Business

African stock markets regained momentum in the third quarter of 2025, with Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco among the strongest performers as investor confidence improved and currency conditions stabilised. The latest market capitalisation data from Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) shows that out of nine exchanges, six recorded double-digit gains over the quarter, although persistent reporting gaps in others continue to obscure a full view of the continent’s investment landscape. The analysis draws on CMA’s quarterly market-capitalisation data for selected African bourses. Although market capitalisation is influenced by currency movements, new listings, delistings, and changes in share prices, it remains a widely used indicator of market performance and investor sentiment. Finan...

Trade finance is being reshaped by the intertwined pressures of sustainability, digitalisation, and geopolitical turbulence. The International Sustainable Trade Finance Framework (ISTFF), adopted by many banks including Standard Chartered, aims to standardize what ‘sustainable trade’ looks like across markets. While the technology and standards for digital trade are emerging, interoperability between different platforms remains the biggest hurdle, especially for emerging markets. Trade finance is being reshaped by three intertwined pressures: sustainability, digitalisation, and geopolitical turbulence. As emerging markets push for economic growth, banks face the difficult task of balancing development needs with global demands for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) stand...

Georgia-based wealth management company Merit Financial Advisors (Merit) has acquired Madison, Wisconsin-based firm Mennenga Tax & Financial (Mennenga). The transaction is expected to add $715m in assets and extend its client service capabilities in Wisconsin. Mennenga Tax & Financial specialises in wealth management, estate planning, and tax planning and preparation. As part of the acquisition, Mennenga’s team of over 35 people, including 20 credentialed enrolled agents, will join Merit. Its founder, Marshall Mennenga, will be appointed as wealth manager, tax advisor, and partner at Merit. The acquisition follows Merit’s recent acquisition of Obsidian Planning Solutions, which brought in $476m in assets last month and expanded its expertise in business succession plan...

“Financial Scams and Consumer Trust,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Block, examines how the rise of digital scams is undermining the confidence powering everyday banking, commerce and payments. Drawing on a survey of 15,110 United States consumers conducted from Sept. 9, 2025, to Sept. 22, 2025, the report reveals how fraud has evolved from a personal nuisance to a systemic trust challenge. Nearly four in 10 U.S. households have fallen victim to scams in the past five years. Losses from these scams range from a few hundred dollars in gift-card or tech-support schemes to thousands of dollars in investment and Social Security scams. What’s most surprising is who’s getting hit: younger, affluent and college-educated consumers, the very group long assumed to be the most digit...

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Students in an engineering-based scholarship and leadership program said a new $11 million investment from a DMV-based foundation will bolster student financial aid and create expanded service opportunities for participants, strengthening the program’s impact on future engineers. Officials announced last month an $11 million donation from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to expand the Clark Scholars Program, which provides GW engineering students with financial aid, leadership experience and professional development opportunities. Program participants and faculty said the grant will broaden the program’s impact by increasing the financial aid available to students, even after the Clark Foundation closes at the end of the year as it finishes paying out the late founder’s assets ...

With enhanced processes and data-informed employees, the city is ensuring sustainable, cost-effective governance. By introducing a more streamlined and standardised approach, and implementation of a simplified, standardized system within Antwerp’s finance department, the city is making concrete progress towards improving daily financial operations. These changes aim to simplify processes, reduce manual workloads, and lay a practical foundation for ongoing enhancements in efficiency, accuracy and financial decision-making within Antwerp’s finance department, the city is making concrete progress towards improving daily financial operations. The migration to SAP S/4HANA® marks a strategic step forward, offering a centralized platform that enhances data integrity, strengthens security, and imp...

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Image source: Getty Images Investing in the S&P 500 has provided exceptional returns for investors over the long term. And even in the last five years, vast sums of wealth have been created, thanks in large part to the ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks. In fact, anyone who put £1,000 to work in a passive index tracker five years ago has now more than doubled their money with around £2,085. And for stock pickers who exclusively invested in Nvidia, that initial £1,000 is today worth a staggering £13,407! Of course, the question now becomes, can the largest US stocks continue delivering such phenomenal gains moving forward? And just how much money could a 50-year-old investor expect to make before retirement comes knocking at 67? A 108% total return from the S&P 500 over the...