Bitcoin Is `Very Definition’ of a Bubble, Credit Suisse CEO Says

Bitcoin Is `Very Definition’ of a Bubble, Credit Suisse CEO Says

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The speculation around bitcoin is the “very definition of a bubble,” Credit Suisse Group AG Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam said as the currency exceeded $7,000 for the first time. Bankers are steering clear of bitcoin out of concern that criminals could use its anonymity to hide their activities, he said Thursday at a news conference in Zurich.  “Most banks in the current state of regulation have little or no appetite to get…

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MTN Focused on Preparing for Nigerian Unit IPO in Six Months

MTN Focused on Preparing for Nigerian Unit IPO in Six Months

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – MTN Group Ltd. is focused on laying the groundwork for an initial public offering of its Nigerian business and should complete the process in the next six months, Chief Executive Officer Rob Shuter said. “We have a lot of advisers running around getting everything ready,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. “It’s a complicated process and there’s a lot of regulation that needs to be arranged. We are…

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Old Mutual to Retain 19.9% Nedbank Stake After Splitting Units

Old Mutual to Retain 19.9% Nedbank Stake After Splitting Units

JOHANNESBUG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Old Mutual Plc, the London insurer splitting into four separate units, said a South African holding company it is setting up will retain a 19.9 percent stake in Nedbank Group Ltd. Old Mutual Ltd. will remain a minority shareholder in South Africa’s fourth-largest lender “as a foundation for the continued strategic relationship between the two entities,” Old Mutual said in a statement on Wednesday. OML will have a primary…

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Liberia Court Halts Run-Off Election to Hear Fraud Charges

Liberia Court Halts Run-Off Election to Hear Fraud Charges

MONROVIA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Liberia’s Supreme Court halted next week’s presidential run-off vote to hear a challenge brought by a first-round losing candidate that the election was marred by fraud. The court issued a stay order for the Nov. 7 poll and will consider the complaint filed by the Liberty Party on Thursday, according to a writ issued on Wednesday. The Liberty Party lodged the objection and called for a rerun after its candidate,…

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Nigeria Plans $1 Billion Processing Zone to Boost Exports

Nigeria Plans $1 Billion Processing Zone to Boost Exports

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) Nigeria plans to establish a $1 billion crop-processing park with Turkish investors in the country’s north as part of efforts to improve value and boost agricultural exports, according to the country’s investment-promotion agency. The Badeggi Crop Processing Zone in Niger state is expected to start in June next year, with an initial investment of $250 million by a Turkish investor, deputy director at Abuja-based Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, Aminu Takuma, said in…

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Nakumatt Kenya Creditors Face Haircut on Debt, Government Says

Nakumatt Kenya Creditors Face Haircut on Debt, Government Says

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Creditors owed more than 30 billion shillings ($289 million) by Nakumatt Holdings Ltd. will take a haircut if a plan by East Africa’s biggest retailer to enter administration goes ahead, said Kenya’s Industry & Trade Secretary Adan Mohamed. Nakumatt directors will next week seek the High Court’s approval to appoint an administrator and protection from insolvency in order to buy time from creditors including tax agencies, banks, landlords and suppliers. Approval by…

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Congo Ruling Party Rebuffs U.S. Elections Call, Backs 2019 Vote

Congo Ruling Party Rebuffs U.S. Elections Call, Backs 2019 Vote

KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The head of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling party said he supports a program under which elections will be held in April 2019 at the earliest, in an apparent rejection of a U.S. government demand that the delayed vote take place next year. The secretary-general of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, Henri Mova Sakanyi, told members he backs the timeline given by the electoral commission, according to…

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