Nigeria’s statistics bureau reports inflation drop to 23.71% in April 2025 - Finance in Africa
Despite the apparent drop in headline inflation, Nigerians continue to face high costs of essentials amid ongoing economic challenges.| Finance in Africa
Despite the apparent drop in headline inflation, Nigerians continue to face high costs of essentials amid ongoing economic challenges.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria’s central bank has held its benchmark interest rate at 27.5%, as it weighed slowing inflation against lingering economic pressures.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria is set to receive a $500 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support its ongoing economic reforms.| Finance in Africa
Kenya is set to launch a sovereign wealth fund and an infrastructure fund, as the government looks to finance key sectors through asset sales.| Finance in Africa
Malawi’s newly elected president, Peter Mutharika, has reappointed Joseph Mwanamvekha as finance minister, according to an official statement.| Finance in Africa
Notably, digital banking charges made up the largest portion of earnings from fees and commissions for most of the reviewed banks.| Finance in Africa
Kenya cuts rates again despite mounting price pressures | Finance in Africa
Muhammad Sanusi II, Emir of Kano and former central-bank governor, warns that Nigeria’s early monetary loosening risks reigniting inflation and undoing recent gains in economic stability.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s central bank has lowered its benchmark lending rate for the eighth consecutive time, trimming it by 25 basis points to 9.25%.| Finance in Africa
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has unveiled draft regulations requiring all credit guarantee firms operating in the country to hold a minimum core capital of KES 1 billion ($7.86 million).| Finance in Africa
The central bank has indicated it could lower its benchmark rate if inflationary pressures persist in easing.| Finance in Africa
Ghana’s former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has once again been declared wanted after failing to appear for questioning on Monday.| Finance in Africa
Ethiopia's Central Bank has raised the banking sector credit cap to 24%, despite plans to fully lift the Cap as planned in September, amid falling inflation.| Finance in Africa
Egypt’s annual inflation slowed for the fourth straight month in September, falling to 11.7% from 12% in August, according to CAPMAS .| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s inflation accelerated in August to 4.5% from 4.1% in July, hitting a 14-month high after the CBK delivered its seventh consecutive rate cut.| Finance in Africa
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran is sending tremors through global energy markets, with Nigeria caught in the crosscurrents.| Finance in Africa
Among African countries hit by Trump’s tariff overhaul, Kenya fared relatively well, receiving the baseline 10% rate—offering it some breathing space amid broader trade disruptions.| Finance in Africa
Angola’s oil-tied debt exposure to China dropped from $10.2 billion at the end of December 2024 to $8.9 billion in June, official data has revealed.| Finance in Africa
While attention has centred on the newly gazetted rules in recent weeks, less focus has been given to the taxes that have been erased.| Finance in Africa
The upturn comes after months of sluggish performance weighed down by political protests and higher costs earlier in the year.| Finance in Africa
Stanbic IBTC, Nigeria’s priciest banking stock, has named Chukwuma (Chuma) Nwokocha as Group Chief Executive after a year under interim leadership.| Finance in Africa
The 100 basis point cut was loosely in step with market expectations and follows a steady decline in inflation since mid-year.| Finance in Africa
The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has unveiled a Banking Sector Index to give investors a sharper view of Kenya’s largest and most liquid sector, with a cumulative total asset of KSh 7.9trn ($60bn).| Finance in Africa
Family Bank Kenya is set to debut on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, breaking a long drought of new listings on the bourse, buoyed by its strong earnings performance.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s industrial map is shifting. A growing number of manufacturers and logistics companies are abandoning Nairobi’s ageing Industrial Area for Tatu City — a $3 billion privately built Special Economic Zone (SEZ)| Finance in Africa
Business activity in Nigeria slipped to a three-month low, despite easing inflation supported by relative exchange-rate stability and seasonal factors.| Finance in Africa
Explore Nigeria’s Oronsaye Report (2012–2025): key reforms, challenges, and its impact on public service restructuring and governance.| Finance in Africa
Ghana’s annual consumer inflation slowed for the ninth consecutive month in September, easing to 9.4% from 11.5% in August.| Finance in Africa
Nedbank Group, South Africa’s fourth-largest bank by assets, has begun formal steps to sell its 21.2% stake in Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI).| Finance in Africa
On Tuesday, Kenya's central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 9.50%, the lowest since May 2023, to boost growth as inflation rises to 4.1% and business activity contracts further.| Finance in Africa
South Africa Capitec overtakes FirstRand Bank to become Africa's most valuable bank, helped by a mix of share rally, asset returns, and appointment of CEO Lee| Finance in Africa
Nigeria-born fintech LemFi has acquired UK-based credit card issuer Pillar, marking a strategic pivot from cross-border remittances into the underserved migrant credit market.| Finance in Africa
Tracking the ups and downs of Egypt’s biggest companies just became easier. On August 17, 2025, the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) unveiled its first-ever mobile app, giving investors real-time access to market data directly from their phones—anywhere in the world.| Finance in Africa
In the past seven months, four of Africa’s biggest lenders have expressed interest in entering Ethiopia’s financial market.| Finance in Africa
Mamo Mihretu has stepped down as governor of Ethiopia’s central bank, a post he has held since January 2023 amid sweeping economic and monetary reforms.| Finance in Africa
Union Bank of Nigeria, has finalised its merger with Titan Trust Bank (TTB), bringing an end to a process that began in 2021 when TTB acquired a controlling stake.| Finance in Africa
The directive comes as banks prepare to meet a new total core capital requirement of $77.7 million by 2029.| Finance in Africa
In an operating environment marked by high inflation, weak consumer purchasing power, and multiple taxes, women entrepreneurs are quietly outperforming their male peers.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s Kamau Thugge and Morocco’s Abdellatif Jouahri have earned top marks in Global Finance magazine’s 2025 “Central Banker Report Cards,” placing ahead of peers from Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda in the annual global ranking.| Finance in Africa
Capitec Bank, which handles over 40% of South Africa’s airtime and data transactions, is deepening its telecoms push with a micro-airtime advance, betting the phased rollout will scale rapidly across its 25-million-strong customer base.| Finance in Africa
South Africa’s mining and infrastructure reforms are drawing growing interest from Indian investors seeking opportunities in the region.| Finance in Africa
Ethiopia's parliament has passed an historic bill that allows foreign banks set up branches in the country.| Finance in Africa
For a long time, the banking sector in Ethiopia now has been dominated by local players, but recent policy changes could bring in foreign juggernauts.| Finance in Africa
The NGX lost 0.77% last week, but insurance and growth stocks soared, delivering gains above 30%. Smart money rotated into defensive and high-beta plays.| Finance in Africa
The capital raise is aimed at ensuring compliance with CBN's minimum capital requirements for banks and aligns with its long-term strategic objectives.| Finance in Africa
The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan have collectively contributed $16 million to the African Development Fund, tripling their last cycle’s pledge.| Finance in Africa
According to DealMakers Africa, rising global interest rates, a strong US dollar, and geopolitical tensions drove international capital toward safer, higher-yielding markets, leaving African deals in retreat.| Finance in Africa
HSBC Holdings Plc has officially exited South Africa, ending a three-decade run which will see its assets and operations transferred to FirstRand.| Finance in Africa
AI is transforming the African M&A lifecycle — from identifying targets to automating due diligence and smoothing post-merger integration. The technology promises speed, precision, and insights that human teams alone struggle to match...| Finance in Africa
Unlike its economic counterparts, Lagos has a strikingly low tax-to-GDP ratio, exposing a major revenue gap that threatens the fiscal sustainability of Africa’s most populous city.| Finance in Africa
The CBN has introduced three new non-interest liquidity tools to strengthen the Islamic finance sector and align with global standards.| Finance in Africa
Fidelity Bank Plc has denied claims that Nigeria’s apex court ordered it to pay $139 million in damages over a disputed legacy loan.| Finance in Africa
JPMorgan has upgraded its outlook on Afreximbank’s Eurobonds to overweight, citing more attractive pricing following a recent Fitch downgrade.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria’s banks are racing to meet the central bank’s recapitalisation deadline, raising ₦800bn ($523m) in the first seven months of 2025, with a further ₦900bn projected by December.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria is weighing its first interest rate cut in five years as inflation cools and foreign capital begins to return.| Finance in Africa
Soaring inflation and weak currencies push young Africans to crypto—but the IMF warns the rush could undercut monetary policy, fuel capital flight, and shake already fragile economies.| Finance in Africa
South African lender Nedbank is selling its stake in ETI to Bosquet Investments, owned by former Ecobank chairman Alain Nkontchou, in a deal expected to close later this year.| Finance in Africa
Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions, saw its market capitalisation cross the ₦3 trillion ($2.04 billion) mark on Wednesday, a week after GTCO achieved the same feat.| Finance in Africa
The appointment announced on Friday comes as Ethiopia grapples with currency instability, heavy debt obligations and an ambitious programme to liberalise its financial sector.| Finance in Africa
The 108-year-old financial institution has announced the full redemption of its 15.75% Series 2 bond on September 3, 2025, settling principal and coupon payments in line with SEC rules.| Finance in Africa
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) kept its benchmark repo rate steady at 7% on Thursday, citing inflationary concerns.| Finance in Africa
Standard Chartered Kenya has warned that its net profit for 2025 could fall by at least 25%, following a costly pension settlement .| Finance in Africa
Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest lenders, is set to expand into Francophone Africa this year with a greenfield unit in Côte d’Ivoire.| Finance in Africa
According to the group's earnings report on Thursday, profit after tax fell by 7.9% to ₦532.2bn ($372.4m) in the six months to June, from ₦577.9bn ($384.4 m) in the same period of 2024. The last time Zenith posted a profit drop was in 2016.| Finance in Africa
The World Bank has announced that it will resume funding to Uganda after a two-year halt triggered by the enactment of an anti-LGBT law.| Finance in Africa
Backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country has unveiled its first Bank Neutral Cash Hub (BNCH), a move to curb theft, risk, and high cost of moving cash across locations.| Finance in Africa
Ghana’s central bank lowered its benchmark lending rate by 350 basis points to 21.5% from 25% as inflationary pressures ease further.| Finance in Africa
Ghana’s banking sector faces heightened pressure as regulators move to enforce stricter prudential rules aimed at curbing non-performing loans.| Finance in Africa
Malawi has secured a $350 million grant from the World Bank to support the development of a landmark hydropower storage project.| Finance in Africa
Standard Bank, Africa’s largest lender by assets, has turned to seasoned internal hands to steer its South African unit, the group's biggest arm.| Finance in Africa
South Africa’s annual inflation eased to 3.3% in August from 3.5% in July, marking the first slowdown in five months.| Finance in Africa
Egypt’s strong performance in the last fiscal year suggests growing investor confidence and capacity to meet its hefty debt obligations.| Finance in Africa
As global oil prices tumble and the naira weakens, Nigeria’s inflationary pressures may last longer than hoped.| Finance in Africa
Under the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), the use of a Tax Identification Number (Tax ID) will be mandatory for a range of activities, from banking to business registration, beginning January 1, 2026.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria’s newly gazetted tax laws—set to take effect on January 1, 2026—have triggered intense public debate, much of it driven by misconceptions about key provisions.| Finance in Africa
Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) has crossed the ₦100 share price mark — a first for any Nigerian banking stock — placing it alongside industrial giants like BUA Cement and Lafarge Africa.| Finance in Africa
Ecobank Nigeria has redeemed half of its $300 million Eurobond due February 2026, nearly seven months ahead of schedule.| Finance in Africa
Despite having the lowest combined brand value among Africa’s top banking markets, Kenya’s three top lenders—Equity Bank, KCB, and Co-Operative Bank—posted the continent’s highest growth, rising 25.1% to $1.18 billion in 2025, according to the latest African Banking report.| Finance in Africa
Lagos state has announced plans to raise ₦214.8bn ($142.8m) from the capital markets under its one trillion naira debt programme, as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu seeks investors’ commitment.| Finance in Africa
With less than 7 months to the CBN's March 31, 2026, recapitalisation deadline, Nigeria’s mid-sized lenders are scrambling to shore up their balance sheets, deploying a mix of capital raises, mergers and asset sales to meet the new minimum capital thresholds.| Finance in Africa
Nigeria’s headline inflation fell for the fifth consecutive month to 20.1% in August, easing from 21.8% in July, according to new NBS data.| Finance in Africa
Uganda has obtained a $313 million syndicated loan from Ecobank, FirstRand and the Development Bank of South Africa to finance infrastructure projects, underscoring its growing reliance on African lenders after a two-year freeze in Western funding.| Finance in Africa
Ghana will begin refining gold locally from October 2025 as part of efforts to lift export revenue and strengthen its position in the bullion trade| Finance in Africa
Botswana has established a new sovereign wealth fund to stabilise its ailing economy, amid falling diamond revenues.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s banking sector delivered mixed results in H1 2025, with local lenders recording strong profit growth while foreign-owned banks struggled.| Finance in Africa
Finance in Africa helps you stay ahead of Africa’s finance scene. You get daily market updates, investment guides, and tips for Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Egypt.| Finance in Africa
South Africa’s labour market deteriorated further in the second quarter, with the official unemployment rate climbing by 0.3 percentage points to 33.2%, according to Statistics South Africa.| Finance in Africa
More than 1,000 Kenya’s chief executive officers are entering the second half of 2025 with optimism, see growth but fear rising cost, tax obligation, and tariffs uncertainties.| Finance in Africa
South Africa’s exports to the United States plunged by 27% in March to $634.3 million, down from $874.7 million in February| Finance in Africa
Despite gaining four points in March, the PMI remains below the 50-point threshold, indicating ongoing contraction in the sector.| Finance in Africa
The reversal follows weeks of tension between the African National Congress (ANC) and its main coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which opposed the VAT hike both in parliament and in court.| Finance in Africa
Egypt has secured $1.8bn in financing from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) since the start of 2025.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s insurance profit slumps 42% on weaker investment income| Finance in Africa
South Africa’s gross domestic product expanded by 0.8% compared to a marginal 0.1% in the first quarter, according to the latest official data.| Finance in Africa
Kenya’s insurance industry saw net earnings fall 42% in Q1 2025 to $38 million, from $66 million a year earlier, according to the IRA.| Finance in Africa
Ghana’s economy expanded by 6.3% in Q2 2025, compared with a revised 5.7% a year earlier, according to the latest GDP report.| Finance in Africa
The headline PMI rose to 50.8 from 50.2 in July, staying above the 50.0 no-change mark for the seventh straight month according to S&P Global.| Finance in Africa
Ethiopia has unveiled the $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project.| Finance in Africa
Amarachi is a finance writer with a knack for turning complex economic data into compelling stories. With over half a decade of writing experience—spanning content creation, journalism, and on-the-ground reporting—she found herself in finance by accident but stayed for the thrill of decoding numbers that shape economies. Now, she covers the policies, trends, and market shifts that drive Africa’s financial landscape, making crucial information accessible to readers across the continent. | Finance in Africa
AfDB has approved a $50 million Trade Finance Transaction Guarantee Facility for Awash Bank, one of Ethiopia’s largest private lenders, as part of its ongoing efforts to expand access to trade finance for SMEs and local corporates.| Finance in Africa
