Browsing: Financial sector in East Africa

Financial exclusion remains a major issue especially in the informal sector. Expansion of services in this area by banks will not be very easy because of the special situation and needs. This article suggests that while structural solutions are expensive and nevertheless must be pursued, banks should think of designing a process response to the problem, drawing on the experiences and practices of the traditional lenders. 

Much progress has been credited to money transfer services that were introduced by mobile network operators (MNOs) in 2008. These services are also supported by a network of agents across the country offering a range of services and products, whereas the traditional bank-dominated financial system remains mostly urban-based and is still unaffordable for the vast majority of Tanzanians and their businesses. 

Where ordinary citizens once had to enter into risky arrangements to send money urgently to their families, mobile money services have almost eliminated …

Bearish sentiment was the overarching theme in the Kenya equities markets, due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that has made the possibility of a global recession closer to reality. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the NSE-20 and NASI have posted negative returns of 24.1% and 15.6%, respectively. Notable out-performers YTD are Barclays ETF Gold (+23.7% YTD), a security whose value is pegged on the value of gold (a safe haven asset), Kenya Airways (+53.7% YTD) on a recent price rally, and Uchumi Supermarkets (+6.9% YTD). All other stocks at the NSE are in the red zone YTD, save for WPP ScanGroup that is at break even.

The bearish market, the ensuing global economic recession coupled with uncertainty around resolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, has shifted investors’ risk appetite to safer assets with the price of the Barclays NewGold ETF rising by about 23.7% this year, following accumulation of …