Spotify has updated its Terms of Service, requiring user accounts to be registered in their country of residence, meaning a Kenyan user must have a Kenyan Spotify account. This change aims to enforce geo-restrictions on content catalogues, pricing, and tax compliance, effectively preventing users from using VPNs or other methods to access cheaper plans or different content libraries in other regions.

• The new rule dictates that account creation location matters, and access is now limited to the version of Spotify offered in the user's country of residence.
• This move is seen as aligning with strategies by other streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, which have also tightened controls over account usage and residency.
• The primary motivations for Spotify include enforcing licensing and copyright rules, ensuring uniform pricing and tax compliance, and preventing abuse through VPNs or modified apps.

M-PESA, Kenya's ubiquitous mobile money service, is set to undergo its most significant upgrade since 2015 with the introduction of the new Fintech 2.0 platform on September 22, 2025. This upgrade by Safaricom aims to enhance the system's capacity, reliability, and security to meet growing transaction volumes and evolving customer needs.

• The new platform, Fintech 2.0, is designed to handle an initial 6,000 transactions per second, with scalability up to 12,000, compared to the current system's peak of 4,500 transactions per second against a 5,000 capacity.
• Safaricom's Chief of Financial Services, Esther Waititu, stated the upgrade is crucial due to rapidly increasing transaction volumes and evolving customer behavior.
• Key changes include a microservices design for easier updates, cloud-native infrastructure for enhanced capacity and reliability, and AI-driven capabilities for improved fraud detection and personalized services.
• Everyday users will experience fewer downtimes (promising 99% service availability), faster transactions, enhanced security, and smoother integration of future innovations like credit and savings tools.