Tunisia to Raise Taxes, Curb Wage Growth in 2018 to Fix Finances

Tunisia to Raise Taxes, Curb Wage Growth in 2018 to Fix Finances

TUNIS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Tunisia plans to cut its budget deficit by raising taxes and curbing wage increases next year, as it implements an IMF-backed plan designed to fix state finances, spur growth and create jobs. The government is aiming for a budget gap of 4.9 percent of gross domestic product in 2018, the state-run news agency TAP reported, compared with about 6 percent projected by the IMF for this year. Revenue measures…

Read More

Money Manager Targets Return From Housing South Africa Students

Money Manager Targets Return From Housing South Africa Students

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African stock exchange investors are about to get their first opportunity to bet on income from housing students enrolled at the country’s campuses. Inkunzi Wealth Group, a Johannesburg-based money manager, intends to offer shares in a student accommodation fund on the city’s main exchange before the year is out, Chief Executive Officer Owen Nkomo said in an interview. There’s demand from listed property investors for an alternative to exposure to…

Read More

Drawn-Out Vote in Kenya Increased Risks for Investors, IMF Says

Drawn-Out Vote in Kenya Increased Risks for Investors, IMF Says

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s election rerun is raising the country’s risk profile among investors and weighing down already sluggish economic growth, theInternational Monetary Fund said. “The prolonged election period has increased risks for investors and traders,” Jan Mikkelsen, the Washington-based lender’s new resident representative in Kenya, said in an emailed response to questions. “This in turn has led to a slowdown in economic activity.” The IMF has lowered its 2017 economic growth forecast for…

Read More

Brawls, Autocratic Moves Threaten East African Democracy

Brawls, Autocratic Moves Threaten East African Democracy

KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ugandan lawmakers brawl over a bill that could create a president-for-life. Tanzania arrests lawmakers and shutters newspapers. And as Kenya tries to rerun a botched election, a ruling party leader says what the country really needs is a benevolent dictator. As unrest and crackdowns plague some of the region’s largest economies, home to various levels of political freedom, the situation is adding to uncertainty in a part of the world already rocked by…

Read More

My Reluctant Education in Bitcoin: Fully Charged

My Reluctant Education in Bitcoin: Fully Charged

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – While markets as a whole have been pretty boring this year, cryptocurrencies have been anything but. I, along with a vast majority of the population, have avoided thinking about this super-complex world for as long as possible. But I’ve finally forced myself to make the dive. And it looks like a lot of people have as well. Even my boxing coach recently asked me if he should buy bitcoin or ethereum….

Read More

Blythe Masters’s Blockchain Firm Raises Money, Hires Executive

Blythe Masters’s Blockchain Firm Raises Money, Hires Executive

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Blythe Masters’s blockchain software firm Digital Asset Holdings LLC raised another $40 million and hired a technology executive who previously worked for software giant Microsoft Corp. and quantitative hedge fund Two Sigma Investments. The company, where former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Masters is chief executive officer, is one of several trying to reshape finance by leveraging the blockchain ledger technology that underpins bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. DAH’s clients include the…

Read More

U.K. Is Said to See Brexit Breakdown Without EU Compromise

U.K. Is Said to See Brexit Breakdown Without EU Compromise

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Brexit negotiations are heading for a catastrophic breakdown unless the European Union signals this week that it will allow talks to move on to trade, according to a person familiar with the U.K. government’s position. Without a clear sign, that negotiations will progress to trade and transition arrangements by December at this week’s summit of EU leaders, the entire Brexit process will be in danger of collapse — and senior…

Read More
1 618 619 620 621 622 1,076