Retail IPO Rush: Aliko Dangote’s refinery share offer opened in Nigeria, with retail investors buying minimum 10-share bundles as the $2.15tn naira-sized listing targets broad participation in Africa’s biggest industrial bet. Banking Risk Watch: Bank of Baroda faces closure pressure in Kenya after a court issues arrest warrants and an auction looms, adding to uncertainty over its cross-border operations. Payments Momentum: PAPSS says transaction volumes jumped about 1,000% year-on-year, with adoption set to deepen from 2027 as it connects central banks and banks across 30+ countries. SME Credit Gap (South Africa): A new SMME report shows survival is improving but scaling is blocked by hard-to-access funding, with most firms relying on self-financing and only small shares using bank loans or grants. Municipal Finance (South Africa): South Africa secured a $1bn New Development Bank loan to reform metro trading services, tying funding to independently verified performance targets. Trade & Insurance Capacity (Africa): Afreximbank and ZEP-RE sign a three-year deal to build skills in trade, insurance, reinsurance and risk management across Africa. Energy Transition (Nigeria): NUPRC says Nigeria aims to raise gas output to supply up to 70% of Africa’s demand, leveraging large reserves but needing investment and viable pricing. Investor Confidence (Zimbabwe): Ecobank Pan African Bank opens a new Harare head office as Zimbabwe pushes ease-of-doing-business reforms to remove investment barriers. Fintech Benchmark: Dubai tops a global FinTech ranking in the latest Global Financial Centres Index, reinforcing its role as a regional finance hub.