Sponsored Content | CIB
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Sponsored by CIBOn paper, Francophone Africa’s economic landscape looks conducive to investment and integration. There is the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which comprises eight countries that share a currency - the West African CFA franc - and a central bank. Another six francophone countries are part of the Central African CFA franc zone. 14 countries with only two currencies and two central banks should be favourable to financial coordination - but the reality is quite different. -
Sponsored by CIBThe 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.
Sponsored Content | CIB
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Sponsored by CIBAfrica’s economic growth has slowed markedly over the last 10 years. The solutions are many, but ultimately African countries need to move further up the value chain and diversify into new products. This means more trade - much more.
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Sponsored by CIBIt is often said that African countries trade more with countries outside the continent than amongst themselves, in part as a legacy of the old colonial development model. Bolstering intra-Africa trade is not only welcome but also a key answer to sluggish economic growth. Progress through tools such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is happening, but not as fast as it could.
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Sponsored by CIBIn South Africa, a new generation of digital banks and fintechs are offering credit and convenience to even the smallest SMEs. This provision of financing to the full spectrum of small and medium sized businesses could provide a path for other players to follow.
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Sponsored by CIBExtending banking services to African SMEs is vital to ensure economic and social progress, requiring both a regulatory effort from above and private sector problem-solving from below. Many of the continent’s most dynamic markets are now showing signs of progress.
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Sponsored by CIBIssuance of sustainable finance across Africa has risen rapidly in recent years. Yet activity is still only a fraction of what it could be. Can the market overcome its challenges and reach its potential?
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Sponsored by CIBThe Egyptian banking sector has needed to demonstrate resilience amid the country’s economic volatility. CIB has showed this and delivered growth, says Omar EL-Husseiny, Head of Treasury Group.
