SAN JOSÉ, United States of America, May 20, 2026/APO Group/ –PayPal (www.PayPal.com) today announced it is making PayPal USD (PYUSD) available in 70 markets worldwide in the PayPal account. This dollar-backed stablecoin enables users to send funds globally, with faster settlement and lower cost than traditional payment methods.

As global commerce becomes increasingly digital, individuals and businesses are looking for faster and more seamless ways to transact across borders. Stablecoins like PYUSD help power an inclusive, fast, lower-cost, global commerce system.

“Consumers and businesses around the world are looking for faster, more seamless ways to transact globally and the current system still charges too much, takes too long, and settles on timelines that were designed for a different era,” said May Zabaneh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crypto, PayPal. “We are working to change that. Enabling PYUSD in users’ accounts across 70 markets gives people faster access to their funds, lower-cost ways to send money across borders, and a more direct path to participating in the global economy, and that is what drives commerce forward for everyone.”

“Bringing PYUSD to Africa is about delivering tangible value to the people and businesses driving growth in these dynamic markets,” said Otto Williams, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Middle East and Africa, PayPal. “Consumers gain a flexible, stable way to move funds faster, while businesses can streamline cross-border payments, improve settlement times, and unlock new opportunities for growth. By increasing access to a regulated, USD-backed digital currency, we’re breaking down barriers and helping reduce friction in global commerce across the region.”

Users in newly supported markets can buy, hold, send, and receive PYUSD directly from their PayPal account.¹ Additionally, eligible users can earn rewards on their PYUSD holdings,² can i transfer funds to friends and family, whether on PayPal or to third-party digital wallets, and convert PYUSD to local currency when withdrawing funds³ for everyday spending.

Businesses that accept PYUSD can use proceeds in minutes rather than days or weeks, improving liquidity and reducing reliance on traditional settlement cycles. Faster access to funds can help businesses manage working capital, support cross-border operations, and participate in global commerce.

Following the launch of PYUSD in the United States in 2023, this expansion is another critical step in creating the liquidity, utility, and ubiquity of PYUSD necessary to create a more inclusive, global commerce ecosystem. By making it available in more places through PayPal, PYUSD helps consumers send funds internationally at a lower cost, while enabling businesses to settle faster, reduce foreign payment fees, and access proceeds more quickly.

PYUSD is now broadly available across multiple global regions, including Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, The Middle East, and North America.

For more information about PYUSD, please visit https://apo-opa.co/49g0TOy

 

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CAIRO, Egypt, May 20, 2026/APO Group/ –African Export‑Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has extended a USD 15 million SME Finance Facility to Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited under its Export SME Development Programme (ESDP).The facility will provide working capital and capital expenditure financing to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating within export value chains across key sectors of the Zimbabwean economy, including agribusiness, manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics.

 

The funding represents the latest development in a partnership between the two institutions that dates to 2018 and reflects a shared commitment to expanding SME access to finance, deepening export value chains, and driving inclusive economic growth in Zimbabwe.

Under the facility, enterprises that form the productive backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy, yet remain chronically underserved by conventional lending, will have access to financing. The programme is specifically targeted at SMEs operating across export value chains in key sectors, including agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics, technology, healthcare, and the creative economy, among others.

Commenting on the signing, Ms. Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director for Export Development at Afreximbank, said, “In Zimbabwe and across the continent, Afreximbank remains firmly committed to supporting SMEs as engines of export growth, economic resilience, and long-term development. This facility with exemplifies the kind of high-additionality, high-impact intervention that the ESDP was designed to deliver, addressing market failures that commercial finance alone cannot resolve, and building the productive capacity of enterprises that are central to Africa’s trade transformation. It therefore goes beyond providing credit; it is a structured commitment to building the capacity of enterprises that can drive Zimbabwe’s participation in intra-African trade and regional value chains. Through the ESDP, we are ensuring that each beneficiary SME is not only funded but equipped, connected, and positioned to grow sustainably.”

The facility is structured to channel Afreximbank’s development finance through Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited as a licensed financial intermediary, combining the Bank’s trade finance expertise with Ecobank’s extensive local footprint and client relationships. Some 43.75 percent of proceeds will support intra-African trade activities, while 18 percent will be directed towards manufacturing, reflecting Afreximbank’s focus on industrialisation and regional trade integration.

As part of its non-financial interventions under the ESDP, Afreximbank will also provide capacity-building support to SME sub-borrowers, covering operations and financial management, loan management, export readiness, marketing, and digitalisation. The integrated support is designed to enhance SME sustainability, strengthen credit quality, and enable stronger participation in export value chains.

For Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited, the facility significantly enhances its capacity to serve a segment of the market it recognises as vital to the country’s economic prospects. By channelling Afreximbank’s development finance through its existing SME product suite and advisory infrastructure, Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited will offer beneficiary enterprises not only financing but integrated financial and business advisory solutions, a combination that meaningfully raises the likelihood of SME success and export market penetration.

In his remarks, Moses Kurenjekwa, Managing Director of Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited, noted: “Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited is proud to partner with Afreximbank on this facility, which speaks directly to our commitment to unlocking the potential of Zimbabwe’s SME sector. Small businesses are the engine of our economy, and access to appropriate, export-linked financing is what enables them to grow, create jobs, and compete regionally. This collaboration brings together Afreximbank’s development finance mandate and our on-the-ground reach to deliver a solution that is both impactful and scalable. We look forward to walking this journey with Zimbabwe’s SMEs as they integrate into regional and continental trade value chains.”

Afreximbank Export SME Development Programme is a comprehensive ecosystem intervention that combines capital, capacity, and connectivity. By working through trusted partners like Ecobank Zimbabwe, the programme ensures that its resources reach the enterprises that need them most and that those businesses are equipped not just to access financing, but to use it to build genuinely competitive, export-capable businesses.

Positioned at the intersection of Southern Africa’s key trade corridors, links the North-South Corridor connecting Dar es Salaam to Durban and the Beira Corridor between landlocked economies to Indian Ocean ports, the facility comes at a pivotal moment for the country’s economy, with GDP growth forecast at 6 percent for 2025, driven by improved agricultural output and strong gold prices. SMEs account for more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s GDP and more than 70 percent of national employment, yet access to long-tenor, export-linked financing has remained a persistent constraint on their growth and competitiveness.

ACCRA, Ghana, May 20, 2026/APO Group/ –Agility (https://Agility.com), a multi-business operator and long-term investor in global and regional businesses, announced that the Agility Logistics Park (ALP) (https://AgilityLogisticsParks.com) in Tema, Ghana has received EDGE Advanced certification for its energy- and resource-efficient green buildings. This brings the total number of EDGE Advanced-certified warehouses across the ALP network to 17, with certified facilities now present in every country where Agility Logistics Parks operates.

EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) is the global standard for energy-efficient buildings, a certification system overseen by the International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. Advanced EDGE certification requires a building to deliver a minimum reduction of 40% energy use, water use and embodied carbon in materials when benchmarked against standard local buildings.

ALP Ghana, a 160,000 SQM warehouse park, is located in the Tema Free Zone, adjacent to Tema port and the Ghana country capital Accra. The park provides international standard warehouse space to multinationals and local businesses. All five warehouses within the Ghana ALP have been certified as EDGE Advanced.

ALP’s EDGE Advanced warehouses in Accra provide average energy savings of 68%; water savings of 38% and utilize construction materials containing 63% less embodied carbon in materials, when compared with others in the market.

Charles Gassoub, Vice President – Agility Africa, said: “Achieving the EDGE Certificate demonstrates our commitment to developing energy- and resource-efficient facilities in line with global sustainability standards. This brings direct benefits to our customers, including reduced utility costs, improved operational efficiency, and alignment with their own ESG and sustainability objectives.”

Nathalie Kouassi Akon, IFC’s Ghana Division Director, also remarked on the achievement, stating “The EDGE Advanced certification of Agility Logistics Park in Tema demonstrates the strong momentum for green buildings in Ghana and the critical role the private sector plays in driving this transition. By significantly reducing energy and resource use, projects like this not only lower operating costs for businesses but also contribute to Ghana’s smart development goals and long-term economic resilience. IFC is proud to support partners like Agility in setting new standards for sustainable, high-quality industrial infrastructure in the region.

Agility Logistics Parks are secure, connected, 24/7 complexes with international-standard, high-quality warehouses, designed with advanced engineering and sustainability features.  In addition to the 160,000 SQM park in Ghana, Agility Logistics Parks has a 470,000 SQM park in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; a 320,000 SQM facility in Maputo, Mozambique; a 270,000 SQM park in Lagos, Nigeria (under development); as well as the 270,000 SQM Yanmu East logistics park in Cairo, Egypt, part of a joint venture with Hassan Allam Utilities.

Agility Africa CEO Geoffrey White said: “Having each of our warehouse parks in Africa certified as EDGE Advanced is an integral part of our strategy to develop a network of secure and efficient warehouse parks across the Continent. The growing portfolio of Agility warehouse parks delivers an essential part of the fundamental infrastructure required for growth by both global and local businesses.

Providing international standard ready-built warehouses for companies to lease for storage, distribution, e-commerce, packaging, processing and light manufacturing makes it easier for businesses to expand or enter new markets, reducing their capital requirements and time it takes to market. Agility warehouse parks make African markets more bankable, attractive and competitive.”