“Barclays Africa Group Ltd.’s corporate and investment banking unit has approached Nigerian authorities for approval to convert its representative office to a fully-fledged business in the continent’s biggest economy,” Bloomberg reported today. The whole process to obtain the Nigerian licence may take around 12 months. Currently the following banks have operating licences in Nigeria: Standard … Continue reading
By Paolo Sorbello Kazakhstan produces around 22 tons of gold each year, a figure comparable to neighboring Kyrgyzstan (18 tons), but only a quarter of Uzbekistan’s production (92 tons). Gold is not a major feature of Kazakhstan’s mining industry, which is dominated by chromium, copper, zinc, and uranium, but it is becoming a key asset … Continue reading
By David Marston, Era Dabla-Norris, and D. Filiz Unsal Economists are paying increasing attention to the link between financial inclusion—greater availability of and access to financial services—and economic development. In a new paper, we take a closer look at exactly how financial inclusion impacts a country’s economy and what policies are most effective in promoting … Continue reading
By Jill Shankleman One in five African states produce hydrocarbons, and most of these are heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues to finance their governments and generate foreign exchange. Further, an emerging group of East African states are waiting on international oil companies to develop new oil and gas reserves. But Africa’s record using … Continue reading
By Min Zhu The growth story for frontier economies isn’t the same as China’s in the last two decades, or the United States a hundred years ago. These fast growing, low-income countries have their own story, and it’s not what you might think. In May of this year, I wrote about who they are and … Continue reading