The MTN Group has announced that it has appointed Burak Akinci as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the instant messaging app Ayoba, effective 1 September. Akinci, who will report to the group's chief digital and fintech officer Serigne Dioum, joins MTN from Turkcell, where he was CEO of BiP. He has over 20 years of experience in marketing, digital businesses and technologies, and led the build-out of the BiP platform. In his new role, he will be based in Cape Town.