Beyond Checklists: What New AML/CFT Regulations Mean for Banks, Fintechs and SACCOs
In September 2025, Kenya’s financial regulator issued compliance notices to 35 savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), warning of sanctions for failures in anti-money laundering controls. The message was clear across East Africa’s financial sector: the era of light-touch supervision had come to an end. From amendments to Kenya’s Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act to...
East Africa’s Export Surge: Momentum or Transformation
While global trade struggles through headwinds of protectionism and geopolitical tensions, East Africa is chartering a different course. In Q2 of 2025, exports from the East African Community (EAC) rose by 40.5% year-on-year to $18.6 billion.
Seizing the Fiscal Window: How a Weakening US Dollar is Reshaping East Africa’s Economic Horizon
For the better part of the last decade, the global economic narrative has been dominated by a singular, suffocating protagonist: the 'King Dollar'. Its reign has been absolute, exporting inflation to the Global South with ruthless efficiency and crushing emerging market currencies under its boot.
The Dream Deferred: Why East Africa’s Monetary Union Remains Out of Reach
On November 30th, 2013, when the East African Community(EAC) unveiled the Monetary Union Protocol, the mood across the region was almost celebratory. A single currency by 2024 felt like the next chapter of an integration story that had already delivered a customs union, a common market, and unprecedented cross-border movement.
Fintech Independence: MTN Uganda’s Structural Shift
Following board approval in March 2025, MTN Uganda shareholders consented to the unbundling of MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) at an extraordinary general meeting on 22nd July 2025. This follows a broader pattern. In neighbouring Kenya, persistent pressure continues to build for the separation of the country’s largest mobile money platform, M-Pesa, from its telecom parent, Safaricom.
Yuan Express: What Kenya’s Ditching of the Dollar on its Chinese-Built Railway Means
Kenya has made a bold and unprecedented financial move by converting its multi-billion-dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) loan from the Export–Import Bank of China from US dollars to Chinese Yuan. What might appear to be a mere accounting adjustment is, in fact, a decision that might save Kenya hundreds of millions of dollars annually while drawing Kenya closer into China’s financial orbit.
Turning Minerals into Fiscal Muscle: The Role of Sovereign Wealth Funds in Debt Financing
Across the world, countries have turned their natural resources into financial strength through Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs). Built from oil, gas, or mineral revenues, these funds provide stability during commodity price swings, safeguard savings for future generations, and create cushions that help governments manage debt more sustainably.
Demystifying Central Bank Digital Currencies: The East African Opportunity
Money is more than coins and paper; it is the language of trade and a reflection of sovereignty. And, as we enter an increasingly digital era, the very nature of money is changing. At the heart of this transformation lies the idea of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
From Savings to Securities: A Case For Tax-Free Investment Accounts
In 2024, MTN Uganda’s mobile money platform recorded a daily transaction volume of UGX 435 billion – approximately $123.1 million. On the other hand, in August 2025, the Uganda Stock Exchange recorded a daily trading volume of just UGX 17.63 million – approximately $5,000. The gaps highlight a disconnect in East Africa at large.
