Category: Finance

Global Economy Recovery

Finance, Digital Economy Key to Driving Growth of ASEAN Markets: Industry Experts

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair
Global Economy Recovery

Finance and digital economy are key pillars that will drive the reform agenda of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and support the region’s economic growth in the coming decades, industry experts speaking at the Global Business Forum ASEAN in Dubai said today.

Organised by Dubai Chamber under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the two-day forum explores investment and trade opportunities emerging across ASEAN markets, and positions Dubai as a global gateway for ASEAN companies.

Outlining priorities of ASEAN countries, a session titled Financing Growth brought together Stephen Moss, Regional Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) at HSBC, based in the UAE, and Winfried Wicklein, Deputy Director General for the Southeast Asia at Asian Development Bank, based in the Philippines, both of whom joined the discussion remotely.

“The pandemic undoubtedly had a disruptive impact on the economy and adversely affected growth in South-East Asia, with the region registering a 4% contraction last year – its deepest in the last decade,” said Winfried Wicklein. “The good news is that we are expecting the region to bounce back with growth of more than 3% in 2022 and 5% in 2023. The economic recovery has been driven to a great extent by the bounce-back in the agricultural sector, as many of those who lost their jobs in tourism headed to agriculture.”

Wicklein went on to list four strategies that are necessary to lead the region’s recovery in the period ahead: “First, there is strengthening social protections, especially for vulnerable groups. Then strategy number two is to enhance the competitiveness of ASEAN’s business environment in order to attract further investments, including investment in human capital to build a competitive workforce and economy.”

“The third strategy is maintaining the ongoing digital transformation in order to generate jobs and income,” he continued. “And finally, there is ensuring that the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is green.”

For his part, Stephen Moss asserted that interest in ASEAN from the Middle East is at an all-time high, citing several reasons for this development. “First, if we look at ASEAN as one entity, it would be the third-largest economy in Asia and fifth-largest in the world; the region is also expected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030. It sits right in the middle of two of the world’s largest trade agreements – the CPTPP and RCEP.”

“Furthermore, exports from ASEAN are valued at over USD1.3 trillion – a figure that is expected to more than double to USD2.8 trillion by 2025, making ASEAN the world’s fastest-growing trade bloc,” he continued. “In terms of digital adoption, ASEAN already has one of the world’s most digitally enabled populations, with 40 million additional internet users reported in 2020 alone. The total number of users is expected to rise from 130 million to 300 million by 2030. This is not to mention the dynamic population, 35% of which are under 20 years old – a population that is fast moving into the middle class.

“Given all of this, we can see why investors from the Middle East are increasingly looking East towards ASEAN,” Moss concluded.

In the second session, ‘ASEAN’s Digital Landscape,’ Dr Ayesha Khanna, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer ADDO AI, a global artificial intelligence and big data firm that headquartered in Singapore and with clients and employees located in the Middle East, Asia and the US, discussed how digitalisation was underpinning the recovery from the pandemic.

She highlighted the ‘e-Conomy Southeast Asia (SEA) Report – Roaring 20s: The SEA Digital Decade,’ published by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company in 2021, that revealed that 40 million new internet users came online this year, bringing the internet penetration in South East Asia to 75%, with eight out of 10 of these users having purchased something online at least once.

“Not only are people in ASEAN using digital more than ever before they are using it more frequently than ever before. It is not only the scale of penetration but also the depth of penetration as more and more digital services are added. That has risen to a sense of the digital decade for ASEAN – 2020 to 2030,” she said.

“One in three of these customers think that we would not have survived without these digital services – e-commerce, transport and food, and then to financial services and travel. As it matures, it comes to education and health-tech. We have seen great examples of how people are now, using more than four digital services than they were doing before the pandemic – food and grocery delivery have gone up the most, but digital merchants for all the centres are merging,” she added.

“The net positive impact that digitisation has on the country as a whole, benefitting both end users as well as the merchants and suppliers, range from job creation to business opportunities. More than 83% SME survey say it has created more jobs and if it weren’t for digital their revenues would have declined. In fact, six in 10 of them have said they would like to maintain the use of digital supply chain financing and consumer financing as the next thing to explore. What we are seeing is that we are in a position now to move beyond just consumer services to helping small businesses,” she continued.

Dr Khanna concluded by highlighting that in her base of Singapore, startups raised $11.2bn in the first nine months of 2021 – more than double raised in the whole of 2020.

“Singapore has made a great deal of effort to attract ASEAN unicorns. The country is one of the top investment destinations in south East Asia, from where family offices and investment offices, sovereign wealth funds can have a channel and exposure to all the growing startups, billion dollar value startups, across ASEAN. This is the opportunity that we see in both ASEAN and the Middle East as well, a flourishing of digital services,” she said.

GBF ASEAN forms part of Dubai Chamber’s flagship Global Business Forum series, which was launched in 2013 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide Dubai’s business community with new opportunities and strengthen the emirate’s position as a dynamic global business hub. GBF ASEAN represents the latest in the programme, which also has GBF Africa and GBF LATAM under its umbrella.

Investment Banking

Hundreds of African Financial Professionals Benefit from European Investment Bank Banking and Microfinance Academy

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair
Investment Banking

Abidjan hosting the EIB’s first banking best-practice engagement in West and Central Africa; Central Bank governors from West and Central Africa to highlight financial challenges; 2021 SME Banking and Microfinance Academy follows EIB training more than 40,000 finance professionals across Africa over past 7 years; Industry experts share experience and solutions to strengthen gender and agriculture finance, digitalisation and understanding of climate risk.

Financial and banking leaders and experts from across West and Central Africa will participate in the European Investment Bank’s 2021 SME Banking and Microfinance Academy, the first to be held in the region. More than 1000 banking, microfinance and development finance participants from 67 countries will share technical and practical experience of successfully increasing access to finance by smallholders, entrepreneurs and business in the fully bilingual virtual event.

“The European Investment Bank recognises the importance of ensuring that private sector financing unlocks sustainable economic and social development. This inaugural EIB West and Central Africa SME Banking and Microfinance Academy brings together partners that share the same goal and long term objective of strengthening resilience and unlocking economic and social opportunities for local communities, small holder farmers and entrepreneurs across Africa. Building on a previous best-practice sharing that strengthened specialist skills for more than 40,000 African financial professionals for the benefit of many more entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers, I am convinced of the success of the Academy.” said Ambroise Fayolle, European Investment Bank Vice President.

Opened by Jobst von Kirchmann, European Union Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and hosted by the European Investment Bank’s Regional Representation for West Africa in Abidjan the Banking and Microfinance Academy will provide an opportunity for African and international financial partners to share experience of supporting economic resilience crucial to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating digitalisation and green finance, and improving access to finance by women, remote communities and vulnerable groups.

Over two days, experts from leading financial institutions, the EIB and partners Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A) will share practical insights and technical best-practice that will further strengthen access to finance and facilitate investments in targeted sectors particularly in climate change mitigation and adaptation, social, gender, and the advancement of innovation and digital technology.

Central Bank governors from across West and Central Africa will also participate and discuss current challenges and financial services trends.

 

Expanding successful exchange of banking best-practice to West and Central Africa

The 2021 SME Banking and Microfinance Academy is the first time that the European Investment Bank has held the event in West and Central Africa. This follows previous banking and microfinance Academies held in East and Southern Africa since 2016.and dedicated best-practice training with more than 40,000 financial services professionals across Africa.

Banking professionals and private sector SME banking and microfinance clients across Africa already benefit from dedicated business management, banking risk management and specialised training provided by the European Investment Bank through technical assistance programmes across Africa.

Over the last decade the EIB has provided dedicated training for financial professionals in 288 banks and microfinance partners and enhanced business skills for entrepreneurs, small holder farmers and refugees across the continent.

 

Driving transformational change through increased access to finance

The 2021 SME Banking and Microfinance Academy will allow African and international banking and microfinance practitioners from across west and central Africa to share insights into the latest banking best-practices. Experience from previous academies in Nairobi and Pretoria have shown how closer cooperation and knowledge sharing is key to expanding access to finance to targeted market segments, to overcome key challenges and to foster and accelerate high-impact investment.

Participants will exchange experience and expertise on financing climate action, scaling up digitalisation, enabling financing to better reflect the needs of private sector entrepreneurs, smallholders and agriculture, and ensure that female entrepreneurs and women led business can overcome banking barriers.

Speakers will also highlight how to financial institutions are reinforcing digital investment to improve financial services delivery, sustainability reporting as well as to enhance environmental and social ratings.

 

Building on 58 years of EIB support for private sector growth and transformational investment across Africa

In recent years the European Investment Bank has worked with West and Central African based financial partners including Baobab, ECOBANK, Microcred, Kafo Jiginew, BDEAC, Société Génerale, Commercial Bank of Cameroon and PRO PME to enhance access to specialist and targeted finance.

The EIB promotes the development of the financial sector through technical assistance for both financial intermediaries and private sector final beneficiaries to strengthen managerial and financial skills.

Recent programmes have provided targeted support for African banking institutes. This includes recent partnership between the EIB and International Monetary Fund to support financial sector development across the continent. The joint EIB-IMF online course on financial inclusion and financial development.

By offering specialized technical assistance and fostering closer cooperation with its partners, across the continent the European Investment Bank is contributing to a lasting legacy of building local capacity and even developing stronger technical skills to ensure that increased access to finance overcomes daily challenges faced by small African businesses.

The European Investment Bank is the world’s largest international public bank, owned directly by the 27 European Union member states.

The EIB has operated across Africa since 1965 and last year provided EUR 5 billion for private and public investment across Africa.

Digital Economy

Vertiv Joins the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance to Help Drive a Climate-neutral Digital Economy

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair
Digital Economy

Vertiv, is a global a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, today announced that it has become a lead sponsor of the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA).

Established in 2019, the SDIA is a non-profit network of more than 65 organizations across Europe and beyond, working to catalyse the transition to sustainable digital infrastructure. It aligns all stakeholders of the digital ecosystem – from energy supply and data centres, to fibre-optic networks and software – on the mission of fostering a sustainable digital economy and realizing their Roadmap to Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030.

Max Schulze, SDIA executive chairman, welcomed Vertiv to the Alliance. “Vertiv’s experience and expertise in the critical infrastructure sector, including data centres, is well established. Together we will continue to develop new concepts and technologies to make climate-neutral data centres and digital infrastructure a reality.”

Commenting on the partnership with the SDIA, Giordano Albertazzi, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Vertiv, said: “Achieving a successful transition to a sustainable and digital future will require the cooperation of a wide variety of stakeholders, including governments as well as organisations from across the energy and technology industries. Vertiv is proud to support a group such as the SDIA which can help bring together these contributors and align them towards the common goal of developing a sustainable digital economy.”

Initially, Vertiv and the SDIA will focus their relationship around Europe – currently at the forefront of sustainability technology development as well as government regulation and investment.

Vertiv’s membership of the SDIA follows similar initiatives with organisations such as the European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), which Vertiv joined in 2018. Vertiv, via its membership of the EUDCA, is also helping to contribute to the development of the recently announced Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. The pact is a major self-regulatory initiative setting targets that put the cloud and data centre industry on a path to meet the European Commission’s goal for climate-neutral data centres by 2030, and supporting the wider goal of the European Green Deal to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

Some of the immediate areas of cooperation between SDIA and Vertiv will include the advancement of grid-interactive technologies. SDIA’s membership, which spans data centre technology suppliers and operators as well as energy companies, is well placed to help with the development and deployment of new solutions which can improve the integration between critical infrastructure and energy grids.

Dubai Business Bay

Young Saudi Arabia Consumers Bring Spending Back, 88% Ready to Embrace Pre-pandemic

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

Sitecore®, the global leader in digital experience management software, today released its Holiday Shopping Trends 2021 report exploring how consumers in Saudi Arabia intend to celebrate, indulge, and recuperate this holiday season.

Saudi Arabia’s residents are eager to resume their normal lives and make up for last year’s COVID-controlled holiday, with 88% of those age 25-34 saying they are ready to embrace pre-pandemic shopping, travel, and holiday experiences.

About four-fifths (79%) of Saudi Arabia consumers surveyed plan to make bigger and more mindful holiday purchases this year, fueled in part by the fact that 76% of Saudi Arabia consumers say they have more savings set aside for the holidays this year compared to last year.

Sitecore’s Holiday Shopping Trends 2021 report surfaces insights from consumers around holiday shopping, gift giving, spending, and sentiment. The data arms marketers in categories like retail, travel, automotive, and others with the intelligence they need to deliver winning experiences that satisfy the evolving tastes and demands of consumers.

“As 88 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia are very clearly ready to move on from the pandemic, they are looking at Holiday 2021 as the beginning of the rest of their lives,” said Mohammed Alkhotani, Area Vice President – Middle East and Africa, Sitecore. “Our research shows pent-up demand and more savings than usual will result in younger consumers splurging on self-care and big-ticket items at the register, which is great news for those in retail, travel, and hospitality. It’s also heartening to see that 69 percent of Saudi Arabia consumers want to support their local community, including locally-owned businesses. The industry will need to respond with more offerings from these businesses.”

 

  • Saudi Arabia’s Shift in Perspective:
    • 73% of consumers would prefer experience gifts to “more stuff”
    • 85% of consumers are now planning “the trip of a lifetime”
    • 73% of consumers under the age of 44 said they are now more spontaneous, more social, and enjoying life more
  • Young Saudi Arabia consumers bringing spending back:
    • 87% of those under the age of 44 stated that following their experiences during the pandemic they now “value travel and appreciate other cultures more” 
  • Saudi retailers could support more locally-owned businesses:
    • 95% of consumers believe it is essential that retailers offer more products from locally-owned businesses, but only 66% report seeing more locally-owned products when shopping 
  • Buying local and being mindful with purchases is a priority for Saudi Arabia:
    • 69% of consumers are willing to pay more for locally made gifts
    • 59% of consumers are annoyed when they find a purchase was made in China, when they thought it was a local purchase
    • 93% of consumers stated that the pandemic has made them think more carefully about how they spend their money
  • In Saudi Arabia, self-care now includes self-gifting:
    • 46% of those buying a gift for themselves cite “therapy” as the main reason
Online banking

Al Ain Finance Selects HID Global to Offer a Secure and Seamless Mobile and Online Banking Experience to Customers

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

As customers increasingly gravitated to digital channels, it became essential to secure customer access and all transactions using multi-factor authentication

HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, today announced that Al Ain Finance has selected its cloud-based HID Authentication Service and HID Approve mobile-based authentication application to offer its customers a secure and seamless online banking experience.

Al Ain Finance built its UAE operation from the ground up on a foundation of cloud-native banking software that optimized both its agility and resilience, especially during the global pandemic. As customers increasingly gravitated to digital channels, it became essential to secure customer access and all transactions using multi-factor authentication.

As the company took its next step with the addition of digital front-office omnichannel banking, it turned to HID Global for the vital consumer authentication portion of the solution. Pre-integrated with Al Ain Finance’s existing banking software, HID Global’s consumer authentication offering was easy to deploy under a tight deadline.

It has enabled Al Ain Finance to protect its customer’s data and transactions with maximum flexibility while delivering a seamless online and mobile app-based customer experience. The intuitive HID Approve app combines the security of public key-based cryptography and out-of-band transaction signatures that offer the convenience of push notifications.

“We can now offer a growing set of banking services through efficient and seamless digital channels with the highest levels of identity assurance,” said Ajith Nayak, Operations Manager with Al Ain Finance. “The HID interface makes enrollment and use easy, secure and effective across many different types of devices, and because the solution was already integrated with our existing banking software, no customized development was required.”

The HID solution has reduced the time and cost of delivering intelligence-based authentication and transaction signing on Al Ain Finance’s existing core banking platform. Customers particularly enjoy how HID’s authentication solution enables them to securely use Al Ain Finance’s quick account login and powerful self- service capabilities. HID Approve also gives them a simple and secure way to authenticate and validate each transaction.

“In order to offer customers secure access without invasive identity checks, organizations need to deploy seamless identity verification, intelligent threat detection and adaptive authentication,” said Paul Jones, Senior Director of Strategy and Product Delivery for IAM Consumer Authentication HID Global. “The HID Approve and HID Authentication Services helps Al Ain Finance to deliver a new, secure way for their customers to authenticate mobile access requests and verify transactions.”

UAE economy

CBUAE Governor and Bank CEOs Discuss Continued Support to the UAE Economy

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

His Excellency Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), today held a meeting with the CEOs of all banks operating in the UAE to discuss the macroeconomic environment, provide the CBUAE’s assessment of financial stability, and inform about the CBUAE’s ongoing regulatory and supervisory initiatives. A particular focus of the meeting was on the role of banks in supporting the UAE’s economic recovery by ensuring the continued flow of credit to the economy.

The Governor informed bank CEOs of the CBUAE’s assessment of financial stability in the UAE. The CBUAE assesses the financial system of the UAE as stable. Liquidity and capital buffers of banks remain adequate, supported by stable deposit volumes and growth in capital market funding. Meeting participants also discussed areas subject to close monitoring by the CBUAE, which included asset quality and credit conditions.

The CBUAE emphasised the role of the banking sector in the continued flow of credit to the private sector, supported by different components of the CBUAE’s Targeted Economic Support Scheme (TESS). His Excellency emphasised that the TESS was extended until 30 June 2022, in the expectation that banks will continue to support the UAE’s recovery by continuing to lend to creditworthy customers. 

Against the background of gradual economic recovery, continued government support and healthy funding growth, bank lending remains flat, reflecting subdued demand and the conservative risk appetite of banks. Meeting participants discussed the pre-requisites and critical enablers for the banking sector to increase their support of the UAE economy, especially during the early stages of recovery.

Meeting participants also discussed the trends in the real estate market and the CBUAE’s proposed framework for surveillance and supervision of real estate exposures, with a view of addressing the risks associated with lending to this sector.

H.E. Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, said: “Our assessment and recent economic data point to a post-pandemic rebound of the UAE economy. The UAE banking system remains resilient, and our support measures in the form of the CBUAE’s Targeted Economic Support Scheme and other measures will remain in place until the middle of next year. Against this background, we expect banks to support the economy and ensure a continued flow of funds to creditworthy retail and corporate clients.”

Zambia covid relief

Zambia: African Development Bank Approves $1.4 Million Grant to Improve Household Food Security in the Wake of Covid-19

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a $1.4 million grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to reduce malnutrition among the Southern African nation’s most vulnerable households.

The Mitigating Impacts of Covid-19 on Household Food Security Project will create about 150 permanent skilled or semi-skilled positions and 40 part-time unskilled jobs in crop, livestock and fisheries value chains. The project will supply inputs for crops, livestock and aquaculture enterprises to promote good agricultural practices and increase food production. There will also be a capacity building component.

“The agriculture sector is an important source of livelihoods, employment and GDP in Zambia. Increased food supply resulting from additional grant funds will lead to more jobs, improved quality of life, and reduction of malnutrition in many impacted communities,” said Martin Fregene, African Development Bank Director of Agriculture and Agro-industry.

The project provides supplementary funds to the ongoing Agriculture Productivity and Market Enhancement Project, a $32 million grant-funded initiative also from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, which has been managed by the Bank in the Sinazongwe, Gwembe, Chongwe, Rufunsa, Serenje and Chitambo districts of Zambia over the past five years.

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program administrators said the six districts were selected based on poverty levels, food insecurity and malnutrition prevalence. However, with this funding and program, these districts have the potential for economic growth, and to promote crop diversification. Some 5,000 people, including 3,750 women and 1,000 youth, will benefit. Some 5,000 people will also benefit indirectly along the commodity value chains.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Zambia has implemented bold measures to protect the health and economic well-being of its citizens. These steps included a nationwide program to scale up agricultural diversification. The Bank’s Covid-19 Response Facility launched in 2020 has been a lifeline to member governments by providing resources to tackle the pandemic.

“The facility will consolidate the Bank’s support for Zambia’s economic diversification and impact mitigation against Covid-19,” said Mary Monyau, the Bank’s Country Manager in Zambia.

The Zambian project is in line with the Bank’s High 5 strategic priorities, specifically, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. Similar Bank projects have been successfully undertaken in Malawi, Niger, Liberia, Senegal and the Gambia.

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program was established as a response to the 2008/09 world food price crisis, following a commitment by the Group of 8 nations (G8) in September 2009 to mobilize up to $20 billion for agricultural development and food security. The World Bank supervises about half of the project portfolio of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program. The African Development Bank managed about a quarter in December 2019, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, 11%.

Africa

Ghana: African Development Bank Group Supports Risk-based Supervision for Capital Markets

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

The African Development Bank Group and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Ghana today launched a $400,000 project to strengthen the development of Ghanaian capital markets. This follows the signing of a grant agreement to develop a risk-based supervisory solution for the local capital market.

The grant, from the African Development Bank’s Capital Markets Development Trust Fund, will finance the provision of technical assistance and capacity building for the SEC, the markets regulator, and the Ghana Stock Exchange.

The project will enhance the SEC’s institutional capacity and readiness to transition from a compliance-based to a risk-based supervision approach for the securities market. It will also enable the development and streamlining of policy and regulatory frameworks for pooled funds, and support the broadening of market instruments through the introduction of products such as asset-backed securities.

At the launch event, Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, Director-General of the SEC, commended the African Development Bank for supporting the development of a risk-based solution, which is expected to bolster the Commission’s capacity to fulfill its mandate.

The objectives of the project align with the priorities of the Bank’s Country Strategy for Ghana, which envisages measures to stimulate capital market development and unlock financial resources that will advance Ghana’s industrialization, the private sector and infrastructure development.

“The collaboration with the Securities and Exchange Commission to promote an enabling regulatory and supervisory environment with diversified financial market products and instruments is timely. This support demonstrates the Bank’s desire for a deepened and broadened financial system – a driver of investment and economic growth in Ghana,” said Ahmed Attout, Manager of the Bank’s Capital Markets Development Division.

The project will benefit capital market participants in Ghana, including securities issuers and investors. It will also help broaden available products and structures for savings and investment.

Mr. Ekow Afedzie, Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, expressed his appreciation to the Bank and noted that this project has come at an opportune time when the stock market is introducing new products to deepen the market and improve liquidity. “Thus, the introduction of the new products will boost investor confidence and achieve the ultimate goal of making the Ghana Stock Exchange a preferred investment destination in the sub-region,” Mr Afedzie said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will cooperate closely with the Ghana Stock Exchange and other market stakeholders to implement the project.

 
Islamic Banking

Path Solutions Successfully Completes System Upgrade at KFH

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

The bank proud to announce taking advantage of iMAL R14.1 new features and benefits

Path Solutions, the global Islamic banking software company, today announced that Kuwait Finance House (“KFH”), Kuwait’s Islamic banking pioneer has successfully completed the upgrade of its fully automated STP Islamic Treasury solution to the new Path Solutions’ Java-based platform iMAL R14.1, as of 21st February.

KFH is considered a pioneer in the banking phenomenon known as Islamic finance or Sharia-compliant banking. It was established in the State of Kuwait in 1977 as the first bank operating in accordance with the Islamic Sharia, and today it is one of the foremost Islamic financial institutions in the world.

The successful Go Live signifies a pivotal point in KFH’s development. Built on an open architecture and developed in Java, the iMAL R14.1 allows the bank to take advantage of the digitalization, flexibility, reliability, scalability and portability that this new Islamic Treasury platform offers.

“KFH constantly invests to enhance its systems by implementing latest technology and innovative solutions to ensure we offer world-class products and services to our customers”, said KFH Acting Group CEO, Abdulwahab Al-Roshood.

Al-Roshood added, “We are happy to have completed the successful upgrade of our Islamic Treasury solution to iMAL R14.1 in a smooth and timely manner. With the new Sharia-compliant fully STP automated Islamic Treasury platform, our customers will benefit from the best practices and enhanced features that Path Solutions has invested in the software since our last implementation. Moreover, we will be able to continue to scale in line with our growth strategy and stay ahead of industry trends as we continue to expand into new segments”.

Mohammed Kateeb, Group Chairman & CEO, Path Solutions, commented, “Collaboration is vital in order to stay ahead of in an ever-changing financial landscape. By collaborating with our clients to help them identify key customer expectations that will enhance their daily processes and interactions, and investing around 30% in R&D, we ensure that we remain the industry leader in Islamic software solutions. iMAL R14.1 will empower KFH to be future-ready, given the rapid digital disruption that the segment is facing. The result is a dynamic ecosystem of innovation that will only drive incremental growth and customer satisfaction. We look forward to continuing to work with our long-standing partner KFH and our clients all over the world to modernize their platform and bring real-time and fully digital banking services to their customers”.

Meanwhile, Treasury GM – KFH Group, Ahmad Eissa Al-Sumait mentioned that the successful implementation and Go Live of the new Islamic Treasury solution that is fully automated with Reuters, Bloomberg and 360T at KFH Group will improve the performance of all treasury functions at the bank. “KFH can now offer a wider range of Islamic Treasury products and services based on specific requirements to its customers all over the world”.

He further expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Path Solutions and KFH teams for their dedication and great efforts in implementing the new system remotely due to COVID-19 lockdowns while ensuring a high quality and stable production environment. All channels and surround systems were verified and got satisfactory results.

Over the past 28 years, Path Solutions has earned a stellar reputation in the fiercely competitive marketplace by providing clients with state-of-the-art AAOIFI-certified software solutions and services, thus dominating the Islamic banking software arena.

Islamic Finance

Bank of Abyssinia Taps Into Path Solutions to Achieve Sharia Compliance and Operational Efficiency

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

Path Solutions, a global provider of AAOIFI-certified software solutions and services for Islamic banks and financial institutions, today announced the signing of a new partnership agreement with Bank of Abyssinia (“BoA”), one of the leading banks in Ethiopia serving more than 4.6 Million customers through 580+ branches and Islamic windows. As a new addition to Path Solutions’ fast-growing client base, BoA will be implementing iMAL*IslamicFinancing and iMAL*ProfitCalculationSystem for its Islamic window operations.

iMAL*PCS provides end-to-end capabilities to manage the entire profit calculation and distribution cycle, making Islamic profit distribution highly efficient. The process automation coupled with a complete set of dashboard data analytics capabilities gives decision makers of Islamic financial institutions the tools to make fast and accurate decisions. The solution includes innovative pool structures and profit distribution rates to ensure customer satisfaction is maximized in accordance with Sharia principles. All profit rate adjustments are made according to the Sharia and handled automatically by the system, which also allows Islamic financial institutions to specify the rules for splitting profits. The system provides each bank with facilities to tailor its own profit calculations according to the product set and define pool structures that reflect the income and expenses for finance and investment transactions funded by each pool.

Mohammed Kateeb, the Group Chairman & CEO of Path Solutions commented, “I am delighted to welcome BoA to our growing list of partners in Africa. We’ve got an impressive track record of working with financial institutions in integrating our AAOIFI-certified suite of services with their existing core banking platform, whether conventional or Islamic. BoA’s decision to entrust our Sharia-compliant profit calculation and distribution system is testament to our ability to effectively address the business pains financial institutions are experiencing, and the severe consequences for Sharia non-compliance”.

Ethiopia has recently allowed the formation of full-fledged interest-free banks, and thus several banks are currently planning to convert to Islamic or raising fund to start Islamic banking services. However, most technology and software solutions in the country are designed for the conventional banking infrastructure. A pure Islamic software, certified by AAOIFI such as iMAL from Path Solutions can be seamlessly incorporated into an Islamic financial institution, and it can be integrated with any conventional core banking platform to enable the organization to compete more effectively in this competitive business environment.

“After much research and due diligence on Islamic banking software, we chose Path Solutions’ iMAL for its broad and comprehensive set of features, flexibility, and compliance with AAOIFI’s Sharia and accounting standards”, said Abdulkadir Redwan, Director – Interest Free Banking at BoA. “Our partnership with Path Solutions is vital to ensure all Islamic requirements are met for our stakeholders, and to compete in the rapidly changing Islamic financial landscape in the country. The iMAL*PCS deployment will enable us to utilize the net income during the calculation period and distribute it among investors according to the Sharia guidelines. In addition to its advanced automation capabilities, this all-inclusive system will allow us to offer new Sharia-compliant products to our customers with a truly differentiated customer experience”.

BoA represents the first signing for Path Solutions in Ethiopia. Driven by ambitious objectives and the lure of new untapped markets, more and more IT vendors are looking to expand in Africa. Path Solutions has a long history of addressing the special needs of Islamic banks in the African continent, particularly with the provision of AAOIFI-certified software solutions and services.

Banking

Saudi Payments Launches Instant Payments System ‘sarie’ in Cooperation with IBM and Mastercard

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

Saudi Payments, under the supervision of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the launch of Saudi Arabia’s instant payments system ‘sarie’ in cooperation with IBM and Mastercard, the leading technology company in the global payments industry. This collaboration marks a key milestone for payments innovation in the region and is aligned with Saudi Payments’ aim to improve the Kingdom’s financial ecosystem, mainly through the adoption of faster payments and improvements to banking reconciliation. Today, ‘sarie’ supports all Saudi banks across the Kingdom and is available for use by their customers.

The introduction of ‘sarie’ is in line with Saudi Arabia’s Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) under Saudi Vision 2030, which targets achieving 70% non-cash transactions by 2030.

‘sarie’ allows bank customers to send and receive money in real-time using a wider range of services and transfer options. Customers of local banks can make instant transactions of up to SAR 20,000 (USD 5,300) through the system. Further, “sarie” users can benefit from the quick transfer service to send up to SAR 2,500 (USD 660) using aliases, such as mobile number, email address, ID number, or IBAN number.

Saudi Payments Managing Director Fahad Al-Akeel said, “The instant payments system ‘sarie’ can enable us to drive usage and engagement across the Saudi payments ecosystem of banks and businesses. It can help lay the foundation for new payments business initiatives, encouraging financial inclusion and banking reconciliation of Saudi banks. We welcome this momentous collaboration with IBM and Mastercard. It is a huge step forward that aligns with our ongoing smart solutions and payments modernization strategy, aimed towards achieving the assigned goals in vision 2030.”

Maria Medvedeva, Vice President and Country Business Development Lead, Saudi Arabia, Mastercard, said, “This is a significant milestone in our real-time payments journey and is the result of hard work. Saudi Arabia is an important market for Mastercard, and we anticipate that with this real-time payment system going live in the MEA region, many doors may soon open for ongoing innovation, both in the Kingdom and further afield. The initiative can significantly contribute towards digitizing and modernizing transactions in line with the goals of Vision 2030, and can also help increase the efficiency of the financial systems and offer consumers access to a wider range of financial services, positively impacting the Saudi economy and its citizens.”

Saudi Payments selected IBM Global Business Services (GBS), the services and consultancy arm of IBM, to lead the project as the System Integrator (SI) partner and a leading end-to-end digital payments solutions provider. IBM GBS designed and architected the solution through its complex system integration methodology, built a technical platform and integrated Mastercard’s instant payments platform into Saudi Payments’ existing infrastructure while connecting it to the IT systems of locally operating banks. Not only is this a milestone for payments innovation locally, it is the fastest end-to-end rollout globally of a digital payments system of its kind and scale.

Mastercard’s innovative and secured real-time payment technology was selected for the rollout by Saudi Payments, enabling people and businesses in the Kingdom to send money instantly. It is part of the tech company’s broader multi-rail strategy to lead payment innovation in the MEA region across all digital payment rails,  enabling people and organizations to send and receive money how, where, and when they choose, across both card and account-to-account payments rails. Mastercard’s experience of real-time payments implementations includes the launch of The Clearing House’s RTP® – the transformative real-time payment system in the U.S. – an evolution of Mastercard’s highly successful and reliable systems developed for Faster Payments in the U.K., FAST in Singapore, and PromptPay in Thailand. Mastercard is now providing real-time payments infrastructure technology for 12 of the largest 50 countries ranked by GDP.

Dina Abo-Onoq, Managing Partner, IBM GBS, Saudi Arabia, said, “In order for banks and financial institutions to remain current, they should be prepared to adapt to the changing and on-the-go customer needs, using the latest innovations. This launch is another step towards the advancement of the payments and banking landscape in Saudi Arabia and the region. The new payments solution is designed to provide the citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia with Mastercard’s real-time capabilities and help promote financial innovation.”

Saudi Payments has successfully rolled out ‘sarie’ across all banks operating locally, using the most advanced technology built on the latest ISO 20022 messaging standards. The ambitious system is expected to support local government, business, and consumer payment needs across various payment flows, creating a more convenient and accelerated economic activity across the Kingdom.

E-commerce

E-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa: Can Covid-19 Growth Be Sustained

Posted on | by Akeela Zahair

– Covid-19 prompted widespread growth in sub-Saharan e-commerce

– African giant Jumia used record expansion to fuel share demand

– Limited ICT infrastructure remains a significant barrier in the region

– The African digital economy is set to continue its exponential growth trend


The coronavirus pandemic triggered an e-commerce boom in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside the rest of the world. With a global recovery under way, the question now is: can that growth be sustained?

There is no doubt that 2020 was a watershed year for the digital transition. Lockdowns around the world accelerated the deployment of digital solutions in most aspects of daily life: the expansion of e-commerce was one standout consequence. E-commerce companies and platforms enjoyed a rise in activity and profits, while retailers that had not previously developed their online presence found themselves obliged to do so in order to survive.

To take an example, Latin America saw a boom in the sector, with an estimated 13m people making an online transaction for the first time in 2020, while retail e-commerce in the region grew by 36.7% to around $85bn, according to data company Statista.

A recent UNCTAD report anticipates that this growth will be sustained even as the pandemic is brought under control, with e-commerce platforms likely to retain gains in market share, and around 50% of consumers planning to continue to shop online more often than they did before Covid-19. However, growth in e-commerce has been unevenly spread in global terms, being concentrated in wealthier countries and regions.

On a related note, the UNCTAD report highlighted that the benefits of this uptake will depend on the digital readiness of individual countries.

One key determinant is ICT infrastructure. As OBG has detailed, one of the most important challenges currently facing emerging markets is the digital divide.

This is particularly important in the context of e-commerce. Simply, if enough people do not have access to the internet, the expansion of digital commerce will be severely curtailed.

Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly prone to the effects of limited ICT infrastructure: the International Telecommunication Union estimates that the proportion of individuals in the region who use the internet at least occasionally is 28.2% – considerably below the average of developing (47%) and developed (86.3%) countries.

Other common barriers include the high cost of broadband; limited digital training and a lack of trust among citizens; a traditional preference for cash; and little government support.

Notwithstanding these considerations, however, e-commerce in the region saw significant successes last year, suggesting that growth in this field could be sustained going forward.

 

Leading lights

One emblematic African success story has been e-commerce platform Jumia, which reported a 50% rise in transactions during the first six months of 2020.

Jumia was founded in 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria, and grew to become Africa’s biggest e-commerce platform, as well as the continent’s first unicorn, in 2016. Today, it is often mentioned in the same breath as other regional leaders, such as China’s Alibaba and Latin America’s Mercado Libre.

Capitalising on its success during the pandemic, in December 2020 Jumia raised $243m by selling American depositary shares. This move was followed by a secondary share offer at the end of March, which netted $341.2m in proceeds.

While there are still question marks around Jumia’s medium-term prospects – the company has yet to make a profit – these results show confidence in both the company and the future of e-commerce in the region.

Companies within the broader e-commerce ecosystem have also seen impressive growth in recent times. For instance, by March this year Paystack, a Nigerian financial payments company with more than 60,000 merchants across Africa, reported a five-fold increase in transactions relative to pre-pandemic levels.

Logistics companies have similarly enjoyed a surge in business. In Nigeria, Max.ng and Gokada pivoted away from ride-hailing at the outset of the pandemic in order to concentrate on logistics, while Kenya’s GetBoda, an e-commerce delivery company, saw a 150% rise in orders in the first weeks of the pandemic.

Elsewhere, various initiatives were founded to cater to an increase in demand amidst the challenging conditions. For example, in April last year the UN Capital Development Fund partnered with transport company SafeBoda Uganda to create an e-commerce platform designed to connect small businesses to customers.

 

A bright future?

As well as mitigating the worst effects of the pandemic, this expanded e-commerce offering has changed consumer habits.

Survey results published in the UNCTAD report in March found that more than 40% of customers in four large African countries were planning to reduce their supermarket shopping in the future by purchasing food, clothing and electronics online.

Other developments are also set to boost e-commerce in the region, among them the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which became operational on January 1 this year. The third phase of AfCFTA negotiations – covering e-commerce and digital trade – are set to take place this year.

If this impetus can be harnessed then e-commerce could well continue expanding in the sub-Saharan region.

This, at least, is the opinion of a report released at the end of last year by Google and the International Finance Corporation, according to which Africa’s digital economy could contribute $180bn to the continent’s GDP by 2025, an increase on the $115bn for which it is currently responsible.

The report also forecast that the sector’s contribution will grow to $712bn by 2050.

Meanwhile, the digital economy’s contribution to GDP in Kenya – which leads the way among African countries in this regard, followed by Morocco and then South Africa – is set to rise from 7.7% to 9.2% by 2025, then 15.2% by 2050.