Tag Archives: Cybersecurity

AMA, Business, Technology

Libyan Islamic Bank modernizes consumer banking services with Backbase

MaraviPost

Backbase and Libyan Islamic Bank go live with a seamless new platform, bringing digital-first banking to Libyan customers.

TRIPOLI, Libya, 5 August 2025-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Backbase, the global leader in AI-powered banking technology, today announced the recent successful platform launch of Libyan Islamic Bank (LIB), one of the country’s fastest-growing financial institutions. This achievement represents Backbase’s first platform launch in Libya, underscoring its commitment to expanding state-of-the-art, customer-centric banking across North Africa.

From ambition to impact

As a digitally focused bank, LIB set out to differentiate itself through an experience-led approach to banking. In collaboration with Backbase, the bank laid the groundwork for a customer-first operating model that is built for speed, flexibility, and long-term relevance in a rapidly evolving market.

Mohamed Almabrok, Digital Banking Platform Project Manager, Libyan Islamic Bank, expressed his enthusiasm: “This is a proud moment for us. With Backbase, we are transforming banking for our customers, bringing financial services closer to them with the convenience, security, and accessibility of world-class digital banking.”

A redesigned experience for everyday banking

The new mobile app offers a more intuitive way for customers to manage their finances, with features such as:

  • Secure logins and real-time transaction tracking
  • Internal transfers and in-app messaging
  • Personalized servicing and customer self-service capabilities
  • Instant payments and ATM/branch locator functionality
  • A clean, user-friendly interface designed for daily use

As part of the launch, LIB also became one of the first banks in the country to integrate with LYPAY, the Central Bank of Libya’s instant payment service. This showcases the agility of the platform in meeting new regulatory and infrastructure demands.

“The successful launch of Libyan Islamic Bank’s digital platform is setting new standards for digital-first experiences,” said Aymen Daoud, Regional Vice President for Africa at Backbase. “It reflects the bank’s ability to lead and evolve in Libya’s rapidly changing financial sector.”

Local knowledge, global technology

The go-live was delivered through a close collaboration between Backbase and regional implementation partner OneTech Business Solutions. OTBS played a vital role in aligning the deployment with LIB’s specific needs and Libya’s regulatory environment, helping ensure speed, stability, and long-term scalability.

“This project shows what’s possible when global technology meets local execution,” said Atef Loukil, Deputy CEO and Head of Digital Factory at OneTech Business Solutions. “Working closely with Backbase and Libyan Islamic Bank, we ensured a seamless deployment that reflects the realities of the Libyan market. It’s a strong example of how partnership drives real digital transformation.”

Built for what comes next

This launch represents the first phase of LIB’s longer-term digital transformation roadmap. With a strong digital foundation now in place, the bank is positioned to respond to evolving customer expectations and continue modernizing its services at scale.

Backbase’s successful entry into Libya also marks a strategic expansion point in North Africa. The company remains committed to helping banks of all sizes modernize at speed, through adaptive technology, regulatory alignment, and seamless customer experiences, all powered by its AI-powered Banking Platform.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Backbase.

About Backbase

Backbase is on a mission to put bankers back in the driver’s seat — fully equipped to lead the AI revolution and unlock remarkable growth and efficiency. At the heart of this mission is the world’s first AI-powered Banking Platform, unifying all servicing and sales journeys into an integrated suite. With Backbase, banks modernize their operations across every line of business — from Retail and SME to Commercial, Private Banking, and Wealth Management.

Recognized as a category leader by Forrester, Gartner, Celent, and IDC, Backbase powers the digital and AI transformations of over 150 financial institutions worldwide. See some of their stories here.

Founded in 2003 in Amsterdam, Backbase is a global private fintech company with regional headquarters in Atlanta and Singapore, and offices across London, Sydney, Toronto, Dubai, Kraków, Cardiff, Hyderabad, and Mexico City.

About Libyan Islamic Bank

Libyan Islamic Bank, is an Islamic financial institution based in Libya with a capital of 500 million Libyan dinars, established since 2017. Operating in line with the provisions and legislations of Islamic Sharia, the bank primarily focuses on retail and corporate segments, striving to provide services that adhere to the highest standards of Islamic banking. For more information, visit https://www.lib.com.ly/

About Onetech Business Solutions

OneTech Business Solutions (OTBS) is one of the leading IT and telecom integrators in Tunisia, with over 30 years of experience serving enterprise and financial clients. OTBS has built a strong reputation for delivering high-value, integrated technology solutions—from network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and datacenter systems to unified communications and enterprise collaboration.

In recent years, OTBS has expanded its expertise into software and digital services, with a particular focus on the financial sector. We support banks across EMEA in their digital transformation through the delivery of robust digital banking platforms. Our teams bring proven expertise in integrating with core banking systems, implementing omnichannel, customer-centric journeys, and ensuring compliance with local financial regulations. As a certified integration partner of Backbase, we deliver scalable and secure solutions tailored to each client’s strategic goals.

This unique positioning enables banks to offer secure, innovative, and user-centric financial services to their customers—accelerating their digital transformation with confidence.

www.onetech-bs.com 

Press Contact

Backbase

Alexandros Papaioannou

press-relations@backbase.com

The post Libyan Islamic Bank modernizes consumer banking services with Backbase appeared first on African Media Agency.

AMA, Technology

Africa’s AI skills landscape revealed in new SAP report

Maravi Post Reporter

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 15th May 2025-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- SAP today released a new report, ‘Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed’, which provides research into how African companies are transforming their skills development efforts to meet the demands of the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Nazia Pillay, Interim Managing Director for South Africa at SAP, says: “The data is clear: African companies expect the demand for AI skills to increase this year, with six in ten saying AI skills are ‘extremely important’ to their success. The business impact of a lack of AI skills availability is already evident, with 90% of companies in our research citing negative impacts that include project delays, failed innovation initiatives, and an inability to take on new work.”

SAP’s latest report follows an earlier tech skills report released in 2023 which unveiled specific challenges and opportunities for African organisations seeking greater tech skills availability.

“Our first report was conducted just as we exited the worst of the pandemic impact. At the time, companies were facing several challenges with attracting, retaining and upskilling suitable qualified tech workers, especially in the wake of the rise of remote and hybrid work environments. This year, the business landscape has been transformed by the impact of AI technologies and the search for relevant skills.”

The research was conducted at the end of 2024 among both mid-size and enterprise-level companies in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Universal need for AI skills

Every organisation that was surveyed as part of the research said they expect the demand for AI skills to increase in 2025. All companies also expected to experience some AI-related skills gap this year. “Skills related to AI are hugely in-demand among African organisations, with 85% saying AI development skills are a priority, and 83% prioritising Generative AI skills. To help close the AI skills gap, two-thirds of organisations are introducing career development initiatives with AI specialisation to upskill or reskill employees.”

Overall, the most in-demand tech skill among African organisations is cybersecurity. “Eighty-six percent of companies said cybersecurity skills were important to them, a significant increase over the 63% that said the same in our previous research. The growing importance of cybersecurity may be partly explained by the rapid growth of Africa’s digital economy and the millions of citizens that are being brought into the digital fold through public and private sector initiatives.”

Changing workplace expectations

There are far-reaching changes in the expectations of both employers and employees regarding skills and the workplace compared to a few years ago. “Eight in ten African organisations said supporting skilled employees’ requests for hybrid or remote work is their top skills-related challenge this year, a significant increase from only 32% who said the same in our previous survey.?

The non-technical attributes that African organisations look for in potential hires have also evolved. “In 2023, technical skills and industry-specific skills were the top attributes. Affordability was somewhere near the bottom, with less than a third of organisations saying they consider it during the hiring process. This year, affordability is the number one candidate attribute for African organisations, with adaptability a close second.”

Adaptability is essential in light of the need for employees to be upskilled or reskilled with AI skills. “Reskilling is a top skills-related priority for 38% of companies this year, with 48% saying the same of upskilling employees. Unsurprisingly, two-thirds of companies said helping employees understand why reskilling is necessary is one of the top challenges this year.”

Training, skills development in the spotlight

Pillay says companies are stepping up their IT training and skills development efforts to help meet the demand for skills. “Ninety-four percent of African organisations offer training and skills development to employees at least monthly, an increase from 74% in our last survey. The number of companies offering training opportunities to employees at any time also increased from 28% in our last survey to 37% this year.”

Surprisingly, the portion of companies’ IT or HR budgets allocated to skills-related initiatives has declined since 2023. “The drop in budget allocation for skills development requires an urgent rethink. Organisations that don’t invest in appropriate skills now may find they are unable to leverage new innovations and emerging technologies, leaving them trailing their more skills-enable competitors.”

SAP’s ‘Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed’ report is now available and can be downloaded here.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of SAP Africa.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP at @SAPNews.

About SAP

As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit  www.sap.com.

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Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Lifestyle

Massive power outage brings most of Spain and Portugal to a standstill

Maravi Post Reporter

The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency that would be applied in the regions that request it, following a huge power outrage that struck Spain, Portugal and parts of France on Monday.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday that a problem in the European grid that he described as a “strong oscillation” caused the blackout, but that the cause was still being determined.

The Spanish leader asked the public to refrain from speculation and said no theory about the cause of the outage had been discarded.

Sánchez thanked the governments of France and Morocco where energy was being pulled from to restore power to north and southern Spain.

The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting subway and railway trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula.

Power in Spain progressively coming back by evening

Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power fully to the country and neighbouring Portugal could take 6-10 hours.

By mid-afternoon on Monday, voltage was progressively being restored in the north, south and west of the peninsula, the company said.

By Monday evening, power had been restored to approximately 20% of the country’s affected capacity.

Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the causes of the huge blackout.

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.”

The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/13/49/91/00/ED_PYR_1349910_20250428181910.mp4
Lifestyle

A Whistleblower Takes on DOGE

Maravi Post Reporter

NPR’s cybersecurity correspondent Jenna McLaughlin recently broke a story about a whistleblower inside the federal government who says DOGE representatives appear to have taken sensitive data, then covered their tracks. Daniel Berulis works for the National Labor Relations Board and he has shared evidence that DOGE engineers disabled security protocols, exported reams of sensitive data and used a “hacker’s toolkit” to hide their activities. And he thinks his agency is not alone. Today on The Sunday Story, what this possible breach could mean for the private data of millions of Americans.

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Lifestyle

Biden At G7 Summit, Israel Hamas Negotiations, Microsoft Cybersecurity

Maravi Post Reporter

President Biden meets with leaders of the largest economies at the G7 Summit in Italy where they’ll discuss the world’s most pressing issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Mediators are working to close a ceasefire deal in Gaza after Hamas proposed amendments to the US backed proposal. And, Microsoft’s president is testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee as ProPublica publishes an investigation into the company’s security practices around 2020’s SolarWinds cyber hack.

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Regional

Inside the mind of a cyber criminal

Maravi Post Reporter

– –

Cyber criminals come in many different flavours, but the majority of them are in it for one thing: financial pay-off. They want the money that comes with offering their tools or services, selling stolen data, extortion like ransomware or plain fraud.

And they all have one thing in common – your organisation is on their radar. Which is why, says Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa (www.KnowBe4.com) it is critical to understand how cyber criminals operate, the tools they use and the approaches they take to embed robust security within the organisation.

“With ransomware going rampant and victim organisations paying up to millions of U.S. dollars to the extortionists, this problem is just going to get worse. The U.S. government recently announced that ransomware is a national cybersecurity challenge and that there will be serious implications for anyone attacking the United States or their critical infrastructure.

This may lead more criminals to shift their attention towards the emerging economies like Africa, where we do not have the government’s support or capacities to stop and prosecute cyber criminals, making it a safer place to operate,” says Collard.

Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. Photo: KnowBe4

– –

Social engineering or people hacking is a popular way to distribute ransomware – predominately by tricking people into falling for their phishing scams.

“Another technique to be aware of is password spraying,” she explains. “This is when the bad actor selects a common password, like the organisation’s name, followed by the year, and tries it against every user in the organisation.

They scrape names of employees from LinkedIn and then using this information, try the possible password against the list of names. Then it keeps on cycling until it hits a winning entry. This is a solid case for ensuring that every single employee uses proper passwords or a password manager and multi-factor authentication where possible.

“This level of attack really underscores how important it is to undertake consistent employee training and security skills development,” says Collard. “No matter how secure your perimeter, no matter how much money is spent on high-end security systems, one poor password can open the doors to the threat actors.”

– –

Multi-factor authentication and robust training are not just invaluable for employees in the office, they are even more critical today as people work from home and multiple locations – particularly as employees migrate to coffee shops for power and Wi-Fi during load-shedding. Public Wi-Fi is wide open and home networks with poor passwords or out of date software are open doors.

“It is also really important to make sure that employees use a VPN, although that is also not a guaranteed protection” says Collard as a recent report by the Orange Cyber Defense (https://bit.ly/2UmjTqQ) team explained.  “With home routers being vulnerable due to people not configuring them correctly or updating them, it might be worthwhile sending pre-configured routers and firewalls to employees’ homes, especially for those who access highly confidential information.”

Another challenge for the organisation is keeping up with vulnerabilities and patch management, which is a complicated task in bigger environments.

“Leading hackers and experts like Kevin Mitnick are drawing lines under the importance of putting people’s understanding of these threats at the forefront,” says Collard.

“Make sure that passwords are secure, that they are not stored in diaries or on open platforms like Slack or Google Hangouts, that they understand how to identify social engineering attacks and keep security hygiene at the forefront of all communication.

People need to know what is out there, and that they have the skills to play an important role in protecting themselves and the organisation.”

Today, the threat actors are organised and well paid. They benefit immensely from their pursuit of vulnerabilities, simple mistakes and human error. Organisations have to sit on the sharp end of the security stick with robust monitoring and detection systems, clear policies, consistent training and security boundaries.

Nigerian man jailed 10 years in US for $11m cyber fraud

Source: Africa Feeds