The author, Altron FinTech MD John Gellatly South African households have now improved their financial position for nine consecutive quarters. That sounds like good news, and in part it is. But look beneath the headline number and the recovery is thinner than it appears, and more exposed to the decisions being made right now about…
A financial technology startup founded by former Capitec credit executive Jaco Carstens is building digital property records for millions of South African homes that currently lack official title deeds. Operating under the name DigiDeeds, the platform aims to monetize structured community data by providing banks, credit bureaus, and insurers with verified demographic and structural records…
A protester holds a French flag during a demonstration as part of a nationwide mobilization over rising living costs, fuel prices and education funding in Paris, France, on Oct. 17, 2026. Ibrahim Ezzat | Anadolu | Getty Images Moody’s opted to maintain its credit rating on France as the country contended with a week of…
A credit sale is not complete when the invoice goes out. It is complete when the money reaches the bank. Credit helps businesses win customers, grow turnover and build lasting relationships. Managed badly, it ties up working capital, erodes margins and can threaten the business itself. Credit management is therefore not just a finance function….
The African Union is launching the continent’s first credit rating agency on Wednesday, aiming to provide an alternative to the global “big three” by drawing on African expertise and perspectives. The opening of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA), which will be based in Port Louis, Mauritius, comes eight years after the African Union (AU)…
The new Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) has already generated an important debate. Some analysts have portrayed it as a rival to the three established global rating agencies – Fitch, Moody’s and S&P Global. Others have questioned whether Africa needs another rating agency at all. But, based on my expertise researching African financial markets and…
The formal launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) has required considerable institutional commitment. It brings to fruition an effort that has been almost a decade in the making. In 2017, the African Union gave the African Peer Review Mechanism a mandate to support member states in the field of credit rating agencies. By…
Aukera, the pan-European battery storage and renewable energy platform backed by AtlasInvest, Reggeborgh and SFPIM (Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund), announced the closing of its €460 million structured credit facility, for which EIG, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, served as the lead investor. With the financing in place, Aukera moves…
Ninety One has closed its third Africa Credit Opportunities Fund with $404 million, including leverage, as the investment manager expands private lending to companies and infrastructure projects across Africa and other emerging markets. Investors include development finance institutions, pension funds and family offices from Africa, Europe, the UK, the US and Canada. The fund, known…
The three major credit rating agencies – Moody’s, S&P Global and Fitch – have often differed among themselves when rating African institutions and countries. Their opinions don’t have to be aligned, but a huge gap in the ratings suggests inaccuracies in the analyses. Wrong ratings have consequences. They drive up the cost of capital. Lower…
