Features

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — The U.K. has sent two military patrol vessels to the British isle of Jersey ahead of a potential blockade by French fishermen, as a row with France over post-Brexit fishing rights deepened. Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Jersey’s political leaders on Wednesday and said any blockade would be “unjustified,” according to a statement from the U.K. government. France responded by dispatching its own naval observation vessel, the Athos, to the area,…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Fintech companies in Africa raised more capital despite the Covid-19 pandemic, standing in contrast to their emerging-market peers such as Latin America that saw a decline. The continent saw fintech funding, including mergers and acquisitions, grow to $1.35 billion last year from $1 billion in 2019, according to a report by BFA Global’s Catalyst Fund and Briter Bridges published on Thursday. While Indian and Latin American fintech companies still raised more…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — A week that could set in motion the eventual collapse of the 314-year union between England and Scotland is concentrating City trading desks on market disasters ahead. As Scots enter a May 6 vote pitched on whether there should be a second independence referendum, fund managers and sell-side strategists see potential for massive chaos across the U.K.’s economic landscape in the years to come. Yet in an echo of…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said coronavirus lockdown rules are set to be scrapped in seven weeks’ time, as he hailed the U.K.’s successful vaccine rollout ahead of key elections this week. On the campaign trail, Johnson said the pandemic data was likely to allow people in England to stay overnight with friends or relations, with indoor hospitality able to reopen from May 17. Remaining social distancing rules are also likely…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Bill and Melinda Gates, who for decades have overseen one of history’s greatest fortunes and philanthropic operations, said they plan to divorce. The announcement Monday that the couple is splitting after 27 years of marriage has the power to ripple through the technology industry, a vast portfolio of business and real estate holdings and into the realms of global health, climate change policy and social issues including equality for…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been forced to deny he broke the law, as a series of rows from lobbying to what the opposition has dubbed “sleaze” threaten to engulf his government. The Electoral Commission opened a probe into whether funding arrangements for the refurbishment of his apartment breached election legislation last year. The inquiry could last months. With more claims likely to emerge from disillusioned former aide Dominic Cummings…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — A deadly wave of the coronavirus pandemic such as that ravaging India could yet happen in Africa and with even worse consequences, according to the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. “The situation in India shows we as a continent can’t put our guard down,” John Nkengasong told an online webinar on Thursday. “If what is going on in India unfolds in Africa it will overwhelm our…