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he move makes JPMorgan the first US bank to re-enter the Angolan market since major international lenders withdrew in the mid-2010s over compliance concerns.
The new representative office in Cairo underscores Standard Bank’s long-term view of Egypt as a key node for intra-African commerce and Gulf–Africa connectivity.
A new fintech passport between Ghana and Rwanda lets startups expand across both markets without relicensing — a real test of Africa’s push for borderless finance.
From Nigeria’s Access Holdings and FirstHoldCo to Togo’s Ecobank, Kenya’s Equity Group and KCB, and Tanzania’s CRDB Bank, regional lenders are deepening their footprint in the vast Central African nation — long viewed as too risky for large-scale banking operations.
The directive comes at a time when investor sentiment in Ghana’s equities market is slowly improving after years of economic uncertainty.
Zimbabwe’s exclusion stems from years of economic shocks, hyperinflation, and currency instability that have eroded the balance sheets of local banks and diminished investor confidence.
Over the past decade, at least ten global banking giants — from Barclays to HSBC — have quit Africa, marking one of the most sweeping foreign retreats from the continent’s financial sector in modern history.
Access Holdings Plc, Nigeria’s biggest banking group by assets, will pay $109.6m (₦179.1bn) to complete the acquisition of National Bank of Kenya (NBK) from KCB Group Plc, according to its latest financial report.
Access Holdings reported a 23.3% decline in after tax profit to ₦215.9bn ($139.1m) in the first half of 2025, from ₦281.3bn ($187.2m) a year earlier, according to its half-year financial statement released on Friday.
Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique and Burkina Faso have exited the FATF grey list, marking a breakthrough for Africa’s financial credibility and a reset in the continent’s risk premium.
Of the $382.3bn disbursed across the economy, oil took 35.7% — more than the combined allocations to five key non-oil sectors, according to data from the central bank
South Africa’s fintech market is projected to reach R337.7bn ($19.5bn) over the next five years, posing a growing threat to the country’s established banks, according to TransUnion’s latest South Africa Research Report.
The move comes four months after Ethiopia officially opened its banking industry to foreign investors for the first time in nearly five decades, signaling a cautious but strategic liberalisation of the sector.
With this latest injection, Wema Bank’s total qualifying capital now stands at ₦264.9bn ($179.9m), well above the ₦200bn ($135.9m) minimum requirement for national banks.
The reinstatement brings relief to UBA Ghana, which is among the country’s major commercial banks with a strong presence in corporate and retail banking.
Despite its vast oil wealth, Libya has faced years of cash shortages that have forced citizens to queue outside banks to withdraw limited funds.
Following a tough start to 2025, investor sentiment toward Kenya’s banking sector has turned sharply positive, with analysts projecting a strong second half driven by improving credit growth, stabilising net interest margins, and resilient capital positions.
The capital injection comes as fiscal uncertainty deepens over Ethiopia’s stalled Eurobond restructuring, which analysts say could complicate access to external funding.
Africa’s largest banking group by market value has voiced concern over the United Kingdom’s newly proposed £11bn ($14.7bn) car loan compensation scheme, warning that it could expose lenders — including its UK subsidiary, MotoNovo Finance — to significant financial risks.
Banks from Ethiopia recorded the most representation among Africa’s top 10 biggest risers in 2025, as the ongoing deregulation of the banking industry and increased competition within the financial services sector boosted their rankings.