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…
Current credit ratings may disadvantage the continent, but wouldn’t an African agency amount to Africa ‘marking its own homework’? Can Africa itself correct the bias it says the Big Three credit rating agencies display in grading African sovereigns? The African Union (AU) and other voices on the continent believe this bias gives African countries unfairly…
Rising e-commerce and digital adoption are accelerating buy-now-pay-later growth across South Africa. South Africa’s buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) market is rapidly expanding, driven by growing consumer demand for flexible payment options, rising e-commerce adoption and increasing financial pressure on households. This is according to new research by TransUnion South Africa, titled: “Access, visibility and consequence: Understanding the…
The African Union Credit Union (AUCU), in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD and the AU Staff Association, successfully held the Financial Literacy Week from 18-20 May 2026 under the theme “Planning Today for a Secure Tomorrow.” The three-day event, which took place at the Medium Conference Hall of the AU Commission, equipped staff across all AU organs…
In African countries, there’s a gap between the financing available for renewable energy and the projects its meant to reach. Funds are not reaching the right places and even as more funding is announced for clean energy, many projects don’t get off the ground because the financial tools available don’t fit their needs. For example,…
Some developing country governments spend years making the reforms that international financial institutions want – only to find that their efforts are not rewarded. They may make budgets more transparent, publish their debt obligations, set up independent bodies to monitor government spending, and complete an International Monetary Fund programme, but still receive the same ratings…
The rating agency S&P Global’s Africa Credit Rating Trends 2025 reviews the past year’s rating activities and analyses the continent’s prospects for 2026. It is an important document because it interprets underlying drivers of creditworthiness. It shapes how global investors and policymakers understand risk, opportunity and reform dynamics across the continent. But the document had…
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Cairo/Amsterdam — African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and FCI will jointly host the Africa Regional Conference on Factoring, Receivables Finance & Credit Insurance on 15-16 April 2026 in Kampala, Uganda. As Africa moves towards a unified market, these financial tools serve as essential catalysts for bridging the trade finance gap, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises…
Bank of Africa Niger reported a 92% drop in net profit for 2025, according to a statement from its board dated 20 February 2026. The bank said the decline reflects pressure across Niger’s banking sector as lending activity slowed and asset quality weakened. Industry data show total credit in the country fell 4.1% in 2025,…
