The Editorial Team |

Bitcoin’s Rise Happened in Shadows of Finance. Now Banks Want In

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – At first, bitcoin was a way to make payments without banks. Now, with more than $100 billion stashed in digital currencies, banks are debating whether and how to get in on the action. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein tweeted Tuesday that his firm is examining the cryptocurrency. Other global investment banks are looking into facilitating trades of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to industry consultants. Bitcoin has surged more than 300…

South African Airways Is Said to Hire Aviation Veteran to Meet Lenders’ Terms

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African Airways has agreed to hire a restructuring expert to help turn around the state-owned airline and meet conditions laid down by lenders to roll over debt, according to two people familiar with the matter. Incoming Chief Executive Officer Vuyani Jarana met with British industry veteran Peter Davies last month and he agreed to help try to return SAA to profit, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the…

Weak South Africa Growth May Allow for Lower Rate, Bank Says

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s weak economic growth may provide some scope for lower interest rates, the central bank said. “With near-zero growth and a negative output gap, there is some limited scope for lower interest rates to have positive counter-cyclical effects,” the South African Reserve Bank said in its Monetary Policy Review Wednesday. The central bank left its key rate unchanged at 6.75 percent on Sept. 22 as it assessed risks to the rand…

KPMG South Africa Finds No Evidence That Errors Are `Systemic’

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – KPMG LLP’s South African unit hasn’t found evidence that mistakes it made during work done for the politically connected Gupta family and the country’s tax authority run throughout the auditing firm’s business. The errors are not “systemic,” KPMG South Africa Chief Executive Officer Nhlamu Dlomu told parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts in Cape Town on Thursday. The company will continue to take “strong action” to address the issues,…

South Africa Budget Gap May Grow to 4.5% on Less Tax, Bank Says

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s budget deficit could swell to more than what the government forecast in February as tax revenue falls short of expectations, the central bank said. Tax revenue in the fiscal first quarter that ended June 30 was 13 billion rand ($956 million) behind target, the South African Revenue Service said last month. Should collection continue to fall short of estimates, it would be more than 40 billion rand, or…

Kenya to Deploy Police for Opposition Protests as Business Slows

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya will deploy security forces to monitor protests planned by the main opposition alliance, the government’s spokesman said, as he criticized the demonstrations for slowing down business. The opposition National Super Alliance plans to hold demonstrations in the capital, Nairobi, and other cities on Friday. The coalition began a campaign of twice-weekly protests on Monday to press its demands for an overhaul of the electoral commission before a rerun…

Graft, Faction Fights Undermine South Africa, Minister Says

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s future is being undermined by rampant corruption and faction fights in the ruling African National Congress ahead of its conference to choose a new leader to succeed President Jacob Zuma, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said. Sisulu, who’s vying to succeed Zuma as the ANC leader at the party’s national conference in December, made her comments Wednesday in a wide-ranging discussion at a town hall meeting in Johannesburg hosted…

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