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Finance in Africa 2022: Navigating the financial landscape in turbulent times

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European Investment Bank

Banks weathered the pandemic well, showing the resilience of the sector

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 20, 2022/APO Group/ — 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) (https://www.EIB.org) has completed its annual survey of banks in Africa in 2022, supported by Making Finance Work for Africa. In Finance in Africa in 2022: Navigating the financial landscape in turbulent times (https://bit.ly/3goYM2l), the seventh report in this series, we surveyed 70 banks in sub-Saharan Africa between April and June 2022 to understand how the war in Ukraine is impacting banks and to learn their views on climate lending, gender lending and the accelerating digitisation of the sector.

Banks weathered the pandemic well, showing the resilience of the sector. However, the war in Ukraine is leading to new concerns. With central banks in many countries raising domestic interest rates and bond funding becoming more expensive due to tighter global financial conditions, there has been a significant increase in banks worried about funding costs. This hardly featured in the survey last year, when banks were mainly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on asset quality.

“The slowdown of the global economy and the tightening of financing condition amplify the economic problems facing Africa. As public sector debt servicing costs are increasing, there is a risk of crowding out for the private sector. Investment needs remain however significant and countries in sub-Saharan Africa will need to keep focus on limiting the effects on private lending,” said EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella (https://bit.ly/3eRzNUJ). “It will be crucial to maintain access to finance for companies during a global downturn. The region has a strong partner with the European Investment Bank. We have been investing in Africa since 1965 and in 2021 alone, the EIB signed agreements for investments benefiting operations worth €2 billion in sub-Saharan Africa under a dedicated ACP Investment Facility”.

Banks cautiously optimistic

Asset quality remains a concern this year for many banks, especially for loans to small and medium enterprises. Headline non-performing loan figures do not tell the whole story — there are significant shares of loans under moratoria or restructuring. Banks’ concerns about asset quality deterioration suggest that the size of the problem may be bigger than official data suggest and, correspondingly, that non-performing loan ratios are likely to increase in some countries as support measures are wound down and tough global economic conditions persist. Banks expect to see increased credit demand, and they also plan to expand their own operations, which in turn requires an expansion of their funding. The share of banks planning to expand lending operations is somewhat higher in the survey for 2022 compared to 2021. Despite clear concerns about asset quality, the mood that seems to characterise the sector is one of cautious optimism.

Banks are stepping up efforts on gender lending

Progress is being made to increase access to finance for women: 70% of the banks in our survey have a gender strategy in place and sponsor women and gender-focused initiatives in the community, an increase of 10 percentage points on the share in the 2021 survey. When it comes to women and asset quality, four in ten banks found that non-performing loan rates for women-led businesses were lower than the average rate of their loan portfolios. In some countries, the difference was even greater. For example, in Nigeria, 71% of banks observed lower non-performing loan ratios for women, as did 50% of banks in Kenya.

The slowdown of the global economy and the tightening of financing condition amplify the economic problems facing Africa

Accelerating digital transformation

The pandemic led to an acceleration in the rate of digitalisation of the banking sector, as banks were forced to use digital channels to reach customers. Ninety percent of banks agree that the pandemic has accelerated their internal digitalisation transformation and 70% say that they increased the range of digital services available to customers. However, there are constraints to increasing digitalisation, with three-quarters of banks ranking cybersecurity risks as the biggest issue. The rapid growth of the FinTech sector has been another catalyst for increased digitalisation. The entire FinTech ecosystem in Africa has grown to more than 1 000 active companies in April 2022, up from 450 in 2020. Of these, 80% are homegrown and 20% come from outside Africa. Payments and lending services are still the dominant products, but the sector has diversified. The increasing competition from this sector is a key concern for banks, with more than half of banks listing it among their top three issues.

Climate issues still in focus

Almost 42% of banks assessed the climate exposure of their portfolio in 2021. In 2022, this has increased to 46% but with an additional 26% now planning to do so – none were planning this in 2021. Nearly 70% of banks see climate lending as an opportunity to fight climate change. To date, only one-fifth of banks have introduced green lending products, meaning there is significant scope to expand green lending – provided banks obtain support to do this. About 60% cite lack of expertise, data and tools for climate risk as a barrier to doing more on identifying climate risks and opportunities. In addition, two-thirds of banks think that IFIs can help them expand green lending by providing training and technical assistance. This sets out a clear policy objective for IFIs in terms of growing green lending.

Financial markets are also supporting climate change. The issuance of ESG bonds by African entities increased substantially to almost $5.1 billion in 2021, eclipsing the previous high of $3 billion set in 2018 before the pandemic, with a significant increase in the issuance of sustainability-linked loans and sustainability bonds. Banks and sovereigns were the principal issuers of ESG financial instruments in Africa in 2021. Historically, ESG issuance in Africa has been dominated by corporate issuers so recent developments point to a wider range of actors getting involved in ESG financing.

Nonetheless, the size of the green debt market in Africa is still small on a global scale and green funding costs are inflated by high sovereign risk.

Private capital

African private capital markets had a strong year in 2021. Fundraising reached pre-pandemic levels, following a significant fall during the pandemic. Private investment, which had remained quite resilient during the pandemic, grew by 48% annually to reach $6.3 billion, surpassing the previous peak of $5.4 billion set in 2014/2015. The increase in investment in 2021 was driven largely by the venture capital side, which saw deal value increase from $485 million in 2020 to $3.23 billion in 2021. Roughly half of this investment was in FinTech. Nigeria was the largest market for private equity/venture capital investment in 2021, followed by South Africa. Private equity is also contributing to the growth of green financing. There has been a surge in fundraising for climate-focused investing in recent years. However, like green financing, tougher market conditions in 2022 mean the record volumes seen in 2021 are unlikely to be repeated.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of European Investment Bank (EIB).

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Aurionpro expands its multi-country transaction banking engagement with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB)

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Aurionpro

Aurionpro’s upgraded iCashpro platform for DTB delivers a unified digital experience across payments, trade, virtual accounts, and real-time reporting, enhancing straight-through processing, visibility, and control for both the bank and its corporate customers

MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026/APO Group/ –Aurionpro Solutions Limited (www.AurionPro.com) (BSE: 532668 | NSE: AURIONPRO)a global leader in banking technology, announced the expansion and upgrade of its transaction banking engagement with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), to modernize and enhance the bank’s corporate transaction banking capabilities across multiple countries.

Download Document: https://apo-opa.co/4edHUaC

This multi-country transaction banking upgrade covering Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania aligns with DTB’s intent to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and support growing transaction volumes as it expands its regional corporate banking footprint. DTB continues to focus on building a more agile, ‘digital-first’ banking experience, particularly around payments for its corporate customers across Africa, and is now well positioned to scale these capabilities. As part of its broader transformation agenda, the bank has been steadily investing in platforms that enhance scale, reliability, and service consistency across markets.

Through this partnership, we are proud to lead the next era of transformation in transaction banking, helping DTB enhance operational agility

Aurionpro’s upgraded iCashpro platform for DTB delivers a unified digital experience across payments, trade, virtual accounts, and real-time reporting, enhancing straight-through processing, visibility, and control for both the bank and its corporate customers. By enabling DTB to standardize and scale its transaction banking operations across countries, the platform ensures consistent service levels, stronger control, and improved efficiency. It also supports enhanced user experience, advanced security, and the flexibility to introduce new features as DTB expands its regional transaction banking footprint.

Murali Natarajan (https://apo-opa.co/48trPdk), Managing Director & CEO, DTB Kenya   commented: “We are delighted to strengthen and broaden our partnership with Aurionpro Solutions as part of DTB’s ongoing digital transformation journey across multiple markets. Our focus on innovation, operational excellence, and customer-centricity continues to guide our technology investments. This upgrade strengthens our transaction banking capabilities, enabling us to deliver greater value to our customers through robust digital channels and seamlessly integrated experiences.”

Ashish Rai, Group CEO, Aurionpro Solutions, commented: “We are pleased to deepen our multi-country engagement with Diamond Trust Bank and support the next phase of its transaction banking modernization. As DTB continues to scale across markets, platform resilience and consistency become paramount. Through this partnership, we are proud to lead the next era of transformation in transaction banking, helping DTB enhance operational agility, deliver superior experiences to corporate customers, and create long-term value across geographies.”

He added, “Aurionpro’s iCashpro lays a strong digital foundation for transaction & wholesale banks across the globe to grow their corporate and SME client portfolio today, while creating a clear roadmap for next- generation capabilities in AI-driven insights, advanced automation and API-led connectivity for businesses in Kenya and across Africa.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Aurionpro Solutions Ltd.

 

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Minerals Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joins African Mining Week (AMW) as South Africa Improves Sectorial Investment Climate

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Energy Capital

Minerals Council CEO to share insights on policy, infrastructure and investment trends shaping South Africa’s mining industry

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 30, 2026/APO Group/ –The upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) conference will feature Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of the Minerals Council of South Africa, as a speaker. Scheduled for October 14 – 16, 2026 in Cape Town, the event will bring together global investors, policymakers and industry leaders, with Mthenjane’s participation highlighting the council’s commitment to engaging international stakeholders and promoting investment across South Africa’s mining sector.

His participation comes at a critical moment as the Minerals Council works closely with government on finalizing the Mineral Resources Development Bill 2025, a policy framework aimed at strengthening the country’s mining investment climate and the sector’s contribution to GDP. According to the council, the revised legislation will support new investment across the value chain as South Africa seeks to mobilize R2 trillion over the next five years to unlock its critical minerals potential.

The policy reforms come amid shifting production trends in the sector. In 2025, South Africa recorded declines in gold and platinum group metals output of 1.9% and 4.1%, respectively. The new regulatory framework is expected to strengthen public-private partnerships and stimulate investment, enabling South Africa to increase production and capitalize on strong global commodity prices. Increased private sector investments is crucial with South Africa seeking targeting to unlock an estimated R40 trillion in untapped iron ore potential as well as maintain its position as the world’s leading producer of chrome and manganese.

At AMW 2026, Mthenjane is expected to outline these trends, providing insights into how the council is contributing to addressing challenges disrupting the sector. Infrastructure and energy costs remain key concerns for industry players. To support the energy-intensive sector, South Africa approved a 35% reduction in electricity tariffs for major ferrochrome producers, helping stabilize an industry that has faced significant cost pressures after electricity prices surged by roughly 900% since 2008.

Logistics constraints are also a priority area for reform. South Africa’s economy is losing an estimated R1 billion per day due to inefficiencies across rail and port infrastructure. As a result, the government is considering measures supported by the Minerals Council to increase private sector participation in logistics. Planned reforms include rail modernization initiatives targeting 250 million tons of freight capacity by 2029, alongside port upgrades and private operator participation aimed at strengthening mineral exports and improving supply chain efficiency.

Beyond infrastructure and policy reforms, the Minerals Council is advocating for stronger exploration investment to support long-term industry growth.

At AMW, Mthenjane is expected to highlight these developments and outline the steps required to reinforce South Africa’s position in the global minerals supply chain. His insights will offer investors and stakeholders a timely perspective on opportunities within the country’s mining sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Seychelles Targets Energy Investment Push as Minister Jérémie Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as a Speaker

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African Energy Chamber

Seychelles energy minister will speak at AEW 2026, positioning her to highlight reforms, renewable projects and investment opportunities as the island nation advances its transition toward a diversified energy system

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 29, 2026/APO Group/ –Marie-May Jérémie, Minister of Environment, Climate, Energy and Natural Resources for Seychelles will participate as a speaker at this year’s African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, taking place from October 12–16 in Cape Town. Her participation underscores the country’s growing role in shaping Africa’s small-island energy transition agenda.

Minister Jérémie’s presence at AEW 2026 comes at a critical time as Seychelles accelerates efforts to reduce its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels. The event provides a platform to attract investment, strengthen policy alignment and showcase bankable projects, positioning the country as a viable destination for private-sector participation in island energy systems.

Seychelles is demonstrating how policy reform and innovation can unlock investment in constrained environments

In May last year, international finance institution the World Bank approved the Renewable Energy Acceleration Program, a seven-year initiative aimed at modernizing the grid and increasing renewable energy penetration to 15% by 2030. The program focuses on unlocking private capital while strengthening transmission infrastructure to accommodate variable renewable energy sources.

Project development is gaining traction in the country, particularly in innovative technologies suited to Seychelles’ land constraints. The 5.8 MW Seysun Lagoon floating solar PV project, developed by independent renewable power producer Qair, is under construction and expected online in 2026.

Alongside renewables, Seychelles continues to pursue upstream opportunities to diversify its economy. The government approved new exploration entrants in 2025 and extended exiting petroleum agreements, while securing an infrastructure partnership with China. Multilateral estimates suggest over $800 million in investment will be required over the next 25 years.

Regulatory reform is central to this transition, with Seychelles introducing an independent power producer framework to open the market to private developers. Standardized power purchase agreements, grid access reforms and strengthened public-private partnership structures are being implemented to improve transparency, reduce risk and accelerate project bankability across solar, storage and emerging wind opportunities.

“Minister Jérémie’s participation highlights the strategic importance of island nations in Africa’s broader energy transition,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber. “Seychelles is demonstrating how policy reform and innovation can unlock investment in constrained environments. Her insights will be critical to advancing dialogue on resilient, low-carbon energy systems across the continent.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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