Browsing: Afrexim Bank

Afrexim Bank spinoff AFREXInsure stirs Africa’s insurance sector 

Banking
  • Afrexim’s subsidiary, AFREXInsure, will manage trade and commerce-related risks in Africa.
  • AFREXInsure will leverage its risk expertise using its continent-wide presence.
  • Cargo handling, construction, operations and energy sectors are on target.

The African Export-Import Bank has launched its wholly owned insurance management services subsidiary, AFREXInsure.

The new subsidiary aims to offer a single point of entry for all speciality insurance requirements to help manage associated risks for African trade and commerce. The insurance arm of the bank will offer quality, best-in-breed specialty insurance that are tailor-made for Africa.

With credible knowledge of Africa, AFREXInsure will leverage on its risk expertise using its continent-wide presence and deep understanding of the African market to provide solutions around cargo handling, construction, operations and energy – sectors critical for the growth and establishment of trade and investment intercontinentally.

AFREXInsure targets specialty risks

Speaking during the launch, which took place on the sidelines of Afreximbank’s …

President William Ruto

Kenya amplifies dedollarisation call at Nairobi AfCFTA talks

Regional Markets
  • With tightening monetary policies globally, many African economies are struggling with falling forex reserves.
  • Low reserves have sent governments back to the drawing board strategising on how to survive future trends while balancing trade.
  • With this, leaders and policymakers in Africa are engaging in the de-dollarisation conversation.

Kenya has sent a strong message to economies in Africa on the need to accelerate dedollarisation of cross-border trade, further amplifying the global conversation on reducing reliance on the US dollar as the main mode of payment.

For over a decade, China and Russia have sought to drastically lower their usage of the US Dollar in what is commonly referred as “dedollarisation”.

This is in a move intended at shielding their economies from possible trade-limiting US sanctions. The strategy also reduces their exposure to adverse effects of US economic and monetary policy, while also asserting global economic leadership.

China, Russia slowly cutting dollar

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Egypt rising to Africa's largest engineering products exporter . www.theexchange.africa

Export figures show Egypt is breaking its own engineering record

Investing

The head of the Export Council for Engineering Industries, Sherif El Sayyad said that the highest hike in the sector’s history led the engineering industry’s exports to reach US$3 billion, compared to US$2.1 billion in the corresponding period in 2020.

The exports were distributed globally, with Europe accounting for 48 per cent (US$1.4 billion), Asia US$951 million, Africa $535 million, while South America and North America together contributed to a total of $77 million in exports.

Egypt’s engineering products have increased their exports to countries like the United Kingdom, Slovakia, France, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon. In Africa, Egypt’s engineering products importers include Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Ghana. …

To dollarize or not? Zimbabwe’s monetary headache

Banking
  • Zimbabwe did not have a parallel market for foreign exchange in the years running from 2009 to around 2016.
  • Zimbabwe is heavily reliant on imported products and expends more foreign currency than it can afford.
  • Demand pressure has contributed to the fall of the Zimbabwe dollar resulting in general inflation.

To dollarize or not to dollarize?

This question has robbed monetary authorities of sleep as the Zimbabwe dollar falls precipitously on the parallel market.

Zimbabwe did not have a parallel market for foreign exchange in the years running from 2009 to around 2016.

It all began with the introduction of a surrogate currency that was fallaciously pegged at par with the United States dollar. The authorities initially posited that the surrogate currency was supported by a loan facility extended by the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afrexim Bank).

This loan it was said underscored the parity of the currency. It did not …