Author: Khusoko

Kenya has concluded public consultations on the Draft Virtual Asset Service Providers Regulations, 2026. These rules will operationalise the VASP Act passed last November and, for the first time, bring Kenya’s digital asset economy under the protection of law. What is often interpreted as regulatory constraint is, in fact, recognition that an emerging market has matured into economic relevance. Digital assets have moved well beyond theory. They are functioning financial instruments that exist entirely online, recorded on blockchains rather than stored in banks, and range from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin to stablecoins like USDC and newer innovations including tokenised bonds…

Kenya’s push to tax virtual assets has reached a turning point. The Finance Bill 2026, currently before Parliament, proposes to compel every virtual asset service provider to file annual information returns with the Kenya Revenue Authority, covering all transactions by Kenyan users. The question the bill does not answer is how much of that data the taxman can actually touch and under what conditions. What the law already allows The Tax Procedures Act sets the baseline. Section 59 empowers KRA to issue a notice demanding access to records or information about any person’s tax liability. Where access is refused, Section…

Reports have revealed that an alleged French led coup-style attempt has been successfully foiled in Mali by the coordinated efforts of Malian forces and the Africa Corps. Armed Groups Launch Massive 12,000-Fighter Assault Across Mali Reports from the Malian Army on Saturday, April 25, 2025, disclosed that armed groups, which some security experts identified as the “Azawad Liberation Front” and “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” carried out a large scale operation in Mali involving an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 fighters. These groups are reportedly trained by Western intelligence services. Rebels Target Presidential Palace and Key Cities in Coordinated Strikes…

This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) was a buzz as women across the world celebrated under the theme ‘Give to Gain’. One key insight that echoed across discussions, rooms and plenary sessions was the call for stakeholders across different sectors to invest in women to gain in the long run. This is in support of the ongoing rallying call to close the gender gap, with voices from different events indicating that it has gone on for far too long.   As a leader in the payments sector, my reflection is on building payment systems that work for women and women…

A structural shift is underway in East Africa’s financial ecosystem, one that extends far beyond payments. Recent regulatory alignment between Kenya and Rwanda, enabling FinTech’s to operate more seamlessly across borders through FinTech licence passporting, signals an important evolution. While these developments may appear focused on improving payment efficiency, they point to something far more transformative: the emergence of cross-border financial identity. This shift has the potential to reshape how consumers and businesses are understood, assessed and ultimately included in the formal financial system. From Payments to Financial Identity Cross-border financial reform in Africa has historically centred on payments, reducing transaction…

The far-reaching and unrelenting nature of the news cycle in 2026 so far – from conflicts and geopolitics, to major market movements, technology breakthroughs and AI developments – has created a major spike in the appetite amongst audiences to understand what’s happening in the world and what it means for them. People are consuming more news, sharing it with friends and followers, and, in an age of increasing AI-generated content and misinformation, choosing to turn to credible, established sources for verified information. Against this backdrop, the news industry itself is creating headlines as the sector undergoes significant change in all…