Browsing: Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

MENA
  • COVID-19, the Ukraine-Russia war, commodity price woes, and high inflation leave the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on an unacceptably slow growth trajectory.
  • Countries’ economic fallout is also worsened by rising debt, currency depreciation, and negative impacts of natural disasters.
  • As a result of these shocks, the human toll on the livelihoods of the people across MENA is very devastating.

Millions of people across economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are grappling with a number of challenges attributable to the adverse impact of global economic upheavals.

The global shock fueling economic fallout includes the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine-Russia war, commodity price swings, and high inflation. Rising debt burdens, currency depreciations in middle-income economies, and the consequences of natural disasters linked to climate change are also to blames.

As a result of the sequence of these global shocks, the human toll on the livelihoods of …

Africa's-fintech
  • Fintech BKN301 will significantly aid MENA region’s fintech sector, which experts project to reach $3.45 billion by 2026.
  • Two of the world’s three largest remittance corridors located in the UAE and Saudi Arabia handled $78 billion in payments in 2020, 6 equating to 7 percent of the GDP of the two nations combined.
  • Currently, fintech companies attracted 48.3 percent of known startups funding on the continents in 2021 and 43.3 percent in 2022.

Fintech heavyweight BKN301 is eyeing fresh growth opportunities in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) market, where the firm seeks to deploy its leading innovations in the industry. Its entry into MENA is set to accelerate the adoption of digital currency, even as expert project that the region’s market  will grow to $3.45 billion by 2026.

MENA fintech market on the rise

Africa’s digital transformation is paving the way for numerous advancements within the continent’s economy. Regional economies …

Nigerian mobility fintech Moove raises US$30 million
  • Moove has raised US$30 million to increase its fleet of electric vehicles in the MENA region. The money came from a debut Sukuk offering
  • Moove will use the funding to add up to 2,000 EVs in United Arab Emirates over the next year
  • Moove predicts that this fleet of EVs will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 5,000 metric tonnes annually

Moove, a mobility fintech company in Nigeria, has raised US$30 million to increase its fleet of electric vehicles in the MENA region. The money came from a debut sukuk offering that Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Ltd coordinated.

The successful closing of the company’s first sukuk will give Moove access to the vast pool of Islamic investors who are especially keen on making socially and environmentally responsible investments. It will also undoubtedly open up new financing options for Moove’s ambitious expansion plans.

As a sukuk al- istisna, a Shari’ah-compliant contract …

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Remittance flows to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region increased by 2.3 per cent to record about $5.6 billion in 2020 according to a report by World Bank.

The press release from World Bank noted that strong remittance flows to Morocco and Egypt strongly contributed to the growth.

In 2020, flows to Morocco rose to 6.5 per cent while flows to Egypt rose by 11 percent to record a high of nearly $20 billion. Tunisia also recorded an increase of 2.5 per cent.

According to the statement, other economies in the region experienced losses in the same period such as Iraq, Lebanon, Djibouti and Jordan which led to a double-digit decline.

With weak outflows from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and moderate growth in the Euro area, remittances are likely to grow in 2021 by 2.6 percent.

In the fourth quarter of 2020 the cost of sending …

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that it foresees a 4 percent GDP for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in 2021 and 3.7 percent in 2022.

In 2020 the projections were at -3.4 percent and 3.1 percent in IMF’s  October regional outlook forecast for 2021.

According to IMF’s April regional report released yesterday, MENA importers in 2021 will record a GDP of 2.3 percent and 4.5 percent in 2021 a rise from -0.8 percent in 2020.

Speaking during the sidelines of the World Bank’s and IMF’s meeting, the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, Jihad Azour said that “Our region reacted swiftly and with resolve, implementing measures that helped contain the pandemic spread and cushion the economic blow. Now, a year later, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and favorable external environment, offer hope that the end of the crisis is within sight.”

He said that …