Reports have revealed that an alleged French led coup-style attempt has been successfully foiled in Mali by the coordinated efforts of Malian forces and the Africa Corps. Armed Groups Launch Massive 12,000-Fighter Assault Across Mali Reports from the Malian Army on Saturday, April 25, 2025, disclosed that armed groups, which some security experts identified as the “Azawad Liberation Front” and “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” carried out a large scale operation in Mali involving an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 fighters. These groups are reportedly trained by Western intelligence services. Rebels Target Presidential Palace and Key Cities in Coordinated Strikes…
Author: Khusoko
Khusoko
Khusoko provides market insights into Africa's business investment as well as global trends that impact East African businesses.
This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) was a buzz as women across the world celebrated under the theme ‘Give to Gain’. One key insight that echoed across discussions, rooms and plenary sessions was the call for stakeholders across different sectors to invest in women to gain in the long run. This is in support of the ongoing rallying call to close the gender gap, with voices from different events indicating that it has gone on for far too long. As a leader in the payments sector, my reflection is on building payment systems that work for women and women…
A structural shift is underway in East Africa’s financial ecosystem, one that extends far beyond payments. Recent regulatory alignment between Kenya and Rwanda, enabling FinTech’s to operate more seamlessly across borders through FinTech licence passporting, signals an important evolution. While these developments may appear focused on improving payment efficiency, they point to something far more transformative: the emergence of cross-border financial identity. This shift has the potential to reshape how consumers and businesses are understood, assessed and ultimately included in the formal financial system. From Payments to Financial Identity Cross-border financial reform in Africa has historically centred on payments, reducing transaction…
The far-reaching and unrelenting nature of the news cycle in 2026 so far – from conflicts and geopolitics, to major market movements, technology breakthroughs and AI developments – has created a major spike in the appetite amongst audiences to understand what’s happening in the world and what it means for them. People are consuming more news, sharing it with friends and followers, and, in an age of increasing AI-generated content and misinformation, choosing to turn to credible, established sources for verified information. Against this backdrop, the news industry itself is creating headlines as the sector undergoes significant change in all…
From billion-dollar bets to shifting power across continents, online gambling doesn’t just make waves, it creates tidal shifts in the global economy. We’re talking explosive growth, fierce competition and a whole new set of rules for businesses, governments and players. This isn’t just about playing games online; it’s rewriting the script for digital industries everywhere. Online gambling used to be tucked away in a quiet corner of the internet. Now? It’s front and centre, pulling in mind-boggling sums every year and getting serious attention from investors and policymakers. What really sets it apart isn’t just those big numbers, it’s the…
Family Bank closed 2025 with its strongest financial results in years, posting a net profit of KSh 5.37 billion, a 55 percent jump from the previous year and announced plans to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange before the end of June 2026. The results, presented at an investor briefing in Nairobi, reflect a bank that has spent four years rebuilding its capital base, expanding its digital reach and sharpening its focus on small and medium businesses. The Numbers Metric 2024 2025 Change Total Assets KSh 167.7B KSh 208B +24% Customer Deposits KSh 126.5B KSh 151.8B +20% Net Loan Book…