Africa: Finance and Banking

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Finance law and banking law thought leadership, articles, podcasts, videos and webinars from expert sources across the legal world. Explore insights covering topics such as capital adequacy, BASEL, acquisition finance, debt capital markets, fund finance, islamic finance, securitization and structured finance.
Article
After The Freeze: What Happens Next For Crypto Arbitrage And Exchange Control Risk?
The South African Reserve Bank's dispute with fintech Kastelo has evolved from an account freeze into a pivotal test case for how exchange control regulations apply to crypto arbitrage platforms. As the litigation moves beyond procedural questions to substantive regulatory compliance, businesses operating cross-border digital asset models face critical uncertainty about when client foreign exchange allowances can legitimately support platform-based crypto transactions. The unresolved merits may fundamentall
South Africa Finance
E
ENS
Article
The Clock Is Ticking: CRD VI And South African Financial Institutions
The European Union's Sixth Capital Requirements Directive introduces a unified framework requiring non-EU banks to establish authorized branches when providing core banking services into EU Member States. With the grandfathering deadline now passed and full implementation approaching in January 2027, South African financial institutions must urgently assess which cross-border activities fall within scope, which exemptions may apply, and whether establishing a permanent European presence has become necessary
South Africa Finance
E
ENS
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SL
Secured Lending
BR
Banking Regulation
PF
Project Finance

Fund Management/ REITs

Article
Credit Sprints And Equity Marathons: Execution, Exits, Amd Returns In The Nigerian Private Capital Relay
Private equity, venture capital, and private credit markets in Nigeria are evolving rapidly, with disclosed deal values surging 84% to US$810.7 million in 2025. While venture capital dominates transaction volume and value, private debt is expanding its role in working capital, acquisition finance, and infrastructure. The critical question is not whether capital can enter Nigeria at scale, but whether it can stay, perform through cycles, and ultimately return to investors as distributions.
Nigeria Finance
UU
Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie
Article
The Retail Investment Strategy – Building Retail Investors’ Trust In Capital Markets
The European Union's Retail Investment Strategy represents a comprehensive overhaul of investor protection rules across multiple financial services directives, fundamentally reshaping how investment products are manufactured, distributed, and disclosed to retail investors. With political agreement reached and formal adoption imminent, financial institutions face significant compliance challenges around inducements, value-for-money assessments, and enhanced disclosure requirements that will transform retail
Worldwide Finance
M
Matheson
Article
SFDR 2.0: Where The Reform Stands
The EU institutions have reached consensus on replacing SFDR's Articles 8 and 9 with three product categories, but significant disagreements persist on fossil fuel exposure criteria and whether alternative investment funds marketed exclusively to professional investors should be exempt from the new categorisation regime. These unresolved issues carry particular weight for private markets participants navigating the evolving regulatory landscape.
European Union Finance
PR
Proskauer Rose LLP
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Project Finance/PPP & PFI

Article
Nigeria’s Real Estate Market In 2025: Strong Demand, Investment Remains Selective
Nigeria's real estate market in 2025 navigates cautious stabilisation amid easing inflation and more orderly FX conditions, yet high borrowing costs and constrained purchasing power continue to limit broad-based growth. How are investors responding to these mixed signals, and which property segments are demonstrating the strongest resilience in this challenging environment?
Nigeria Real Estate
uA
Firmus Advisory
Article
Ghana’s Real Estate Market In 2025: Recovery With Restraint
Easing inflation and lower interest rates are reviving activity in Ghana's real estate sector, but financing constraints and land administration bottlenecks continue to define the market's limits. The sector reflects a controlled recovery in 2025, with steady but uneven growth across residential, commercial, and logistics segments as developers prioritise efficiency and sustainable design over volume expansion.
Ghana Real Estate
uA
Firmus Advisory
Article
Senegal’s Real Estate Market In 2025: Dakar Concentration, Emerging Corridors, And Medium-Term Prospects
Senegal's real estate market in 2025 reflects improved macroeconomic stability with lower inflation and stronger growth expectations driven by hydrocarbons, yet development activity remains measured due to persistent financing constraints, infrastructure gaps, and policy transition effects. The market is heavily concentrated in Dakar, with gradual eastward expansion along growth corridors like Diamniadio, while developers prioritize execution quality, affordability, and strategic location selection over agg
Senegal Real Estate
uA
Firmus Advisory
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Financial Services

Article
After The Freeze: What Happens Next For Crypto Arbitrage And Exchange Control Risk?
The South African Reserve Bank's dispute with fintech Kastelo has evolved from an account freeze into a pivotal test case for how exchange control regulations apply to crypto arbitrage platforms. As the litigation moves beyond procedural questions to substantive regulatory compliance, businesses operating cross-border digital asset models face critical uncertainty about when client foreign exchange allowances can legitimately support platform-based crypto transactions. The unresolved merits may fundamentall
South Africa Finance
E
ENS
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Commodities/Derivatives/Stock Exchanges

Article
Settlement At The Speed Of Trust: Nigeria’s Transition To T+1 Settlement And Why It Matters
Nigeria's capital market has transitioned to a T+1 settlement cycle, reducing the time between trade execution and settlement to one business day. This reform addresses counterparty risk, liquidity constraints and operational inefficiencies that persisted under the previous T+3 and T+2 frameworks, fundamentally reshaping expectations for brokers, custodians and institutional investors.
Nigeria Finance
SB
Stren & Blan Partners
Article
Horizon Scanner Finance June 2026 - European Developments
The EU Listing Act package introduces sweeping reforms to prospectus requirements, market abuse regulations, and investment research frameworks, with a critical implementation deadline of June 2026. How will these changes affect disclosure obligations for ESG bonds, delayed disclosure regimes, and issuer-sponsored research? As Member States finalize transposition and Level 2 measures remain outstanding, market participants face both opportunities for reduced administrative burdens and challenges in navigati
Afghanistan Finance
AC
Arthur Cox
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Latest Videos

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