Finance & Services

Can Kenya’s runaway success in mobile banking be replicated all over Africa? The need to bank the unbanked is as acute in the rest of the continent as it is in Kenya but is the banking environment suitable for extended mobile banking, for example, in South Africa?

While mobile banking is now part of the business landscape in many African countries, few people outside the industry are aware of the invisible underlying technology, the platform or interface that turns a mobile phone into a mobile wallet or even a virtual bank branch. To find out more, we went be…

In Africa, all manner of financial transactions can be made through the humble mobile phone – it allows Kenyans to run the whole gamut of activities ranging from the payment of share dividends and utility bills to the purchase of air tickets for global carriers Kenya Airways, British Airways a…

While foreign tourists dream of visiting several Indian Ocean islands, the costs are often prohibitive. Now, a new concept will allow visitors to enjoy the attractions of many of the islands on a single trip and at reasonable cost. Tourism is one of the main economic pillars of two of Africa’s most …

On every working day, the banking halls are full and bustling with activity. The queues at the managers’ offices are also long. To secure an appointment with most bank managers requires patience. Not because of bureaucracy but because of the demand. “In the next 20 years, South Sudan will be a boomi…

Ethiopia is a paradise for a tourist who loves history or dramatic landscapes: it has some of the best of both in the world. The nurturing Rift Valley is one of the cradles from which early humans spread from Africa into the rest of the world. Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest countries. Its [&h…

Before founding Zephyr, Tom Barry was President and CEO of Rockefeller & Co, the investment management arm of the Rockefeller family (1983–1993) and before that, he was employed by T Rowe Price Associates, Inc (1969–1982). Tom Barry, CEO and founder of Zephyr Management LP in New York, is one of…

In its first three years the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange has traded over 221,000t of goods, worth over $1bn – with a default rate of zero. What lessons does the ECX have for the region? MJ Morgan reports.

Four years after their first meeting, African Banker editor Anver Versi renews his acquaintance with one of the most dynamic bankers in Africa – Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, the chief executive of Nigeria’s Access Bank. These have been four dramatic and traumatic years for the industry in Nigeria. Only a…

There has been financial crime as long as there has been financial activity, so the banking sector faces a never-ending task in seeking to stay one step ahead of the criminals in preventing fraud. The need for banking security in Africa is increasing in line with the growing proportion of the popula…