Parsing the latest data on the startup fundraising market in Q2, TechCrunch has explored the global perspective, taken a closer look at fintech, asked how much dry powder VCs have and brought the latest from unicorn land. But we are...

Three startups from Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have been named winners of the first Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, and will each receive EUR250,000 (US$250,000) in grants, international visibility and long-term mentoring.

South African digital student accommodation platform DigsConnect has closed a pre-Series A round of funding to spearhead its international growth, with a focus on helping African students in the UK and US secure more affordable, convenient, and safe housing.

Toffene Kama has advised, launched, operated many startups, with experience telling him that funding was a major roadblock for entrepreneurs. So now he is helping to address that, as investment principal at Mercy Corps Ventures.

The founders of Ping Express US LLC, a Texan payments corporation with connections to the United Kingdom, were given a 27-month prison term for allegedly sending $160 million in proceeds of fraud to Nigeria through the business.

Applications have opened for South Africa’s Design Innovation Seed Fund (DISF), through which designers, inventors, entrepreneurs and product developers with pre-revenue innovations can apply for grant funding of up to ZAR800,000 (US$47,000).

Nigerian full-service fintech and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) infrastructure provider Bloc has announced its acquisition of Getwallets, the wallets-as-a-service provider that has now recently pivoted to become payments orchestration company Orchestrate.

SendSprint, a money transfer startup based in the U.K. but with operations in the U.S. and Nigeria, has been launched today with the unique selling point of a $5 flat fee for all transfers.

Zazuu, a London-based fintech building a marketplace for remittance companies, has announced a $2 million raise.

IFC, a global development organization, has announced an investment in Wave Mobile Money S.A. (Senegal) and Wave Côte d’Ivoire S.A., mobile money companies that are assisting with lowering pricing and extending services in the region.