Insyte Weekly: Google Uses AI to Detect Scams, Fintech Solutions Empowering SMMEs, Streaming Trends and more

Media & Entertainment

Microsoft has significantly increased the recommended retail prices for its Xbox Series S/X consoles, controllers, and headsets worldwide, with some hardware seeing hikes of up to $100. The Xbox Series S (512GB) now costs $380 (up from $300), while the Series X (1TB) is $600 (up from $500). Prices for accessories like the Xbox Elite Controller and headsets have also risen, though headset increases are limited to the US and Canada. Additionally, Microsoft plans to raise the price of new first-party games from $70 to $80 starting this holiday season, citing rising development costs and market conditions. However, current releases, such as Doom: The Dark Ages, won't be affected. While these price hikes impact hardware and game titles, the cost of Xbox Game Pass remains unchanged for now. With Game Pass Ultimate priced at $20/month, it continues to offer strong value — especially as individual game prices rise, though further increases in the subscription cost are possible later in the year.

Spotify is introducing a range of new features aimed at enhancing user control and personalisation in music discovery and playlist management. Premium users now benefit from an upgraded Queue interface with improved access to Shuffle, Smart Shuffle, Repeat, and a Sleep Timer. Spotify also displays upcoming recommended tracks and allows users to toggle off Autoplay and Smart Shuffle for full control. New features like an updated Hide button and a 30-day Snooze option give users greater power to manage what they hear, temporarily or permanently removing songs from playlists and recommendations. Playlist customisation is easier with enhanced mobile tools that let users edit titles, covers, and song order. Users in select countries can now also turn filtered Liked Songs into playlists. A new Create “+” button on mobile simplifies playlist creation, collaboration, and access to features like Blend, Jam, and AI Playlist, which is expanding to more markets. Spotify’s goal is to make music discovery and playlist curation more intuitive, fun, and personalised than ever.

New data from subscription bundling platform Bango reveals that 13% of Brits now spend over 1,460 hours a year streaming, the equivalent of 60 full days. One in three UK adults watches two or more hours daily, placing the UK ahead of many European countries in streaming intensity. Streaming dominates UK digital media habits, outranking time spent on social media, music, and short-form video. Gen Z leads in watch time (40% stream two+ hours/day), but Gen X bears the cost, with 62% of them paying for the subscriptions. In contrast, Gen Z prefers to spend on music subscriptions (40%) and premium social media (9%) like Snapchat+ and X Premium. Globally, the US still leads, with 40% watching at least two hours daily and 18% watching over four hours. Many consumers, especially in the US, access streaming through bundles, averaging 5.4 subscriptions per person. The trend reflects a broader shift: younger generations prioritise subscriptions that offer personal or social value, reshaping how digital content is consumed and paid for.

Edtech

First National Bank (FNB) has launched Fincents, a free digital financial education platform aimed at addressing South Africa’s major financial literacy gap. This move responds to an FSCA survey revealing that 48% of South African adults struggle with basic financial concepts, especially among women and underserved communities. Fincents offers micro-learning modules, videos, quizzes, and downloadable content, tailored to be easy to understand and retain. The platform focuses on five core pillars covering 13 themes, such as budgeting, saving, debt management, and avoiding scams. It’s accessible to all South Africans, regardless of their bank affiliation. FNB designed Fincents based on community insights and aims to make financial education scalable and engaging through storytelling and interactive content. The initiative complements FNB’s broader consumer education efforts, which already reach 70,000 people annually via in-person workshops and local media.

Fintech

Fintech expert Ayomide Olupitan has launched an AI-powered platform under Loma Bank to transform business banking in Africa. The platform supports thousands of businesses by offering AI-driven financial tools, API-based banking, and real-time analytics that help businesses manage bulk payments, track cash flow, and make data-informed decisions. Olupitan criticises traditional banking systems for being outdated and highlights the role of API banking in removing operational bottlenecks. His goal is to decentralise business banking and create adaptable financial ecosystems that respond to the unique needs of modern enterprises. The platform is drawing increasing interest from African businesses seeking greater financial autonomy and efficiency.

AI

Google has released a report detailing how it uses AI to combat online scams, revealing major upgrades across Search, Chrome, and Android. AI now blocks hundreds of millions of scammy results daily in Search, detecting 20x more scam pages than before. This includes reducing airline impersonation scams by over 80%. On Chrome, Google uses Gemini Nano, an on-device AI model, to enhance scam detection for users in Enhanced Protection mode, providing real-time insights and defence against even unknown threats. On Android, Google is rolling out AI-powered warnings for malicious site notifications and enhancing scam detection in Google Messages and Phone to flag suspicious calls and texts. These innovations reflect Google’s ongoing mission to stay ahead of ever-evolving scam tactics and improve user safety across its ecosystem.

Tourism

The 2025 State of the African Industry Report: Ignite Africa! reveals critical blind spots holding back Africa’s tourism recovery and urges a bold shift in strategy. While the continent continues to focus on slow-recovering Western markets, it is missing high-growth opportunities in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America—regions where travellers spend significantly more per trip. The report also explains why African safaris cost 35–50% more than similar global experiences, citing infrastructure gaps, currency volatility, and high operational risks rather than excessive profit margins. Additionally, Africa is underperforming in serving the $60 billion neurodivergent travel market, despite being well-positioned for low-stimulation experiences. While many travel executives are optimistic about AI’s potential to transform the industry, the report highlights how basic infrastructure issues, such as fuel shortages and the loss of flight procedures, could undermine these digital ambitions. With African tourism still at just 81% of pre-pandemic levels (compared to Kenya’s 134%), industry leaders are calling for smarter aviation policies, better marketing strategies, and a focus on more inclusive and diversified tourism offerings.

Retail

The FAO's April 2025 Food Price Index revealed a 1.0% month-on-month increase and a 7.6% rise from the previous year, driven by higher prices for wheat, maize, meat, and dairy. The Cereal Price Index rose due to reduced wheat exports from Russia and increased demand for aromatic rice. Maize prices climbed as US stock levels tightened and tariff adjustments added complexity, though Mexico received exemptions. Meat prices increased by 3.2%, particularly for pig and bovine meats, due to global supply constraints. Dairy saw a 2.4% rise, marking a 22.9% jump from last year, while vegetable oil prices dipped by 2.3% amid higher palm oil production. Sugar prices fell by 3.5% due to economic uncertainty dampening consumption. According to economist Wandile Sihlobo, the index remains 20% below its March 2022 peak. He noted that current grain price hikes reflect short-term supply constraints, but global production forecasts for 2025-26 are optimistic, with significant year-on-year increases expected across maize, wheat, rice, and soybeans. This outlook is promising for South African consumers, especially given the country's wheat import dependency.

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