veri blog

Pension funds don’t chase ideas.They follow frameworks. For long-term capital to move meaningfully into Africa, it must fit within how institutions actually operate. That means benchmarks. Clear references. Rules that investment committees can understand, approve, and monitor. This is where continental benchmarks matter. Most pension funds — whether African or global — allocate capital relative to an index. Without a credible benchmark, Africa becomes difficult to size, justi

Indexes are important.But ETFs are where ideas become capital . If an Africa Market 100 were ever created, the real breakthrough wouldn’t be the index itself — it would be what sits on top of it. Exchange-traded funds are how most global investors actually gain exposure. Simple. Transparent. Scalable. This is where Africa has historically been disadvantaged. Investing in African markets often requires multiple decisions: which country, which exchange, which currency, which cu

A “what if” exploration of an Africa Market 100 index — a continent-wide benchmark that could simplify access, improve perception, and attract long-term global capital through structure and investability.

Long-term builders don’t just work differently.They see differently . Early on, I used to think the difference between short-term and long-term thinking was patience. I no longer believe that’s true. Patience is part of it — but the real difference is perspective. Long-term builders don’t look for quick confirmation. They don’t need constant validation that they’re on the right path. They’re comfortable operating without applause, without headlines, and often without certaint

For many years, the dominant investment narrative around Africa has focused on access — how African investors can reach global markets, how capital can be moved outward efficiently, and how portfolios can be diversified beyond domestic borders. That access matters. But it is not the end goal. The next phase — and the one we are now actively building toward — is about bringing capital into Africa . Once continental connectivity is in place, once listed, OTC, and private placem

One of the most important milestones we’re working toward this year is completing full platform connectivity across the African continent. Not partially. Not selectively. But properly — in a way that respects local markets, regulatory frameworks, and the realities institutions operate within every day. By the end of Q2, our objective is clear: to have Africa fully covered across all investment environments we provide. That starts with what already exists today — access to li

One of the things I’m most looking forward to as we return to Kenya is the opportunity to sit down with clients and partners and talk openly about what’s coming next — not in abstract terms, but in very real, practical detail. 2026 is a pivotal year for Veri. Not just in terms of platform development, but in how we structure and deliver services to meet the evolving needs of institutions across Africa. At the core of what we already provide is live trading capability , which

This Sunday, I travel back to Kenya with our CEO and co-founder, Craig Wetton , and it marks our first trip of the year. As always, there’s a genuine sense of excitement — not just about the journey itself, but about what lies ahead. We’re returning to continue conversations, to strengthen relationships, and to crystallise work that has been building over time with clients and soon-to-be clients we’ve met, spoken with, and worked alongside on real solutions. This trip isn’t a

Local-currency bond markets in East and Southern Africa are experiencing a surge of interest from both domestic and foreign investors. Countries such as Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda are seeing strong demand in recent government debt auctions, marking a shift toward deeper local financing and reduced reliance on foreign-currency borrowing. Financial authorities and international institutions are seizing this momentum to broaden yield curves, improve market infrastructur

ACCRA, Ghana (January 16, 2026) – African central banks are increasingly shifting from monetary tightening to easing as inflation rates fall to multi-year lows across the continent. After aggressive interest rate hikes in 2022–2023 to tame price surges, policymakers in countries from Ghana to Kenya have begun cutting benchmark rates in response to sharply lower inflation. The trend signals a new phase of monetary policy aimed at supporting growth now that earlier inflationar

January 16, 2026 East African central banks are entering 2026 with a cautious but optimistic stance. With inflation rates easing to multi-month lows and currencies largely stable, monetary policymakers in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya have opted to hold or even ease their benchmark interest rates. This coordinated trend reflects confidence that price stability can be maintained while providing room for policies that support economic growth in the region. Uganda: Policy Rate Unc

For more than a decade, African governments surfed a global wave of cheap money. From 2007 to 2024, annual sovereign bond issuance in Africa jumped from about US$70 billion to US$350 billion , while the stock of marketable bond debt ballooned from US$160 billion to US$730 billion . Add in domestic borrowing and loans from multilaterals, China and private lenders, and total public debt on the continent has risen more than fourfold to around US$2 trillion . In 2025, the bill is

For years, Senegal was held up as one of West Africa’s “good news” macro stories: steady growth, big infrastructure, a reputation for political stability and reform. Then the numbers changed. In 2024–2025, the new administration revealed billions of dollars in previously undisclosed public borrowing. The IMF now estimates Senegal’s total public sector debt at around 132% of GDP at end-2024 , versus roughly 80% just two years earlier – a jump driven largely by hidden liabiliti

For decades, African finance ministers flew to Washington, London or Beijing when they needed capital. Today, a quiet reversal is underway. According to new data from state-owned investor tracker GlobalSWF, African public institutions now manage close to $1 trillion in assets  – a historic high. That pool sits not in foreign aid budgets, but in: Public pension funds Central bank reserve portfolios Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) Public development banks and social security inst

Between 2005 and 2025, African economies have experienced significant wealth erosion due to armed conflicts, currency collapses, hyperinflation, and other disruptions. These factors have devalued personal savings and reduced purchasing power across the continent. In this report, we estimate the total monetary loss over this period and compare it to the potential growth had those funds been invested in stable assets like the S&P 500 index, gold, or global real estate funds.

If you work in Africa’s finance world long enough, you start to see the same pattern. Two people. Same salary. Same contribution rate. Same number of years saving. On paper, they’re doing everything “right”. Yet when retirement finally arrives, their outcomes are miles apart. One has a portfolio that still buys real things – school fees, healthcare, travel, dignity. The other has a statement full of big numbers that don’t stretch nearly as far as they should. The difference o

Most investors start at home. It’s familiar: you understand the banks on your high street, the telco you use every day, the government securities your adviser talks about. In many African markets, those local instruments also offer attractive nominal yields. But the last decade has shown how fragile that comfort can be: Currency shocks  can wipe out years of returns when measured in hard currency. Inflation spikes  can quietly erode the real value of cash, deposits and even s

In October 2025, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa to 4.1 percent , reflecting modest optimism amid persistent headwinds. That figure underscores a region balancing between promising reform momentum and foundational structural risks. Key pressures loom large: rising debt service costs, tightening external financing, inflation pressures, and weak fiscal buffers. During the IMF’s African Department press briefing, Director Abebe

There’s a quiet rebellion brewing in Africa’s finance circles, and it’s aimed squarely at the world’s biggest credit rating agencies—...

In today’s evolving financial landscape, meaningful innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through partnership —especially...