????????‍????techcabal Daily – Signed, Sealed, Remitted

Behind the convenience of cross-border payments is a web of licences and partnerships, and sometimes buying that infrastructure is faster than building it from scratch.

What happened? Raenest, a Nigerian fintech that provides multi-currency accounts and international payment services, has acquired Remitise, a UK-based payments company registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The acquisition gives Raenest an existing regulatory foothold in the UK as it looks to strengthen its operations and expand its cross-border financial services.

Explain like I’m new here: Raenest already has an International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO) licence from Nigeria’s Central Bank, as well as money services and payment service registrations in Canada. Remitise adds a UK regulatory presence. This could allow Raenest to bring more of the UK side of its payment operations under its own control, rather than relying on external providers.

There is a catch: Remitise is registered as a small payment institution in the UK. Since it doesn’t operate a fully authorised payment service, its average monthly transaction volume is limited to €3 million ($3.3 million).

Raenest said it has processed over $3 billion in total payments since its inception in April 2022; the annualised figure comes to just over $54.5 million, using simple back-of-the-napkin maths.

Now, if that limit ever becomes a problem for Raenest, it could do two things: keep Remitise’s payment activity within the existing limit or pursue additional regulatory approval as its UK business grows. The fintech will still need banking and settlement partners to move funds between the UK and Nigeria.

South Africa wants more nuclear power, and its energy minister is practically inviting a lawsuit. 

“We are going to build nuclear [power plants] in this country. Take us to court,” Kgosientsho Ramokgopa declared on Tuesday. That’s one way to introduce an energy plan.

What’s happening? The government wants to procure 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power, with the first new reactor potentially online by 2036. It will publish its case later this month, allow 60 days for public comment, and seek formal approval before June 2027. Eskom, the South African government-owned utility company, has identified two sites in the Western and Eastern Cape.

Explain like I’m new here. South Africa already has a nuclear power station, Koeberg, but hasn’t built another in four decades. It wants reliable electricity alongside expanding wind and solar generation. However, nuclear procurement has a courtroom habit. In 2017, Judges overturned earlier plans, and Ramokgopa withdrew a 2.5GW proposal in 2024 after legal challenges.

Here’s the problem: The price tag, funding arrangements, and impact on electricity tariffs remain unknown. South Africa also lacks recent experience building nuclear reactors. Ramokgopa himself pointed to Eskom’s troubled Medupi and Kusile coal plants as examples of how not to execute a major project.

Zoom out: Better public consultation might help the government avoid another legal defeat. But clearing the courts is only the beginning. It still has to persuade funders, manage construction costs, and show consumers that nuclear power won’t become another expensive promise.

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest man, is having two very different conversations with investors. At home, they’re queuing to buy shares in his refinery. In London, his cement company has decided to call off the party.

What’s happening? On Tuesday, Dangote Cement abandoned plans for a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), Bloomberg reported, citing market conditions and strategic priorities. The company had been preparing to sell about $1 billion worth of shares, even hosting investors in London, the United Kingdom, in September. It hasn’t announced a new date.

Meanwhile, back home:Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Dangote’s refinery attracted $4.1 billion in share applications, nearly three times the $1.6 billion it sought in Africa’s largest IPO. Talk about contrasting fortunes.

Explain like I’m new here. These are two different transactions. Dangote Cement already trades on Nigeria’s stock exchange. Its proposed London listing would have allowed existing shareholders, including Dangote Industries, to sell part of their holdings to international investors. The cement company wouldn’t receive the proceeds.

However, the refinery offered new shares to fund its expansion, including plans to double production capacity.

Zoom out: This isn’t necessarily evidence that foreign investors have lost interest in Dangote Cement. The company withdrew its offering before the listing, and market conditions can affect what investors are willing to pay. One transaction would have helped existing shareholders cash out, while the other invites investors to finance future growth.

And while the refinery has attracted strong demand, applications aren’t the same as money raised. Its final share allocations are still pending.

Fibre cuts and the cost of building towers in remote areas can all leave gaps in terrestrial coverage. Satellite Internet offers one way around some of those problems, and now, mobile operators are looking to take that same idea and connect phones directly to satellites without needing a nearby tower.

What happened? Vodacom, a leading South African telecoms company, plans to launch a direct-to-cell satellite service in the country by the end of 2027. Its most likely partner is AST SpaceMobile, a US-based company building a satellite network designed to connect directly to ordinary smartphones. 

With satellite-to-phone, a compatible phone could connect to a satellite orbiting Earth, which would act like a mobile base station in space. It could extend coverage to places out of Vodacom’s terrestrial network reach.

Explain like I’m new here: Vodacom has worked with AST since 2020 and has tested the technology. In 2023, Vodafone and AST completed what they described as the first space-based 5G voice call using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22. However, Shameel Joosub, Vodacom’s chief executive officer, said the partners still need to conduct more detailed testing before launch. 

Vodacom is not the first to get here. In 2023, Lynk Global signed an agreement with Vodafone Ghana to extend satellite-to-phone coverage to its subscribers. In August, Airtel Africa and Starlink activated a commercial satellite-to-mobile service in the Democratic Republic of Congo, initially supporting text messages and light data services such as WhatsApp. MTN South Africa also tested satellite-to-phone technology with Lynk in 2025. 

There are limits: Satellite-to-phone is not a replacement for terrestrial networks, and early services may offer only intermittent coverage or basic messaging and data. Joosub has also said the service will not work with 2G and 3G phones. Vodacom and AST (or whichever partner Vodacom selects) will also have to work through the practicalities of launching and operating the service before it goes live. 

CRYPTO TRACKER

The World Wide Web3

Source:

Coin Name	Current Value	Day	Month
Bitcoin	$73,736	– 1.28%	– 12.04%
Ether	$2,066	– 2.70%	– 19.19%
Zcash	$1,014.8	– 12.47%	– 23.99%
Solana	$83.05	– 3.59%	– 26.10%

* Data as of 06.45 AM WAT, November 11, 2026.

Written by: Yemi Kareem and Emmanuel Nwosu

Edited by: Emmanuel Nwosu & Ganiu Oloruntade