Most African governments are keen to liberalise their financial sectors. Kenya’s would have sent a clear signal in the opposite direction had MPs passed proposals to cap interest rates earlier in 2012. For now, such a move seems off the table. But looming elections could change that.
Latest articles from Paul Wallace
Nigeria's First Bank faces fresh competition
May 1, 2012Competition among Nigeria’s biggest banks will become even fiercer in the coming few years thanks to the creation of two new top-tier lenders in the wake of the country’s financial crisis. But the head of First Bank, the largest lender in Nigeria, is undaunted by the emergence of these rivals.
African banks seek expansion beyond home markets
May 1, 2012African banks are increasingly looking outside of their domestic markets, and many of the continent's biggest lenders are now active in multiple countries, buoyed by greater access to vast unbanked populations and a more stable political environment.
Oil wealth moves Angolan economy to a new stage
April 27, 2012Angola’s vast oil reserves have helped it rebuild its shattered infrastructure and become one of the world’s fastest growing countries. But the country needs to develop the rest of its economy quickly to reduce its vulnerability to a fall in oil prices and tackle its high levels of poverty.
Game changers loom for Angolan banks
April 27, 2012Angola’s banks are likely to grow faster than any others in Africa over the next decade, and they are also among the continent’s most profitable. But they will have to start innovating as increased competition and new regulations look set to make their presence felt.
Angola profits from a decade of peace
April 27, 2012Angola’s government has presided over 10 years of peace and booming economic growth, and neither looks likely to be disturbed in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, managing the expectations of Angolans over the next decade as the memory of civil war fades will become harder.
National Bank of Rwanda governor averts inflation hike
April 2, 2012Rwanda’s monetary authorities stood out from their east African peers in 2011 for managing to withstand the severe inflationary pressures buffeting the region. Claver Gatete, governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, explains how this was done and what the country's government is doing to lure more foreign direct investment.
Casablanca looks to dispel African divide
April 2, 2012Morocco wants to establish Casablanca as a financial hub not only for investment into the rest of north Africa, but countries south of the Sahara too. So far, it has made good progress and is pulling ahead of its regional rivals.
Nigeria's $1000bn stock market ambition
April 2, 2012Nigeria’s capital markets have yet to recover fully after crashing in 2008. But thanks to extensive reforms by its regulators and a strengthening of investor sentiment amid rapid economic growth, the country's stock exchange is expected to take off in the next few years, and some bankers think its capitalisation can reach $1000bn by as soon as 2016.
Kenyan banks in scramble for South Sudan
March 1, 2012Kenya’s banks have been quick to move into newly independent South Sudan. Although the country is one of the world’s poorest and its infrastructure dire, the opportunities for banking over the next decade are immense, many Kenyan bankers believe, and their efforts are already paying off.