Ecobank’s reputation took a battering last year as it became mired in a well-publicised corporate governance crisis. Its new chief executive, Albert Essien, has restored some calm, and he tells Paul Wallace how he hopes to make the kind of returns that will entice more international investors to buy its stock.
Awash with hydrocarbons and boasting a highly liquid banking sector, Libya's potential is vast. However, continued political and social unrest, combined with the dominant position of state-owned banks, mean that the country's private sector banks have numerous obstacles preventing them from realising this potential.
Morocco is on the cusp of a legislative breakthrough that will pave the way for a fully fledged Islamic finance system in the country. But with a history of failed Islamic banking experiments, on top of the usual problems associated with establishing a new market in a country, Morocco's Islamic banking sector is unlikely to take an instant hold.
Zimbabwe’s economy is on the verge of recession, with low consumer demand and a liquidity crunch putting its businesses under plenty of strain. Against this backdrop, finance minister Patrick Chinamasa tells Paul Wallace how he has started to rebuild its ties with multilateral lenders in a bid to access new credit.
South Africa's lenders, for so long the shining light in Africa's representation in The Banker's Top 1000 rankings, retain the top spots in the regional list but mostly with falls in their Tier 1 capital. The good news, however, comes from the direction of Morocco's financial institutions.
PTA Bank, one of Africa’s main development banks, was in crisis at the turn of the millennium. But it has since turned itself around and boosted its capital base, meaning that its chief executive is confident in saying that it is finally able to fulfil its role of fostering regional trade in eastern and southern Africa.