🇲🇦MoroccoNorth Africa
Morocco aims to equip 100,000 local merchants with electronic payment solutions
via Le Matin2 min read
Al Barid Bank, Barid Cash, the Chari platform, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce have formed a strategic partnership to enhance digital payment adoption in Morocco, with the goal of equipping 100,000 local merchants with electronic payment solutions. This initiative, formalized at the National Trade Forum in Marrakech, seeks to facilitate access for small merchants to digital payment tools, including Visa and Mastercard acceptance, to streamline transactions and reduce reliance on cash. The agreement was signed by Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Al Amine Nejjar, Chairman of the Management Board of Al Barid Bank; Adil Chraibi, CEO of Barid Cash; and Ismael Belkhayat, Chairman and CEO of Chari. This collaboration also aims to transform local businesses into financial service hubs, enabling them to offer bill payments, phone recharges, and other digital financial services. The trade sector contributed 169 billion dirhams to Morocco's GDP in 2024, representing 10.6% of the GDP and over 1.6 million jobs. This partnership aligns with the Morocco Trade 2030 roadmap, which emphasizes digitalization, financial inclusion, and the modernization of local commerce. Additionally, the Ministry plans to use the MRTB platform to further digitalize the sector, with a second phase from 2025 to 2027 supporting 300 startups and providing digital solutions to 100,000 more merchants. Separately, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, ANAPEC,
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Matin.
Attijariwafa bank and its Club Afrique Développement have announced the launch of JamSalam, a pan-African artistic residency. Developed in collaboration with the group's African banking subsidiaries and the Attijariwafa bank Foundation, JamSalam aims to be a continental platform for intercultural dialogue, promoting exchanges among young African talents through a shared artistic project. The 2026 edition of JamSalam will take place in Tahannaout, Marrakech, from July 15 to 30, bringing together 15 young talents aged 20 to 35. The residency's theme is "In the name of Toumaï, hope for life," honoring Toumaï, the oldest known representative of the human lineage discovered in Chad in 2001. Works created during this collective residency will be exhibited at the next International Africa Development Forum, organized by Club Afrique Développement. An auction of these creations is also planned, with all proceeds donated to a community in need. The selected artists will form the JamSalam 2026 alliance, becoming part of the Attijariwafa bank Club Afrique Développement community.
The 2026 World Cup will feature six remarkable stadiums, each with unique architectural and technological features. The SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, inaugurated in 2020 at an estimated cost of $5.5 billion, boasts a transparent ETFE roof and a 900-ton, 360-degree "Infinity Screen by Samsung." The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, built for $1.6 billion and opened in 2010, will host the final on July 19, 2026, featuring a facade with color-changing aluminum louvers and an interior designed without columns for optimal visibility. Atlanta, Georgia's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, inaugurated in 2017, is noted for its retractable roof with eight metallic petals and a circular "Halo Board" screen, making it the world's first major stadium to achieve LEED Platinum ecological certification. The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, opened in 2009, impresses with its monumental structure supported by 91-meter steel arches and central LED screens covering over 2,300 square meters, alongside 36-meter high retractable glass doors. Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, inaugurated in 1966 and renovated for 2026, is built on dried lava from the Xitle volcano and will be the first stadium to host three World Cups 1970, 1986, 2026, including the opening match of the 2026 edition. Finally, the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Monterrey, opened in 2015, known as "El Gigante de Acero," features an asymmetrical design inspired by a brazier, offering views of Cerro de la Silla, and a self-ventilat
Several Meta services, including Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, are experiencing widespread disruptions today. Since mid-afternoon, many users have reported being suddenly disconnected or encountering difficulties accessing their accounts normally. Initial reports indicate that the incident primarily affects web browser access, with users being redirected to login pages or receiving error messages when trying to access their news feeds, messages, or content. Mobile applications appear to be functioning more erratically depending on user profiles and regions. Reports quickly multiplied on specialized outage tracking platforms and on X, where users sought to confirm if the issue stemmed from their connection, device, or Meta's servers. The concentration of reports suggests a technical incident on the platform side, though its precise origin remains unknown. Meta has not yet provided an official explanation for the outage, so it is unclear if it is an authentication problem, a server incident, a web infrastructure malfunction, or a broader disruption affecting multiple group services. Users are advised to avoid repeated login attempts, check official Meta channels, and be wary of fake messages promising to "repair" account access, as phishing campaigns often exploit such confusion.