veri blog

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

Three years ago, Ghana was the cautionary tale of African finance. After years of heavy borrowing and external shocks, the country defaulted on its international debt in 2022 and scrambled into a $3 billion IMF programme in 2023. Eurobond coupons went unpaid, inflation blew out, the cedi plunged and confidence evaporated. Fast-forward to late 2025 and the headlines look very different. Ghana has: Completed the restructuring of its Eurobonds (around $13 billion) in October 202

Uganda has suddenly become the place where yield-hungry investors go to “squeeze the last drop” out of frontier markets. Offshore holdings of Uganda’s shilling government bonds have surged to around $2.7 billion , about 12% of total domestic government debt – a record high, driven largely by global funds rotating back into high-yield local currency paper. At the same time, the government has pushed out the curve with a 25-year bond , which in its latest auction cleared at a

Kenya is rewriting its debt story in real time. In the space of a few weeks, Nairobi has: Agreed a $1 billion debt-for-food security swap with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC); and Launched a $1.5 billion Chinese-backed highway expansion , with Kenya’s own National Social Security Fund (NSSF) taking equity risk in a 28-year toll concession.() Two very different deals. One goal: create breathing room on the public balance sheet while still funding

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

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

The money arrived first as a text message. In a parish on the edge of eastern Uganda, the chair of a small savings and credit cooperative opened her phone on Wednesday morning to see a balance she had never imagined: 50 million shillings – roughly US$13,700 – wired straight into the group’s new account. It was the first tangible sign that Kampala’s latest push to attack poverty from the bottom up is finally hitting the ground. This week, the Ministry of Finance confirmed it h

Traders on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) have spent much of 2025 watching green on their screens. The United States dollar-denominated bourse has climbed about 34% year-to-date , outpacing many regional peers and last year’s already strong gains. Mining counters and export-oriented companies have led the charge, turning the tiny resort city into an unlikely focal point for hard-currency investors. Yet 700km away in Harare, policymakers are preparing for the opposit

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

ISIN: US25460E8557 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Direxion Direxion has built its reputation as a pioneer in the world of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Founded in 1997 , the firm focuses on providing tactical tools that enable professional traders and sophisticated investors to amplify or hedge their market exposure. Headquartered in New York, Direxion has become synonymous with innovation in leveraged ETFs , offering products that provide 2

ISIN: ZM0000000250 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Zanaco Founded in 1969 , Zambia National Commercial Bank PLC (Zanaco) stands as one of Zambia’s oldest, largest, and most trusted financial institutions. It was established by the Government of the Republic of Zambia with a vision to create a bank that would serve all Zambians — from large corporations to rural communities. Over five decades later, Zanaco has evolved from a state-owned retail bank into a modern,

ISIN: ZM0000000037 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of ZCCM ZCCM Investments Holdings PLC (ZCCM-IH) is one of Zambia’s most significant and historically influential companies — a remnant and evolution of the nation’s mining legacy. Its roots trace back to the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) , which emerged after the nationalization of the mining sector in the early 1970s, when Zambia took ownership of the assets previously operated by private mining companies.

ISIN: US87264M1195 The Origins and Heritage of T-Rex ETFs The T-Rex ETF brand represents one of the most dynamic entrants into the leveraged and inverse exchange-traded fund arena. Managed by Tuttle Capital Management , a U.S. firm renowned for its innovative and tactical ETF launches, T-Rex products are designed for sophisticated investors seeking targeted, short-term exposure to volatile asset classes — including cryptocurrency, technology, and thematic sectors. The T-Rex

ISIN: IE00BTJRMP35 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Xtrackers The Xtrackers ETF range represents the passive investment arm of DWS Group , one of Europe’s largest and most established asset managers. Originally part of Deutsche Bank Asset Management , DWS has a legacy stretching back more than 60 years and manages over EUR 900 billion across global markets. The Xtrackers brand, introduced in 2007 , quickly established itself as a leader in efficient, index-based

ISIN: US78463V1070 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of SPDR Gold Shares When SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) launched in 2004, it redefined how the world invests in gold. Before GLD, holding gold typically meant buying and storing bullion — a costly and cumbersome process. GLD changed that forever by creating a transparent, exchange-traded structure that made owning gold as simple as buying a share. Issued by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), one of the world’s largest asset

ISIN: US35473P7446 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Franklin Templeton Few investment houses embody global reach and enduring trust like Franklin Templeton . Founded in 1947 in New York by Rupert H. Johnson Sr., the firm began as a family business inspired by the prudence and long-term vision of Benjamin Franklin — values that remain central to its ethos today. Over decades, Franklin Templeton evolved into one of the world’s leading asset managers, with operations

ISIN: IE00BFXR5R48 The Origins and Heritage of Legal & General Investment Management Founded in 1836 , Legal & General  is one of Britain’s oldest and most trusted financial institutions — a cornerstone of the UK’s insurance and investment landscape. Over nearly two centuries, it has built a reputation for prudence, consistency, and scale, serving millions of clients across pensions, insurance, and asset management. Within that legacy, Legal & General Investment Management (

ISIN: US69608A1088 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Palantir Palantir Technologies was born out of a unique confluence of...

ISIN: US9219378356 A Quiet Giant: The Origins and Heritage of Vanguard Few names in global investing carry the weight and legacy of...

ISIN: US4642851053 The Origins and Heritage of iShares Gold has always carried mystique — a tangible measure of trust and permanence in...