E-Business
Microsoft, Yahoo Amend Search Deal

Microsoft and Yahoo have tweaked their partnership to give Yahoo more wiggle room.
The amended agreement, signed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, has two main elements. First up, Yahoo will now be allowed to have more “flexibility to enhance the search experience” across mobile and desktop devices. In addition, the companies have modified their handling of ad sales, with Microsoft now exclusively handling the Bing ads on Yahoo Search and Yahoo continuing to sell ads through its own Gemini ads platform.
“We firmly believe that search is still in its infancy — and this partnership marks the next chapter in our exploration of how to make search truly great,” Mayer said in a statement Thursday.
The update to the search deal comes six years into a 10-year pact between the companies. In 2009, the companies’ then-CEOs — Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Yahoo’s Carol Bartz — signed a deal that would see Micorosoft’s Bing platform power Yahoo search. In return, Yahoo would be the exclusive sales force for ads and would receive a significant sum each year to be the brains behind Yahoo search.
At the time, both companies said that the deal represented a “significant opportunity” and some analysts suggested it was an attempt on Microsoft’s part to get closer to Google on search usage and drive more revenue through online advertising.
As of March, Microsoft’s Bing owned 8.1 percent of the worldwide search market, just topping Yahoo’s 7.7 percent share, according to data from research firm NetMarketShare. Google, the companies’ chief competitor, owned 62.3 percent of the market.
Yahoo could, however, see its share grow in the coming years. In November, one of the world’s most popular browsers — Mozilla’s Firefox — tossed aside Google Search as its default browser, tapping Yahoo for the position instead. In February, StatCounter, another company that measures search market share, said that Yahoo saw an uptick in searches following the Firefox deal.
Under the terms of the original deal, Yahoo would get 88 percent of the search revenue generated by its sites during the first five years.
Though it was unclear at the time how significant that would be to Yahoo, a regulatory filing in 2013 showed that 31 percent of the company’s revenue in just one quarter in 2013 was generated through its Microsoft partnership. Microsoft has been less forthcoming with its revelations on revenue generated through the deal.
The new deal between the companies comes at a crucial time for both firms. Mayer, who came to Yahoo from search giant Google, is in the process of transforming the company into one that’s friendlier to mobile devices and more capable of generating revenue off those products.
Mayer is also keenly aware of Yahoo’s slumping position in the online world, which has driven her to make dozens of major acquisitions over the years.
Nadella, meanwhile, has refocused Microsoft on services and mobile, and becoming platform-agnostic with its many platforms, including Office.
Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft has attempted to make clear that it no longer views itself as a software company, but rather a cloud services and mobile firm that provides software.
The company demonstrated that when it announced that it would offer Windows 10, its upcoming operating system, for free.
Microsoft has historically sold new Windows versions for hundreds of dollars to drive revenue and profits. Nadella sees his company’s future in other areas.
Few details on the new Yahoo-Microsoft agreement were released. In a statement on her company’s blog Thursday, Mayer would only say that the deal “opens up significant opportunities in our partnership, enabling both partners to improve the search experience, create value for advertisers, and establish ongoing stability for partners.”
That said, Yahoo did note that the original structure of the companies’ deal, including how Microsoft would handle search and the revenue-sharing agreement between the companies — “remains unchanged with today’s updates.”
That ingredient — that the revenue-sharing hasn’t changed — could be an important piece of the puzzle for Yahoo. In a statement to CNET on Thursday, research firm eMarketer said that Yahoo is having some trouble holding its ground in the worldwide search advertising space. The company’s share of the global search ad revenue market will reach 2.3 percent in 2015, down from its 2.5 percent share in 2014 and 2.9 percent in 2013. Microsoft, meanwhile, is expected to maintain its search ad share at 4.2 percent this year, matching last year’s figure and up from 3.7 percent in 2013. The companies will therefore combine to own 6.5 percent of the $81.6 billion search ad market, according to eMarketer.
E-Business
Access Holdings, Coronation Partner Tate Modern to Spotlight Nigerian Modernism

Access Holdings Plc and Coronation Group have partnered with Tate Modern to commemorate World Art Day with a virtual session highlighting the global significance of Nigerian modernism.

Access Holdings
The event, titled “In Conversation with Osei Bonsu: Inside Nigerian Modernism,” featured a virtual tour of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition and discussions on the evolution of modern art in Nigeria.
The session brought together staff members across both organisations, reflecting growing institutional engagement with arts and culture as a driver of societal development.
Speaking at the event, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of Coronation Group, Ngozi Akinyele, emphasised the role of art in shaping identity and national development.
She said that beyond financial capital, cultural and intellectual capital are essential in defining a nation’s prosperity and inspiring dialogue.
Akinyele noted that both organisations were committed to democratising access to art, ensuring it is accessible to a wider audience rather than a select few.
The discussion also featured insights from Tate Modern Curator, Osei Bonsu, and art expert Daniel Wallis, who examined the development of Nigerian modernism and its global relevance.
Bonsu said Nigerian modernism represents an independent reimagining of global art, rooted in the country’s diverse cultural heritage and expressed through unique visual languages.
According to him, the movement challenges narrow, Eurocentric definitions of modernism and highlights the richness of African artistic expression.
The session further underscored the growing international recognition of Nigerian art, particularly through exhibitions at Tate Modern.
Participants also reflected on the visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the exhibition, described as a milestone in promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage globally.
In his closing remarks, Chief Communications Officer of Access Holdings, Amaechi Okobi, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing African narratives on the global stage.
He said the collaboration with Tate Modern aligns with broader efforts to promote dialogue, preserve cultural identity and support the creative sector.
The event reinforced a shared commitment by Access Holdings, Coronation Group and Tate Modern to elevate African art globally and ensure Nigerian cultural narratives continue to shape international conversations.
E-Business
NDPC Issues Critical Advisory as Hackers Target Nigeria’s Key Digital Systems

Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has issued a regulatory advisory to data controllers and processors across the country following what it described as escalating threats to Nigeria’s data security architecture.

NDPC
In a statement signed by Babatunde Bamigboye, lead of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, the commission said its technical assessment revealed that some shadowy threat actors were engaged in coordinated operations targeting financial systems and critical digital infrastructure in Nigeria.
The commission urged public institutions to comply with the presidential directive of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which emphasises the strategic importance of data in national development.
According to the NDPC, the President had declared that “data is the new oil,” stressing the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to rigorously capture and safeguard information in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
The commission therefore advised all data controllers and processors to urgently strengthen their technical and organisational measures to protect personal data and ensure compliance with the law.
It listed key measures to include the appointment of trained and certified Data Protection Officers, implementation of comprehensive privacy policies and information security standards, as well as conducting Data Privacy Impact Assessments.
Other measures recommended by the NDPC include deployment of robust identity and access controls such as Multi-Factor Authentication, adoption of zero-trust security architecture, prompt remediation of system vulnerabilities, and continuous patch management.
The commission also emphasised the need to secure cloud infrastructure, application programming interfaces (APIs), databases and access credentials, alongside real-time monitoring, logging and threat detection systems.
Further recommendations include encryption and secure credential handling, regular vulnerability assessment and penetration testing of critical systems, as well as routine backup and resilience testing.
The NDPC warned that organisations that fail to implement appropriate data protection measures in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 risk legal liabilities.
It reiterated its commitment to providing regulatory support to organisations while ensuring the protection of personal data and strengthening institutional resilience across all sectors.
E-Business
Africa’s Forex Market in 2026: Key Trends Every Trader Should Watch

The forex market across Africa is witnessing more participants and more regulatory attention than it did just a few years ago. This growth is part of a bigger picture: Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to expand by 4.3% in 2026, while global forex turnover already hit an estimated $9.6 trillion daily in April 2025. However, there’s more to it than macroeconomic figures.

The trends reshaping the market are happening from within. Here are six worth paying close attention to.
1. Trading Has Moved to the Phone
The number of people accessing the market via mobile phones exceeds those accessing it via traditional bank systems. GSMA states that in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are more than 1.1 billion registered mobile money accounts.
The International Monetary Fund states that digitalisation and increased usage of the internet are changing payment systems in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
Mobile access changes traders’ behavior. It lowers the barrier to entry and speeds up deposits and withdrawals. Therefore, brokers who can provide a quality mobile trading experience will have a huge advantage.
2. Regulators Are Watching
The market is becoming more structured and more transparent. In South Africa, the FSCA regulates market conduct for financial institutions. In Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority regulates capital markets and maintains a licensing system that includes online forex brokers.
Nigeria’s SEC has publicly warned that online retail forex trading can be subject to abuse when unregulated. It also provides tools for investors to check operators’ registrations.
As a result, in 2026, more traders are likely to favour brokers that can show clear licensing, transparent operations, and stronger investor safeguards.
3. Volatility Varies by Country
A common mistake is perceiving the African market as one entity. In reality, according to RegTech Afrika, there are 21 countries out of a total of 54 that have a chance of seeing their currencies depreciate in 2025, with some of them losing value by as much as 6% or more.
A trader watching the rand, naira, shilling, or cedi, regional headlines needs more than regional headlines. Country-level macro data, central bank moves, and the US dollar will still play a major role.
4. Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure Is Quietly Improving
Platforms like PAPSS are helping make payments across African countries faster and easier to complete in local currencies. According to official announcements of PAPSS, it has become operational in 18 countries across Africa, with its latest launch in Algeria in 2025. It has also become operational in Kenya through a partnership with KCB Group, as well as in Rwanda through a partnership with Bank of Kigali.
Step by step, Africa is becoming a more financially connected continent.
5. Execution Quality Is the New Standard
Data from the BIS shows that in April 2025, three-quarters of FX trades were intermediated by the global centers of the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Therefore, the best liquidity and best prices are still linked to global conditions.
For local markets, this raises the bar. Forex traders are becoming increasingly aware that tight spreads, while important, mean little without reliable prices and execution. Brokers like JustMarkets that can bring all of these elements together are in a much stronger position than competitors.
6. Education as a Necessity
Regulatory disclosures from major global brokers illustrate how tough it is to trade without proper knowledge. According to publicly available disclosures, between 70% and 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Forex traders who understand risk management and which financial news to follow have a better chance of surviving the market. Brokers who invest in education are more likely to be seen by traders as valuable partners rather than mere facilitators.
The Market Rewards the Prepared
Africa’s forex market in 2026 is shaped by volatility, stricter rules, and mobile-first trading. The traders who combine market knowledge with the right tools and the right broker will find real opportunity here, while those who don’t adapt will find the market increasingly unforgiving.
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