in this day and age you just have to work smart not just hard!And if you have a profession then multi task-i do and the small money i get pays my bills and runs the house leaving me to invest in other areas!Harness the power of the Internet ,twitter is just one platform!

Bloggers Get paid for your posts:Paying Post!

Traditional advertising is increasingly becoming unpopurlar as more and more people are being bombarded by billboards , TV Adverts, online pop up, text link,visual ,audio and other forms of advertisement.I for one am very particular when vising websites and hardly click through advertisements as essentially i believe i may be reffered to a product that i dont need or dont require and be requested to pay for it. It is said An average American adult is bombarded with more than 4,000 branding messages each and every day especially when they go online.The question is of the 4,000 how many will they respond to ?the reality is that almost none!

People are becoming advertisement resistant however a developing trend is to rely on social media and or blog reviews... etc from trusted friends who may have tried a product and who are able to describe in their own words their experience with certain products or services.That has given rise to social media marketing and many companies are towing the line to advertise through social websites, blogs etc.These has created a market that needs to be rapidly exploited.Thats where bloggers come in! Experienced bloggers and even newbies no matter their niche of writting can easily make money of their blog by writing clearly, coincisively and persuasively on a product and be honest about it!This is possible if they join networking websites such as paying post blog advertising network!

(heres a screenshot of the blog)

Payingpost is a worthwhile website that has come to revolutionize the way one can advertise on blogs. For a certainty it is beyond dispute that online advertising has become more lucrative and effective than traditional advertising.But how to convince the consumer is the enigma of many advertising websites!Payingpost is blazing the trail in these regards. The site encourages bloggers to take up on opportunities that are truly relevant to them and write reviews that are honest and captivating.For payingpost bloggers and affiliates its not just about making money, reserving or writting posts - its about value- added service and well researched posts.Paying post hence becomes the ultimate link of choice for advertisers, consumers , bloggers, marketeers etc.


I have used blogvertise, payperpost etc but believe Payingpost is unrivalled in its user freindly nature consider the following if you are a newbie blogger and desire to get paid while you blog...the payingpost blog has a quick start guide for new bloggers at www.payingpost.com/blog/quick-start-guide-blogging-for-money/ .The article is quite informative.If you have tried different platforms to monetize your blog you will agree with me that payingpost gives its users maximum help possible to fulfill their task and to ensure that the blog does not loose its page rank! However payments are only done via paypal ....that is just the requirement that may hinder some bloggers but if you have a paypal email address then its all systems go! And paying post will help you to write good post, reviews and even some SEO optimization tips may come your way! So dont hesitate join up now!

British Banks Stock Crises: Jitters World Stock Markets

Watching CNBC yesterday i was just amazed at how fragile the world economy is as i witnessed the effects of the British Banks Stock crises and its rippling effect to other world stock markets.Yesterday morning British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Lord Chancellor Alastair Darling announced a $ 88 billion bail out plan to marshal the credit crises that was affecting the British banking sector.

I am not an expert on these things i would rather leave that to my friend Bankelele but what amazed me is how the other world stock markets were being immediately affected due to the financial crunch, for example:

• The Tokyo Stock exchange closed at 9.38 % down
• Russia,Indonesia,Ukraine suspended trading on its stock exchange
  
• European markets suffered losses of up to eight per cent, including a 5.18 per cent fall on the FTSE, followed quickly by falls on the New York Stock Exchange.
• In London, the FTSE 100 shed 5.18 per cent to finish at 4,366 while in Paris the CAC 40 fell 6.39 per cent and Frankfurt DAX was down 5.88 per cent. There were declines of 5.51 per cent on the Swiss Market Index, 5.20 per cent in Madrid, 5.71 per cent in Milan, 7.36 per cent in Brussels and 7.68 per cent in Amsterdam.

The State bailout plan is similar to the $700 billion fund to purchase defunct mortgage assets from troubled financial institutions proposed by the U.S. Treasury secretary, Henry Paulson Jr.The American Government had to recently step in and nationalize companies like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and American International Group(AIG), which were on the verge of collapse.

I wonder what the effect is for the Nairobi Stock Exchange....but im sure its not good especially for Companies such as Barclay's Bank of Kenya.Oops just seen Mr. Chris Mwebesa 's Nairobi NSE CEO' s statement indicating that trading at the NSE' s floors was suspended yesterday after the market almost lost 5% of its value.

CNBC LAUNCHES SERVICE IN AFRICA

On the 1st June 2007 the first 24 hour live international business channel in sub saharan Africa began broadcasting in Johanessburg, South Africa.Come the 21st of February 2008 CNBC Africa will begin airing from its Kenyan Bureau to local and DSTV subscribers through channel 47 .

Africa is rich in economic resources and has a robust and diverse financial market that needs to be tapped into.However unlike Russia,America,Australia,Britain,Japan, China and other leading economies there is no common pull or denominator to interlink dynamicaly the various economic facets and players of the Continent so as to benefit all the economic actors singurlarly and collectively.Information sharing and transfer is severely hindered due to the partitioned nature of the continent into its various regional trade blocks and individual country forums.Getting authoritative ,accurate and ready information about the different markets accross the continent has been a challenge.That is about to change drastically with the entry of CNBC Africa !

The CNBC media group has set itself as the worlds leading financial information portal reaching around 200 million households worldwide!According to Mr Zaffar Siddiqi Africans will for the first time be able to receive a truly global view of each business day as it unfolds.The group has launched Bureaus in Nairobi,Lagos,Abuja and capetown in Africa and will definately be opening more Bureaus.

The launch of the chanel in Africa and Kenya more particurlarly is a milestone in the region.The channel promises indepth analysis of the business environment in Kenya ,across the region and internationaly,real time financial and business news,commentary and programming among other positive facets.Kenyans will be able to see markets open and close accross the world thereby enhancing not only their local but international perspective of business on a global scale.The Kenya bureau chief will be Mr Richard Crompton who is set to lead a team of experienced and well trained local and international journalist in steering the local bureau to greater heights!Among the local familiar faces will be Terryanne Chebet former news anchor for KBC Channel 1.

Indeed excitement is rife amidst both the local and ointernational business community and investors as to the launch of the channel.The benefits will be definately immense and here at the Nairobian Perspective we bid CNBC Africa all the best in their endeavours to empower the African Business community and populace.Information is key in this information age!