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Nigeriaโ€™s fintech regime split between speed and stability โ€” capital is feeling the strain

Frontage of the Central Bank of Nigeria

Moroccan banks poised for corporate lending surge in 2026 amid infrastructure push

Mega projects, reform drive to power Moroccoโ€™s corporate credit growth in 2026

How Nigeriaโ€™s digital lenders disbursed $865 million in 2025

Nigeria flag with loan

Why South African banking giant Absa is staying out of Ethiopiaโ€”for now

Absa Bank Building

Banks in Egypt and Nigeria face shrinking profits in 2026 as rate cuts bite

The S&P logo displaced on the agencyโ€™s office building in New York

Afreximbank completes pan-African mandate as South Africa signs $8bn programme

H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of Afreximbank at the Countryโ€™s accession signing ceremony, marking the launch of a major Country Programme engineered to bolster the South African economy.

Why earnings per share fell 94% at Nigeriaโ€™s oldest bank in 2025

FirstHoldCoโ€™s shares dip 4.1% after Otudeko $128m stock exit

Ethiopia ramps up FX market interventions, sells $640m to banks in January

An image displaying dollar notes

Fitch knocks Afreximbank into junk territory after lender cuts ties

Fitch Ratings spell out on a window

This EU decision blocked over $40 billion in capital across six African economies

FATF source RadioNigeria

SA’s Nedbank prices NCBA takeover at $856m in East Africa expansion push

Image of Nedbank

Ethiopiaโ€™s banking sector posts strong gains as deregulation takes hold

An image of a bank logo and Ethiopian flag

Africaโ€™s banking titans spent over $537m on expansion deals in 2025

Bank sign with African flags

Kenyaโ€™s largest lender secures $60m AfDB support to deepen regional trade

Kenyaโ€™s largest Bank to open Dubai office before December

A $780m FX intervention fails to curb Ethiopiaโ€™s currency slide

A man counts Ethiopia's birr notes in Merkato, one of Africa's biggest open-air markets, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Nigeriaโ€™s central bank ousts two mortgage lenders over capital breaches

A view shows the Central Bank of Nigeriaโ€™s headquarters in Abuja

Why Africaโ€™s largest bank is backing Safaricom Ethiopia with $138m facility

Safaricom and Standard bank

Big Kenyan banks anchor loans on CBR despite earlier pushback

An aerial view shows the skyline of downtown in Nairobi, Kenya

Ghanaโ€™s reserves strengthens despite $10bn FX intervention

An image displaying dollar notes

Nigeriaโ€™s APP fraud crisis forces liability rethink for user-authorised scams

KYC Man holding phone mobile payments card




















Nigeriaโ€™s fintech regime split between speed and stability โ€” capital is feeling the strain

Nigeriaโ€™s fintech ecosystem is one of Africaโ€™s most vibrant, with its nucleus positioned in Lagos. According to the 2024 annual data released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS)…

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Moroccan banks poised for corporate lending surge in 2026 amid infrastructure push

S&P Global expects Moroccan banks to step up lending to corporate borrowers in 2026 as large-scale infrastructure spending, pro-business reforms and steady economic growth create a more supportive operating backdrop.

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How Nigeriaโ€™s digital lenders disbursed $865 million in 2025

Nigeriaโ€™s digital lending boom is widening credit access and fuelling growth, but weak regulation, high defaults and tax gaps threaten fiscal stability across Africaโ€™s fintech surge.

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Why South African banking giant Absa is staying out of Ethiopiaโ€”for now

Absa maintains that while the countryโ€™s recent financial market reforms are encouraging, it will only consider entry once the rules are less restrictive.

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Banks in Egypt and Nigeria face shrinking profits in 2026 as rate cuts bite

Banks in Egypt and Nigeria are likely to see profits drop in 2026 as central banks accelerate interest rate cuts following a sharp slowdown in inflation and increasingly favorable macroeconomic conditions, S&P Global said in its latest Africa banking outlook.

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Afreximbank completes pan-African mandate as South Africa signs $8bn programme

South Africa has joined Afreximbank, completing the lenderโ€™s continental membership and strengthening its institutional standing as it faces rating pressure and tighter global funding conditions.

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Why earnings per share fell 94% at Nigeriaโ€™s oldest bank in 2025

First HoldCoโ€™s earnings per share collapsed in 2025 after heavy loan-loss provisions and divestment losses wiped out profits, even as interest income hit record levels.

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Ethiopia ramps up FX market interventions, sells $640m to banks in January

Januaryโ€™s disbursements, which includes a record $500 million auction, represents 82% of the $780 million sold throughout 2025, highlighting a significant acceleration in the scale of market operations.

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Fitch knocks Afreximbank into junk territory after lender cuts ties

The move comes days after Afreximbank announced it had severed ties with Fitch, citing concerns that the agencyโ€™s methodology failed to reflect the bankโ€™s legal mandate, treaty protections, and unique role in financing African trade and development.

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This EU decision blocked over $40 billion in capital across six African economies

The European Union has lifted its high-risk designation for six African countries, after years in which the listing reshaped how capital moved in and out of their economies.ย 

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SA’s Nedbank prices NCBA takeover at $856m in East Africa expansion push

South Africaโ€™s Nedbank Group has submitted a strategic investment proposal and notice of intention to acquire a controlling stake in NCBA Group PLC, signalling a significant push into East Africaโ€™s banking market.

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Ethiopiaโ€™s banking sector posts strong gains as deregulation takes hold

After decades of protectionism, Ethiopiaโ€™s banking reforms are translating into higher profits, faster digital expansion and growing foreign interest, even as inflation, credit concentration and competition risks persist.

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Africaโ€™s banking titans spent over $537m on expansion deals in 2025

Africaโ€™s largest lenders spent over $537m on acquisitions in 2025, led by South African banks, even as recapitalisation rules and uneven profits reshaped expansion plans today…

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Kenyaโ€™s largest lender secures $60m AfDB support to deepen regional trade

With the AfDB providing full guarantee on non-payment risk, Equity Bank can lower the cost of issuing letters of credit and expand trade finance volumes without adding pressure to its balance sheet.

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A $780m FX intervention fails to curb Ethiopiaโ€™s currency slide

The figure reflects the combined value of 10 FX auctions held by the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) between February and the second week of December 2025, aimed at deepening liquidity and strengthening the Birr

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Nigeriaโ€™s central bank ousts two mortgage lenders over capital breaches

The CBN pointed out that both mortgage lenders were critically undercapitalised and had insufficient assets to cover their liabilities, pointing to a weak solvency position.

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Why Africaโ€™s largest bank is backing Safaricom Ethiopia with $138m facility

Standard Bank has agreed to provide a $138m facility to Safaricom Ethiopia, backing network expansion as the operator scales in Africaโ€™s second-most populous market.

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Big Kenyan banks anchor loans on CBR despite earlier pushback

Equity Group and KCB, the countryโ€™s two biggest lenders, on Wednesday announced that all new Kenya-shilling loans issued from December 1 will now be priced using the revised CBR of 9%.

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Ghanaโ€™s reserves strengthens despite $10bn FX intervention

Despite the scale of interventions, reserves climbed from $9.1 billion at the end of 2024 to $11.4 billion by October 2025, aided by a historic gold rally

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Nigeriaโ€™s APP fraud crisis forces liability rethink for user-authorised scams

The CBNโ€™s new APP fraud draft rules shift liability across Nigeriaโ€™s payment system, introducing mandatory refunds, stricter timelines and Board-level oversight.

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