Business News Today
Amazon Web Services Suffer a Major Platform Outage
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud platform used by numerous web applications, with a significant share of the global internet infrastructure, suffered a major outage yesterday, bringing down several major websites and apps used by millions of users worldwide.The issue, was caused by a DNS resolution failure affecting the DynamoDB API endpoint, according to the company. This failure had a ripple effect on services hosted in Virginia USA, leading to widespread disruptions across the globe. Platforms such as Snapchat with almost a billion users and, Canva with around 240 million users, plus other platforms such as, Perplexity AI experienced downtime.
African businesses like Bamboo and Raenest were also affected. Some of Amazon’s own services, including Alexa and Prime Video, were not spared. Users around the world reported login issues, unresponsive apps, and missing features. Downdetector, a website that tracks real-time service outages, showed thousands of outage reports within the first hour. The service was restored several hours later, however no detailed root cause analysis was immediately released in statements from AWS, However the company noted they had “identified the root cause and implemented a fix.” Further postmortem details are typically posted on the AWS blog or status page within 24-72 hours.
Australia and US Sign Major Trade and Investment Deal
President Donald Trump and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese signed a historical trade agreement yesterday that will see billions of US dollars flowing into critical minerals projects in Australia. In a joint partnership deal The U.S. and Australia will provide a $3 billion capital input into the projects over the next six months. The total project pipeline is worth around$8.5 billion. As part of the deal, the U.S. Department of Defense will also invest in a gallium refinery in Western Australia capable of producing 100 tons output per year. Currently, the U.S. imports approximately 21 tons of gallium, which represents 100% of domestic consumption, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Alongside the critical minerals deal, Australia has agreed to buy $1.2 billion worth of autonomous underwater vehicles from defense startup Anduril. The move comes as China has restricted exports of certain minerals, including rare earth elements, that are vital to the production of electronics and electric motors. Gallium, for example, is used in microwave circuits and blue and violet LEDs, which can be used to make powerful lasers.
Tanzanian Connectivity Surges to new High
Tanzania has seen a surge in connectivity, and has reached a new digital milestone, recording 56.3 million active internet subscriptions by September 2025, according to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)’s Communication Statistics Report for the Quarter Ending September 2025. This figure represents a marked increase of over 6,4% in one quarter, from 52.9 million in June 2025, reflecting the country’s rapid progress toward universal digital access and inclusion. With a total population of around 71 million people, this represents a significant portion of the community now with full digital access. The TCRA report attributes this growth primarily to the expansion of mobile broadband services, particularly 4G and 5G networks, coupled with increasing smartphone adoption and affordable data packages. Mobile network operators such as Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Halotel, and Smile have continued to invest heavily in expanding network coverage to underserved and rural areas.
Rapid Crypto Currency Expansion in South Africa
South Africa’s appetite for cryptocurrency continues to grow rapidly, with more than 530,000 new customers signing up to crypto exchange service Luno, SA’s top cryptocurrency exchange in the past 12 months, bringing the platform’s South African user base to over 6.3 million. Their recently launched tokenised stocks (xStocks), have seen remarkable early success, according to Christo de Wit, Luno’s South Africa country manager. While investment remains the primary use case, Luno Pay, the platform’s payment feature, has seen growing traction. Since its launch in November 2024, over 50,000 completed payments have been processed across more than 1,700 merchants, representing a transaction volume of over R30 million.
Bitcoin is still the most popular cryptocurrency in South Africa, with over 200,000 customers investing in the world’s largest cryptocurrency in the past year. “This dominance is reflected both in trading volume and customer numbers, cementing Bitcoin’s position as the gateway crypto for most South Africans,” explains de Wit.
Breaking News Shorts:
- Gold has dipped to around $4,340 per ounce today after hitting a new record high of $4398 yesterday, supported by its safe-haven appeal and expectations of US rate cuts. The ongoing US government shutdown continued to fuel uncertainty, though White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett suggested the impasse could be resolved this week.
- Copper futures climbed above $5 per pound in early trade today, reaching a one-week high as easing US-China trade tensions boosted risk appetite. US President Donald Trump said he expects to reach a fair trade deal with China’s President Xi Jinping during their meeting in South Korea later this month,
- Sanae Takaichi is poised to become Japan’s first female Prime Minister today, following a coalition agreement between her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), according to Reuters. Japanese equities have surged in anticipation of her premiership, with the Nikkei index climbing to a record high today on expectations of “high-pressure economy” policies.
- Asian Stocks Climb on positive sentiment today, with the Shanghai Composite up 0.6% to above 3,880 while the Shenzhen Component gained 1.2% to 12,980 on Tuesday, with mainland stocks rising for the second straight session as easing Sino-US trade tensions continued to support market growth. Hong Kong stocks climbed 366 points, or 1.4%, to 26,233 extending nearing its highest level in a month
- Crypto Currencies have seen a major price slide this morning, with Bitcoin down by -2.5%, while over the last four weeks, Bitcoin has lost -4.04%, while Ether is down over -3% for the day and over -6% in the last week..
Markets by Numbers
Currency markets indicate the US dollar has strengthened today, with the Euro trading against the US dollar at 1.16353 while the Pound is trading at 1.33901 to the US dollar. The Yen is currently trading at 151.07 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR) is currently at R17.23 to the US dollar.
Commodities:
- Gold futures prices are slightly softer this morning, after hitting a new record high yesterday, and are currently trading around $4340 per ounce.
- Copper prices have gained traction earlier today, hitting over $5 per pound but have dropped marginally, with prices currently around $4.9988
- Silver futures prices are softer this morning, and currently trading around $51.990
- Platinum futures are down over -0.8% today, and currently trading at $1624.10, While Palladium prices have dropped by 0.4% this morning, and are currently trading around $1502.00 per ounce.
- Brent crude oil prices have fallen further today, and currently at $60.87 with WTI trading lower at $56.91
- Cocoa futures are currently trading around $5899 per ton.
- Coffee futures have surged by over 2% today, and are currently trading at around $4.0605 per pound
Crypto Currencies:
- Bitcoin prices have dropped by over -2.5% today, and currently trading at around $107743 per coin
- Ether prices have seen a drop of over -3% today, and are currently trading around the $3853.81 mark
- $Trumpcoin is trending upwards today, and currently trading around $6.01
(All prices quoted at approximately 07H55 Central African Time)
Other Headline News in Africa Today
Madagascan Leader Appoints Banker as Prime Minister
Madagascar’s coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has named businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo as the nation’s new prime minister effective yesterday. This follows the recent military seizure of control in the country last week after Andry Rajoelina, the former President, was impeached by lawmakers after he fled abroad over fear for his life. Randrianirina was sworn in as President on Friday in the wake of massive youth-led protests, supported by the military that forced out his predecessor.
The new leader said he appointed Rajaonarivelo as head of government due to his experience and “connection with international organisations that work with us.” He replaces Ruphin Zafisambo, who had only been appointed as Prime Minister two weeks ago by Rajoelina. Zafisambo’s tenure as Prime Minister now ranks in the top three shortest periods in office for a Prime Minister globally. Rajaonarivelo is a well-known figure in the Malagasy economic and financial ecosystem. Prior to his appointment, he led BNI (Banque nationale de l’industrie), one of Madagascar’s main banks.
