INTO AFRICA April 2019 Edition – Envision Africa’s Digital Revolution

INTO AFRICA April 2019 Edition – Envision Africa’s Digital Revolution

Welcome to the April 2019 edition of INTO AFRICA, a publication written by the professionals, for professionals, investors, policymakers … Advancing and providing fresh insight into Africa’s emerging markets through renowned thought leadership and peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing. The edition is titled: Envision Africa’s Digital Revolution.   Technology has the potential to fundamentally transform societies. It enables rapid improvements to industrial production and societal services, positively influencing the way we live and interact with our environment. Africa is…

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Open Banking and APIs: Emerging Opportunity in Africa

Open Banking and APIs: Emerging Opportunity in Africa

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The terms Open and Africa has never been considered synonymous. With a linguistic diversity of almost 2000 languages, 3000 plus cultural identities and 55 currencies it is hard to image ever establishing an Open architecture on the second largest continent. However, Africa is known for leap-frogging technology. We see solar cities being built instead of laying new power grids, rapid adoption of cellphones instead of landlines and gleaning first…

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Banks Send South Africa Stocks to Record as Foreign Buying Persists

Banks Send South Africa Stocks to Record as Foreign Buying Persists

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Johannesburg’s benchmark stock index rose to a record, joining a global rally, as foreign investors continued purchases amid optimism about steps to improve management of Africa’s most-industrialized economy. The FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index rose as much as 0.9 percent to 61,610.33 Tuesday. Naspers Ltd. contributed the most to the benchmark’s advance after Tencent Holdings Ltd., in which it owns a stake, climbed to an all-time high in Hong Kong. An…

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Oil Majors, Traders and Banks Team Up on Blockchain Platform

Oil Majors, Traders and Banks Team Up on Blockchain Platform

LAGOS (CAPITAL Markets in Africa) – A group headed by some of the world’s biggest oil producers, trading houses and trade finance banks will develop a blockchain-based digital platform to manage physical commodity transactions. The group’s members, including producers BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc andStatoil ASA; trading houses Gunvor Group Ltd., Mercuria Energy Group Ltd. and Koch Supply & Trading; and banks ABN Amro Group NV, Societe Generale SA andING Groep NV, will form an independent venture to develop and operate the platform,…

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Bank of Baroda Is Said to Be Probed in S. Africa Over Guptas

Bank of Baroda Is Said to Be Probed in S. Africa Over Guptas

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – India’s Bank of Baroda is being investigated by South Africa’s central bank over money held for companies controlled by the politically connected Gupta family, according to a person familiar with the matter. The South African Reserve Bank’s probe, which comes after it fined the bank in June for not doing enough to combat financial crime, was sparked after the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse alleged in court papers that mine-rehabilitation funds held for two of…

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Standard Bank’s First-Half Profit Rises 14% as Impairments Drop

Standard Bank’s First-Half Profit Rises 14% as Impairments Drop

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Standard Bank Group Ltd., Africa’s largest lender by assets, said first-half profit rose 14 percent after impairments dropped and costs were contained. Net income climbed to 12.3 billion rand ($937 million) from 10.8 billion rand a year earlier, the Johannesburg-based lender said in a statement on Thursday. Earnings per share excluding one-time items, known locally as headline earnings, advanced 11 percent to 7.56 rand beating the 7.44 rand median estimate of…

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Banks Balk at Risk of Funding South Africa Mining Charter Deals

Banks Balk at Risk of Funding South Africa Mining Charter Deals

JOHANNESBURGH (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s plan to force mining companies to give the black majority a bigger stake in the nation’s mineral wealth faces a major obstacle: convincing banks to back billions of dollars of fresh deals in an industry in decline. Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on June 15 that local mines should be at least 30 percent owned by black people, up from the previous requirement of 26 percent. The mining companies need banks to…

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