Mobile banking in Africa has become the primary gateway to financial services, with banks shifting from simple transaction apps to intelligent, inclusive ecosystems. The latest Backbase report highlights how AI-powered banking, multi-currency support, and proactive financial tools are transforming the continent’s digital finance landscape, while connectivity, security, and infrastructure gaps remain key challenges.
Category: Finance
Finance insights covering banking, fintech, investment, financial services and market developments shaping Africa’s economy.
South Africa’s grasslands set a global first for community-led carbon markets
South Africa’s grasslands have set a global benchmark for high-integrity, community-led carbon markets with the issuance of the world’s first CCB-labelled carbon credits under Verra’s VM0042 methodology. Developed by TASC, the Grassland Restoration and Stewardship in South Africa (GRASS) project has issued 266,255 verified carbon units from over 95,000 hectares in its first monitoring period, engaging thousands of communal farmers while restoring degraded rangelands. By combining regenerative grazing, biodiversity protection, and inclusive rural livelihoods, GRASS demonstrates how large-scale grassland restoration can deliver measurable climate mitigation, social impact, and long-term economic resilience.
Is Climate Financing Helping African Businesses Grow?
Is climate financing truly helping African businesses grow? This article explores how climate change is reshaping Africa’s business landscape and why access to climate finance is critical for MSMEs and farmers. Drawing on real-world examples from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tunisia, it highlights how microfinance institutions like Advans are integrating climate risk into financial products, insurance, and education to build resilience, support recovery from climate shocks, and enable sustainable business growth across the continent.
How South Africa’s corporate medical aid landscape is changing in 2026
South Africa’s corporate medical aid landscape is undergoing major change in 2026 as Sanlam and Fedhealth launch a new integrated scheme aimed at employers seeking flexible, affordable, and wellness-driven healthcare benefits. Despite more than 70 medical schemes nationally, only a small group of open schemes dominate the market, led by Discovery Health. The new Sanlam–Fedhealth partnership introduces a corporate-focused model combining medical aid, primary care, gap cover, wellness programs, mental-health support, on-site clinics, and data-driven reporting to reduce absenteeism, improve productivity, and provide predictable, customisable benefits for companies and employees.
Why Africa needs collaborative funding value chains to drive intra-continental trade
Africa’s path to stronger intra-continental trade relies on collaborative funding value chains that unlock growth for SMEs. Despite the AfCFTA’s potential to boost regional exports and integrate a $22 billion market opportunity, small businesses still face a $100 billion annual trade-finance gap, infrastructure limits, and information barriers. By aligning commercial banks, DFIs, government agencies, and fintech innovators, Africa can streamline due diligence, expand access to liquidity, improve market intelligence, and create a borderless trade ecosystem. This collaborative model can accelerate SME competitiveness, drive cross-border commerce, and help lift millions out of poverty through sustainable economic growth.
Building with Women: How Microfinance Is Powering Women-Led Businesses in Africa
Across Africa, women-led businesses face challenges including limited access to collateral, financial literacy gaps, and gender norms restricting decision-making. Advans’ programs—such as El Beya in Tunisia, AdvansHer in Ghana, and VSLA-linked savings in Côte d’Ivoire—offer loans, coaching, and flexible financial tools designed for women. These initiatives have increased incomes, supported job creation, and expanded access to education, demonstrating how microfinance, women’s entrepreneurship, inclusive finance, and gender-focused financial services drive economic resilience and sustainable development.
First-Ever Large-Scale Climate Funding Targets Low-Emission, Climate-Resilient Dairy Systems in East Africa
A groundbreaking US$358 million Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation (DaIMA) programme, led by IFAD and co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is transforming East Africa’s dairy sector into a low-emission, climate-resilient system. Operating across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, DaIMA will directly benefit 2.5 million farmers, boost milk production by 34%, and cut emissions by 2.1 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Through innovation, policy reform, and climate finance, the programme strengthens food security, supports smallholders, and advances the region’s sustainable agricultural transformation.
Finance with Purpose: Unlocking Homes for South African Women
“Finance with Purpose: Unlocking Homes for South African Women” explores the transformative power of finance in bridging the gender wealth gap in South Africa, with a focus on homeownership. The article highlights the challenges women face in accessing housing due to unequal pay, limited collateral, and cultural norms, compounded by a national housing backlog. Alex Area, a Development Finance Specialist at the African Development Bank, outlines how sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) and gender-focused bonds are opening new doors for women to secure property, build wealth, and strengthen their financial independence. By tying financing to measurable social outcomes, these financial innovations not only tackle housing inequalities but also promote inclusive growth. The piece argues that gender-responsive finance, supported by institutional frameworks and rigorous monitoring, is essential to ensuring sustainable, long-term impact in closing the gender wealth gap.
“African banks and institutions must lead on urbanisation finance – or risk being sidelined by foreign investors”, says pan-African banker
African banks and institutional investors must take the lead in financing urban development across the continent or risk being sidelined by foreign capital, warns pan-African banker Sepo Haihambo. Highlighting rapid urbanisation and growing foreign investment in infrastructure, Haihambo calls for domestic financial institutions to step up, offering local leadership, financial structuring, and project assessments to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth. While international finance remains important, she argues African banks are uniquely positioned to anchor long-term development strategies and ensure economic benefits stay within local economies.
Premier Credit Uganda Secures $1.5 Million Investment from Swiss Impact Asset Manager Enabling Qapital
Premier Credit Uganda, a subsidiary of Platcorp Group, has secured a $1.5 million investment from Enabling Qapital, a Swiss impact asset manager, to expand financial inclusion in Uganda. The funding will scale microfinance services, support SMEs, and extend access to credit for women, youth, and rural communities, reinforcing Platcorp’s leadership in sustainable finance across Africa.