Category: Finance

Finance insights covering banking, fintech, investment, financial services and market developments shaping Africa’s economy.

Verto Introduces Auto Exchange: A Seamless Way for Businesses to Secure Optimal FX Rates

Verto, a leading global payment solutions provider, has launched Auto Exchange, a new feature designed to help businesses secure optimal foreign exchange (FX) rates automatically. This tool allows users to set target exchange rates and trade amounts within the Verto platform, enabling seamless execution without constant monitoring. By automating this process, businesses can save time and ensure they never miss out on favorable FX rates. Auto Exchange empowers customers to focus on growing their businesses while Verto manages the FX execution for them.

Digital Dynamism in the Finance Sector: Moving at the right speed and the right economics

In Digital Dynamism in the Finance Sector, Tawanda Chatikobo of Absa Regional Operations explores how African financial institutions must evolve to meet rising digital expectations. With mobile-first consumers, growing fintech ecosystems, and platforms like super apps reshaping user behavior, banks face a dual imperative: deliver world-class digital experiences while maintaining cost-efficiency. The article examines how embedded finance, open banking, and ecosystem partnerships can drive inclusion, innovation, and customer-centricity across Africa’s financial landscape.

De-Risking Africa’s Renewable Energy Agenda 

“De-Risking Africa’s Renewable Energy Agenda” explores the critical role of financial and structural risk mitigation in unlocking investment for Africa’s renewable energy sector. Authors Opy Ramaremisa and Vuyo Mafrika of Absa CIB highlight the pressing need for early-stage support, innovative hedging tools, and market-responsive strategies to align investor confidence with the continent’s renewable energy ambitions. The article underscores how integrating risk management from project inception can bridge the gap between capital availability and project bankability.

How Fintech is Bridging the Financial Inclusion Gap for Africa’s Smallholder Farmers

Smallholder farmers in Africa face growing climate threats yet remain largely excluded from traditional financial systems due to lack of credit histories, collateral, and infrastructure. This article explores how fintech innovations — from mobile lending and digital wallets to AI-powered credit scoring and blockchain — are transforming financial access for rural farmers. By leveraging alternative data and user-friendly platforms, fintech is helping build climate resilience, boost agricultural productivity, and close a $117 billion financing gap. The piece also emphasizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration to drive scalable, inclusive, and sustainable financial solutions.

How Money Moves Across Borders – and Why Securing It Matters

Money moves across borders in Africa every day, often amounting to billions in cross-border payments, remittances, and government transfers. This vast flow of funds is processed through an increasingly strained infrastructure that faces evolving threats and complex regulatory environments. The shift from deterministic to adaptive authentication has become central to securing transactions, especially in regions like Africa where mobile penetration is high and infrastructure can be fragmented. Additionally, most African cross-border payments still rely on external systems, introducing inefficiencies and costs. To improve security and efficiency, there’s a need for region-specific initiatives, enhanced governance frameworks, and innovative technologies like distributed ledger systems and AI. The future of secure cross-border payments in Africa lies in integrating security into the core financial architecture, ensuring better interoperability, and establishing shared standards across borders.

Making Capital Work for African Women: Closing the gender financing gap alongside the African Development Bank Group

This article explores the critical role of financial institutions in closing the gender financing gap in Africa, focusing on the partnership between Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). It highlights the transformative impact of integrated financial and non-financial support for women entrepreneurs, illustrated by the success story of South African business leader Busisiwe Mdletshe. With reference to recent gender parity data and large-scale investment initiatives, the article emphasizes the importance of combining capital access with human development to achieve inclusive economic growth. The article outlines landmark financing packages aimed at supporting women-led SMEs and advocates for continued collaboration between development finance institutions and private sector banks to scale impact across the continent.

Digital empowerment takes root in Zimbabwe with EFTCorp and EmpowerBank Limited

Digital financial inclusion is gaining momentum in Zimbabwe through a strategic partnership between EFTCorp and EmpowerBank Limited, a youth-focused microfinance institution. Together, they are building a robust digital ecosystem that supports underserved communities—particularly young people and women—by providing accessible banking infrastructure, youth microloans, financial literacy programs, and entrepreneurship support. EmpowerBank’s grassroots development initiatives are complemented by EFTCorp’s cutting-edge digital payment technologies, enabling mobile-first, scalable, and secure financial services. This public-private collaboration exemplifies how digital transformation can foster economic empowerment and sustainable development from the ground up.

South Africa high on the list for Global HFT Firms

High-frequency trading (HFT) firms are increasingly eyeing South Africa as a prime destination for their algorithmic trading operations. Driven by the country’s highly liquid markets, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and strategic position as a gateway to Africa, South Africa presents compelling advantages for HFT players. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has significantly evolved, with key enhancements like the Millennium IT platform and colocation services, offering ultra-low-latency access for traders. Coupled with an uptick in retail trading and competitive exchanges like A2X, South Africa’s capital markets are becoming more sophisticated, presenting a dynamic environment for both local and global HFT firms. This shift is contributing to the modernization of the market and furthering innovation in Africa’s financial landscape.