E-Financial
Nigeria, Ghana Top Google’s Global Interest in Bitcoin Search

Search interest in Bitcoin seems to have heightened in parts of Africa with Nigeria and Ghana presently topping the list of 25 countries globally seeking information about the digital currency, according to Google Trends.
In Nigeria, interest over time – which represents search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time – has reached a peak popularity value of 100 for the term Bitcoin. This is a swift climb from its value of 6 as at the first week of July 2016. By the last day of last year, the value was at 66.
Second-placed Ghana currently has a value of 85 while South Africa has 54. In between are Estonia, Slovenia and The Netherlands with 69, 62 and 54 respectively.
Canada has an interest value of 53 while USA and Singapore which both have a number of Bitcoin exchanges have 50 each.
On a city-by-city basis, Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, maintains a peak popularity value of 100 in search interest for Bitcoin while no other African city made the Google Trends list in this section.
These indicators are not a guarantee that people in these countries are buying the digital currency. Instead they are a depiction of the people’s level of curiosity to know what has been fueling the uptake of the currency whose value has increased by almost 14% in the last seven days to be worth US$1,097 average price (as at the time of this writing) across top exchanges worldwide, according to CoinMarketCap.com.
However, despite this global surge, it looks like the new Bitcoin bull run is just starting – if Google Trends’ analysis is anything to go by.
Globally, it indicates that the search interest has been on a upward trend since the week ending December 17 when the interest value was at 24 to its increased value of 42 today.
Described as the money of the internet – or the internet of money in another quarter based on the concepts of its use for exchange, trade, value storage and transfers, the Bitcoin technology allows for easy transfer of wealth without an intermediary like banks. Mainstream media’s coverage of its recent price rise to over US$1000 has been cited for prompting the keen interest from all over the world.
Though 3 January marked the eighth-year anniversary of the discovery of Bitcoin, its market capitalisation – that is the total USD value of Bitcoin supply in circulation, as calculated by the daily average market price across major exchanges – grew from US$9 billion in September to US$16 billion today.
Bitcoin is currently aiming towards its highest observed price of nearly US$1,150 which it traded on 5 December 2013.
E-Financial
Kuda Microfinance Bank Releases ‘My Year on Kuda’ 2025 Financial Recap

Kuda Microfinance Bank has unveiled the 2025 edition of “My Year on Kuda,” its annual recap providing customers with personalised insights into their spending, saving, and money management habits from the previous year.

Kuda Microfinance Bank
The tool analyses transaction data across categories like transfers, card payments, online purchases, and bills, revealing patterns such as highest-spending months, biggest payments, saving frequency, and savings from Kuda’s 25 free monthly transfers. Customers can compare 2025 activity against 2024, including income versus expenditure.
In an era of inflation and economic uncertainty, the recap promotes financial literacy by highlighting responsible borrowing via Kuda Overdraft usage, including access frequency, amounts borrowed, and repayment patterns.
Customer-shared screenshots on X reflect national trends: Nigeria recorded over 2.2 billion electronic transactions worth ₦285 trillion in Q1 2025, up 20 percent year-on-year, with POS terminals driving the shift to cashless commerce.
Kuda Group CEO Babs Ogundeyi, in the recap’s opening video, urged users: “Before you carry on with January, this is the perfect time to see everything you did with your money on Kuda last year and learn something.”
The feature underscores Kuda’s focus on actionable insights to help Nigerians navigate evolving personal finance amid shifting earning and spending behaviours.
E-Financial
Wema Bank Launches SAW AI Voice Assistant for Seamless Banking on ALAT 2.0

Wema Bank has introduced SAW, a new AI voice assistant integrated into the ALAT 2.0 app, allowing customers to manage finances through natural voice commands similar to Siri, Bixby, or Alexa.

Wema Bank
SAW understands everyday language and delivers instant responses tailored to banking needs, such as checking account balances, transferring money, reviewing transactions, and accessing support.
This feature brings conversational banking to Nigerian users, eliminating complexity and enhancing accessibility.
The bank positions SAW as a pioneer in AI-powered financial services, aligning with global trends where millions interact daily with voice assistants for tasks like setting reminders or playing music.
ALAT 2.0 represents the next evolution in digital banking, making services more efficient, personal, and human-like for everyday Nigerians.
E-Financial
Ecobank Offsets Repayment of $300m Eurobond Notes

Ecobank Nigeria Limited has fully repaid bondholders who validly tendered their notes ahead of the February 2026 maturity date.

The bank announced the successful completion of its tender offer, under which it prepaid approximately $245 million of its $300 million Eurobond, representing more than 80 per cent of the total issuance.
According to a statement, the transaction relates to the 7.125 per cent Senior Note Participation Notes due February 2026.
Ecobank Nigeria Limited said it launched a tender offer to eligible noteholders in respect of the outstanding $150 million on the bond on November 27, 2025, providing them with an opportunity to redeem their holdings ahead of the original maturity date of 16 February 2026.
It stated that the early and late tender participation deadlines were 11 December 2025 and 29 December 2025, respectively.
According to the bank, holders of notes validly tendered and accepted received a cash consideration of $1,000 per $1,000 in principal amount, in addition to accrued interest from the last interest payment date up to, but excluding, the final settlement date of 31 December 2025.
Following completion of the offer, the bank said the outstanding principal amount of the notes has been reduced to approximately $55.092 million.
The bank also stated that the initiative reflects Ecobank Nigeria’s proactive approach to liability management and prudent balance sheet optimisation.
The tender offer was conducted with Renaissance Capital Africa (Renaissance Securities Nigeria Limited) acting as financial adviser and dealer manager, while Sodali & Co Limited served as tender agent.
The notes were originally issued by EBN Finance Company B.V., with limited recourse to the issuer, for the sole purpose of financing the purchase of the $300 million 7.125 per cent Senior Note due 2026 issued by Ecobank Nigeria Limited.
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