EMEA Daily: Google Opens Its First African Product Hub; Moneyhub, Wyzr Team on Automated Financial Planning

In today’s top Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) news, Google plans to open its first product development center in Kenya, while Moneyhub partners with Wyzr to make automated financial planning possible in the U.K.

Google Set to Open First African Product Hub

Google is opening its first-ever product development center in Africa. Set to be based in Nairobi, Kenya, this hub comes as Google is working to address the burgeoning base of internet users in Africa. Google is seeking engineers, product managers, user experience designers and researchers to man the new center.

Moneyhub, Wyzr Partner on Automated Financial Planning

Open data and payments platform Moneyhub and FinTech platform Wyzr are joining to enable automated financial planning in the U.K. Combining Moneyhub’s open banking technology and Wyzr’s artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms will power the Wyzr platform, making it possible for consumers to analyze past and current spending to save for the future. The pilot program kicks off later this month.

FCA Taps Victoria McLoughlin as Interim Head for Digital Assets Unit

The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed Victoria McLoughlin as interim head of its digital assets department in another step toward the FCA becoming a cryptocurrency hub. McLoughlin has been the FCA’s supervision manager of crypto assets and digital markets for the past two years.

Sonepar, Mirakl Team to Launch B2B Electric Supply Mart

B2B electrical product distributor Sonepar has teamed up with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider Mirakl to create France’s first B2B electrical supplies distribution marketplace. The companies plan to launch the marketplace in the fourth quarter of the year, part of Sonepar’s plan to become the world’s first electrical equipment distributor to offer customers a fully digitalized and synchronized experience.