E-Business
Nextzon, Neptune Join Forces on Orbit Microfinance Application
Neptune Software Nigeria, a subsidiary company of Neptune Software PLC, United Kingdom has signed a landmark agreement with Nextzon Business Services Limited for the installation, configuration & implementation of its Orbit banking Solution for Microfinance banks in Nigeria.
Orbit Banking application, the highest ranked Microfinance Banking Solution in the world by CGAP review based in Washington DC, 2005-date, will be the software component of a simple, world class but cost effective ICT solution to Microfinance Banks in Nigeria based on Nextzon’s venturing and outsourcing business models.
Microfinance Banks face a long list of challenges including the requirement to acquire industry standard software, recruitment of competent IT professionals, investment in network and hardware, IT governance challenges and the need to manage customers and meet other underlying business objectives. Nextzon Business Services Limited has reviewed these challenges and has come up with a winning strategy that will assist microfinance banks overcome them cost effectively.
"The initiative is breathtaking and is round about the first in the West African continent. The benefits are immense considering the fact that the solution suite is a complete package addressing all data processing issues, transaction processing, IT management, customized implementation and training, localized support, 24/7 availability, interface to payment networks including those that are local to Nigerian banks, and the possibility of sharing business ideas and user-group for the beneficiaries of this innovation", said Mr. George Agu, managing director of Neptune Software.
The Orbit Banking System was selected after a rigorous exercise including detailed assessment of over five world class microfinance solutions by highly qualified consultants. The choice of Orbit was influenced by its record in the Nigerian and wider African markets especially East Africa where it has demonstrated capability of handling complicated microfinance processes.
As part of the contract, Neptune shall supply modules of Orbit Core Banking System such as General Ledger, Deposit processing, Loans Processing, Report Wizard, Teller Processing, End of Day Processing, Relationship Information Management, Photographic and Signature Verifications among others.
Orbit has been installed in over 20 microfinance banks in Nigeria, ahead of this deal.
Mac Atasie, managing director/CEO, Nextzon Business Services, said at the signing ceremony that one key way they can achieve MFB objective is by selecting a compatible vendor who commands distinctive record in software development and implementation and at the same time has the various solutions that can be leveraged to mobilize customers, improve services and achieve the target bottom-line. "Our evaluation was thorough and we are in no doubt that Neptune’s Orbit shall deliver on this strategic initiative," he said.
Orbit Banking System is a functionality-rich banking solution designed to deliver robust solutions to meet all the needs of modern micro banks and other microfinance institutions. Orbit is a relationship centered solution for retail banking services. It has been designed specifically to maximize the efficiency of retail banking. The Orbit Banking System comprehensively supports, Deposit Management, Loan processing including Group Lending, CBN Regulatory Reporting, EFASS, System Administration and Relationship Information Management.
Nextzon Business Services Limited was incorporated on March 7, 2005 to carry on business as a corporate venturing and management / business advisory company. It also assists businesses in operating at world class levels and is the custodian and manager of an emerging group of companies which are set to compete favorably and exploit the commercial opportunities in their various markets.
E-Business
Huawei Unveils AI Computing System to Challenge Nvidia’s Flagship Product

China’s Huawei Technologies unveiled an AI computing system on Saturday that an industry expert said rivals Nvidia’s most advanced product, as the company aims to expand its footprint in the country’s booming AI sector.
The CloudMatrix 384 system made its public debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), a three-day event in Shanghai, attracting a large crowd to Huawei’s booth with its showcase of cutting-edge AI innovations.
The system has attracted significant interest from the global AI community since Huawei (HWT.UL) first introduced it in April. Industry analysts see it as a direct challenger to Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72, the most advanced system-level offering currently available from the U.S. chipmaker.
In an April article, Dylan Patel, founder of semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis, stated that Huawei now possesses AI system capabilities that could surpass those of Nvidia.
Huawei staff at its WAIC booth declined to comment when asked to introduce the CloudMatrix 384 system.
A spokesperson for Huawei did not respond to questions.
Huawei has become widely regarded as China’s most promising domestic supplier of chips essential for AI development, even though the company faces U.S. export restrictions.
Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang told Bloomberg in May that Huawei had been “moving quite fast” and named the CloudMatrix as an example.
The CloudMatrix 384 system features 384 of Huawei’s latest 910C chips and, according to SemiAnalysis, surpasses Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72 in certain performance metrics, despite the latter using 72 B200 chips.
SemiAnalysis attributes this performance advantage to Huawei’s strong system design, which offsets the lower power of individual chips by leveraging a greater number of them and incorporating system-level innovations.
Huawei describes the system as utilizing a “supernode” architecture that enables ultra-high-speed interconnectivity between chips.
In June, Zhang Pingan, CEO, Huawei Cloud confirmed that the CloudMatrix 384 was already operational on Huawei’s cloud platform.
E-Business
Transcorp Hotels Delivers Stellar H1 Results, Declares Over ₦1Bn Dividend

Transcorp Hotels Plc has delivered a stellar performance in the first half of 2025, recording a 60% year-on-year surge in revenue to ₦47.57 billion, up from ₦29.72 billion in H1 2024. Gross profit climbed 71% to ₦36.21 billion, maintaining a strong 76% margin despite inflation and operational headwinds.
The hospitality giant, a subsidiary of Transnational Corporation Plc, also announced an interim dividend payout of ₦1.024 billion — offering ₦0.10 per 50 kobo ordinary share to shareholders.
In a bold move, the company unveiled Nigeria’s largest corporate venue — the 5,000-seat Transcorp Centre — staking its claim as the new leader in event hospitality. Chairman Emmanuel Nnorom described the results as proof of Transcorp Hotels’ transformative strategies and unwavering investor commitment. MD/CEO Uzo Oshogwe attributed the success to relentless execution and a resilient business model.
Transcorp Hotels, renowned for iconic assets like Transcorp Hilton Abuja and its digital platform Aura, says it isn’t just leading Nigeria’s hospitality sector — it’s redefining excellence across Africa.
E-Business
Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.
China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.
The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.
“Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue to target systems which have not installed its security updates.
It added that it would update its website blog with more information as its investigation continues.
Microsoft said it had observed attacks in which hackers had sent a request to a SharePoint server “enabling the theft of the key material by threat actors”.
Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting firm, a division of Google Cloud, told reporter, it was “aware of several victims in several different sectors across a number of global geographies”.
Carmakal said it appeared that governments and businesses that use SharePoint on their sites were the primary target.
A number of adversaries who stole material encoded by cryptography were then able to regain ongoing access to the victims’ SharePoint data, he said.
“This was exploited in a very broad way, very opportunistically before a patch was made available. That’s why this is significant,” Carmakal said.
Carmakal said the “China-nexus actor” was deploying techniques similar to previous campaigns associated with Beijing.
Microsoft said Linen Typhoon had “focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defence, strategic planning, and human rights” for 13 years.
It added that Violet Typhoon had been “dedicated to espionage”, primarily targeting former government and military staff, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, higher education, the media, the financial sector and the health sector in the US, Europe, and East Asia.
Meanwhile, Storm-2603 was “assessed with medium confidence to be a China-based threat actor”.
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