“Africa can no longer rely solely on external sources of finance”: Olivier Noel reveals AFIS 2025 main theme
Six urgent priorities will shape Africa’s financial sovereignty – and they’re set to take centre stage at AFIS 2025 in Casablanca, says the Secretary General of the AFIS Supervisory Council.
Capturing Africa’s elusive diaspora dollar: Is it time for a Pan-African investment pitch?
As Kenya hopes to raise up to $500m from diaspora bonds by 2026, should past performance of national diaspora bonds on the continent cause concern? AFIS explores if cross-border coordination to market Pan-African projects rather than national infrastructure projects, could help states attract capital from a group that has not yet fully bought into African […]
Continental expansion: What to expect from Africa’s big banks in 2025 & beyond
Zenith, Access Bank, MCB and AFG lay out their market entry plans for this year, while weighing the threat – and opportunity – of rising intra-African competition. By Oliver Nieburg Speaking on the WebT show “African Banks, Pan-African Banks” at the Africa CEO Forum 2025, banking chiefs revealed timelines for major market entries and strategies […]
AFIS Action Framework: Our priorities for Africa’s financial progress
From establishing equitable debt frameworks to positioning African banking giants on the global stage, the AFIS platform sets out the building blocks Africa needs to deliver a more inclusive, competitive, and globally influential African financial industry. Inspired by the flagship panels and strategic roundtables of the Africa Financial Summit – AFIS 2024 in Casablanca—where over […]
Access Bank & Bank of Africa: How to create an African Meta or NVIDIA
Cultivating Africa’s own corporate giants comparable to Meta, NVIDIA, and America’s Magnificent Seven holds the key to the continent’s economic leap forward. Leaders from Nigeria’s top banking group, Access Holdings, and Morocco’s Casablanca-based Bank of Africa say this can be achieved by nurturing fast-growing gazelle companies. Africa is now home to over 300 companies which […]
Opinion: Forget the fintech vs. bank battle —Africa’s financial future lies in unlikely alliances
With over 300 million people in Africa lacking access to basic financial services, Africa’s financial industry cannot afford to become embroiled in rivalries between traditional banks, fintech companies, microfinance institutions, and telecom giants. By Bathsheba Asati, Principal Strategy Custodian, Amahoro Coalition, and Kwadwo Adjei-Barwuah, Head of Investment at Growth Investment Partners, Amahoro Coalition While many […]
Africa’s financial executives cautiously optimistic on 2025-27 growth
While French Development Agency (AFD) projects Africa’s economy will grow by 4% in 2025 (up from 3.7% in 2024), Africa’s financial leaders have mixed confidence in their own growth prospects, the latest AFIS-Deloitte Barometer reveals. The fourth edition of the Barometer – by AFIS and Deloitte – surveyed banks, fintechs, insurers and capital market players, asking them to rate their […]
Ecobank CEO Jeremy Awori: ‘We don’t always have to look outside to get money’
African financial institutions should look to local sources of financing rather than always turning directly to the West, but pension, sovereign and investment fund rules may need revising for this to be realised, according to the CEO of Ecobank Group. Speaking at the Africa Financial Summit – AFIS 2024’s opening panel on 9 December 2024, […]
Opinion: Why the success of mobile money depends on public-private cooperation
With 36.7 billion transactions totalling $701.4 billion in 2021, Africa already dominates the global mobile money landscape, comprising over two-thirds of the $1 trillion that flows through these services globally. But it is only scratching the surface of its potential and is now embarking on the next chapter of its evolution, which could have ramifications […]
African finance at a crossroads: 11 key insights from the Deloitte-AFIS Financial Industry Barometer
Fintechs optimistic about three-year economic outlook, while capital market players are more pessimistic.