Banking
Sberbank Net 2019 Profits Surge Following Denizbank Sale
Russia’s biggest lender posted a 20% y-o-y jump in profits for 4Q2019, as it prepares for the looming change of the controlling shareholder.
27 Feb 2020
Conducive Macro Backdrop Bolstered Rwanda’s Financial Sector in 2019 – Central Bank
Rwanda’s financial sector enjoyed healthy growth throughout 2019, whilst key metrics indicate that the banks remain well capitalised and non-performing loans (NPLs) are continuing to fall, according to a recent note from the Financial Stability Committee at the National Bank of Rwanda.
21 Feb 2020
MENA Borrowers Weigh Costs and Benefits of Debut DCM Deals as Appetite for Funding Diversification Grows
CFOs and Treasurers from across the region are looking at ways to diversify their funding base and reduce their dependence on the region’s deep-pocketed lenders, with the debt capital markets – which has grown leaps and bounds over the past decade – looking increasingly likely to be the dominant means of doing so. But how to shift internal cultures around disclosure, engage new investors, and…
20 Feb 2020
Turkey Delays Structural Reforms in Favour of Credit Fuelled Recovery – Chatham House
Despite a strong recovery since the economic crisis of 2018, Turkey is not out of the woods yet. Binging on cheap credit may have pulled the economy out of recession for now, stimulating key sectors and driving consumption, but it leaves the lira vulnerable, according to a recent report by Fadi Hakura, Turkey Specialist and Manager of the Turkey Project at Chatham House.
20 Feb 2020
Standard Chartered Kenya Launches Mobile Bond Trading Service
Standard Chartered Kenya has launched a bond trading service via its app, SC Mobile App, allowing customers to trade local currency government bonds through their mobile devices.
19 Feb 2020
Russia Sovereign Wealth Fund to Buy Out Central Bank Stake in Sberbank
The move is expected to ease concerns about the potential conflict of interest (regarding the CBR’s partial ownership of Russia’s biggest bank) and should provide additional funds for the “January Revolution” of additional social spending announced by President Putin at the start of this year.
17 Feb 2020
Sovcombank Sees Opportunities in Russia’s National Projects, Retail, and Green Finance
A number of large Russian banks were briefly teetering on the edge three years ago, as the industry was hit by a wave of bankruptcies and bad headlines. What followed was a five-year cleanse of the sector by the Central Bank and affiliated government agencies, and those lenders that came out unscathed at the end of it are now reaping the benefits of a less crowded and more stable industry. One of…
14 Feb 2020
Securitisations Could Help South Africa-Based Financials Overcome Ratings Challenges and Liquidity Issues
South African lenders could lean on securitisations to help address credit ratings pressures and a lack of liquidity in the banking sector, but key bottlenecks need to be addressed by regulators before the sector can really take advantage of them, according to Gill Raine, a senior policy advisor at The Association for Savings & Investment South Africa (ASISA) and veteran banker.
12 Feb 2020