Macroeconomic Outlook 2025 | The building blocks for African financial institutions to scale up
Prof Carlos Lopes of the University of Cape Town has sounded the alarm that a biased global financial system, a crippling debt dependency cycle, and unfair credit ratings are coming together to accelerate international banking exits from Africa. With domestic financial institutions picking up the mantle, the economist looks at conditions they’ll need to succeed […]
State of the Industry | Africa Financial Industry Barometer 2024
Deloitte and the Africa Financial Industry Summit – AFIS unpack insights from the 4th African Financial Industry Barometer. The annual survey of financial sector executives offers a deep dive into the industry’s stance on regulations, sustainable finance, and the obstacles to financial inclusion. Discover how banks, insurers, fintechs, and capital market players are structuring their […]
Opening Ceremony
IFC Side Event | Empowering Africa’s MSME Ecosystem Through Synergistic Partnerships
Access by invitation only. Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AforE) members, alongside high-level experts and key stakeholders, will discuss solutions for Africa’s small businesses, focusing on enhancing entrepreneurs’ access to finance and markets and strengthening the MSME agricultural ecosystem. The Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AforE) is committed to fostering innovation and collaboration to tackle […]
Side Event | Mobilizing Resources for Financing African Economies: The Role of Structured Finance
Addressing Africa’s development needs requires innovative approaches to structured finance. With an annual infrastructure deficit of $108 billion, tools such as securitization, ESG bonds, and blended finance are key to mobilizing local and international capital. For instance, capturing 1% of global institutional assets could inject $2 trillion into the continent. In Senegal, Invictus Capital & […]
Side Event | Ecobank – AI and payments: Achieving a transformative leap in financial services
Access via sign-up on the event app or by invitation only. Ecobank is poised to transform African payments and remittances through strategic AI investments. The pan-African group’s newly formed ‘Payments, Remittances and Fintech’ business line aims to cement its position as Africa’s leading payments powerhouse. In an exclusive event, Ecobank will discuss with global tech […]
Conversation With | Small business, big impact: What is the optimal government approach to MSME lending?
Governments could play a crucial role in helping MSMEs access affordable formal credit, but some past efforts have fallen short of expectations. Defaults on Kenya’s ‘Hustler Fund’, an initiative to provide citizens with access to credit at lower rates than commercial banks, now exceed 50%. Kenya’s National Treasury, under Cabinet Secretary Dr John MBADI, plans […]
Disrupters Club Networking Break
Conversation With | Broadening Africa’s access to international capital markets
International markets will be critical to funding Africa’s most ambitious development projects following the withdrawal of many large international banks from the continent. Yet, the number of African banks licensed in Europe, or the United States is less than ten and there are very few African companies listed on global markets. In this high-level conversation, […]