The history of financing for African agriculture has gone through a series of false dawns. State-led credit in the years after independence gave way to market reforms and microfinance in the 1980s. Warehouse receipts and value chain finance aimed to tempt banks into lending with produce as collateral. But these solutions all fell short of being truly transformative. Now, it is agriculture-related financial technology, or agri-fintech shouldering hopes of revolutionising lending in a sector critical to the continent’s future.

Middle East and Africa banking series

The latest edition of HSBC’s Global Payment Trends explores the significant transformation in the payments landscape, driven by advancements in technology, the adoption of new digital business models, and upgrades in payment infrastructure. These innovations enable organisations to achieve their strategic objectives, streamline business processes, and enhance customer experience. As demand for seamless, real-time payment solutions grows, treasury teams have new opportunities to optimise cash management and improve working capital efficiency.

Africa’s debt problem constrains government spending and investment across the continent. Ample access to electricity is another problem, which constrains growth. Then there are the twin climate and biodiversity crises, to which fragile African states are particularly vulnerable. There is no panacea for these interlocking challenges. But there is a tool that offers the chance to make some progress on all of them — debt-for-nature swaps (DfNS).

Not that long ago, private equity firms only had to be active in Africa to claim their capital was having an ‘impact’. Such was the investment shortfall that simply being willing to face the array of challenges earned the label. But as the standards for impact investing rise, private equity needs to find a way to meet them while simultaneously delivering higher risk-adjusted returns.

Long known as a hot Caribbean tourist destination, the Dominican Republic continues to invest in the critical sector at pace. The country is attracting substantial financial investment beyond the traditional “sun and sea” offering, as growing environmental considerations reshape its largest economic sector.

Economic uncertainty caused by geopolitical turmoil, such as the Ukrainian or the Middle East conflicts, have changed perceptions of sustainability and ESG in some parts of the asset management and banking industries. However, the world’s leading banks are investing more, not less, into ESG initiatives – none more so than Spain’s market leader CaixaBank.

Opportunities for treasurers to build resilience and tackle growth opportunities in an uncertain economic landscape

Middle East and Africa banking series

When it comes to servicing corporates through Treasury and Capital Markets (TCM), client experience is crucial. Hammad Naqvi, Group Head of TCM at Mashreq, explains how an unrivalled breadth of product and laser focus on service enables the bank to punch far above its weight.