Sustainable Banking Gains Momentum in Africa, Led by Kenya and South Africa
A new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and KPMG East Africa indicates that banks across eight African countries are making gradual but steady progress in embedding sustainability into their operations, policies, and risk management frameworks.
The report, known as the Sustainable Banking Assessment (SUSBA), was discussed on a webinar with The Kenyan Wall Street. Jane Waiyaki — Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance in Africa and Europe at WWF, and Tracy Lane, Associate Director for Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Sustainability at KPMG East Africa evaluate ESG maturity of financial institutions in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon by relying exclusively on publicly disclosed data, examining 78 indicators across six thematic areas: purpose, policies, processes, people, products, and portfolio.
Interswitch, Bank of Sierra Leone Champion Financial Inclusion @ Sierra Leone Fintech Forum 2.0
As part of its sustained efforts to accelerate Sierra Leone’s digital finance transformation, Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, in collaboration with the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) has successfully hosted the second edition of the Sierra Leone Fintech Forum, bringing together key stakeholders across the financial ecosystem to chart a course toward broader access, inclusion, and growth through digital payments.
The event, which held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, convened senior representatives from both the public and private sectors, including regulators, banks, fintechs, mobile money operators, and development organisations, for a day of high-level dialogue and engagement.
Egyptian fintech company Pasky launches new digital payments service
Egyptian fintech company Paysky has launched “Pay by Bank”, a new service that offers a direct, cost-efficient alternative to legacy payment infrastructure.
Founded in 2017, Paysky has grown into a regional powerhouse in digital payment infrastructure, serving over 250 financial institutions and reaching more than 600 million users in 18 markets across Africa and the Middle East.
“Pay by Bank” is a new solution that enables direct account-to-account (A2A) payments, allowing banks, merchants, and individual users to bypass legacy payment routes and benefit from faster, cheaper, and more secure transactions.
By removing dependency on third-party routing networks, “Pay by Bank” reduces transaction fees, accelerates settlement times, and improves transparency across the payment chain.
TOPPAN Security to Acquire dzcard for Asia and Africa Expansion
TOPPAN Security has announced a definitive agreement to acquire dzcard Group, a provider of smart card solutions and personalisation services in Asia and Africa.
The strategic acquisition positions TOPPAN Group as a leading entity in the Asian payment card market.
This development will double TOPPAN Security’s banking card manufacturing capacity and its network of personalisation centers.
The company, which is positioned as a global provider of secure identity and payment solutions and already active in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, will now extend localised banking card services to new markets including Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Morocco, and East Africa.
Read more: https://fintechnews.sg/112351/payments/toppan-dzcard/
How African Startups Are Attracting Global Fintech Funding
In recent years, Africa’s startup ecosystem has undergone a dramatic transformation. Once perceived as a peripheral player in the global tech scene, the continent is now emerging as a significant hub for fintech innovation.
Venture capital is pouring into African startups at unprecedented levels, with fintech companies leading the charge. But what exactly is fueling this surge of interest, and why is the world’s financial elite betting on Africa’s digital future?
Read more: https://www.itnewsafrica.com/2025/06/how-african-startups-are-attracting-global-fintech-funding/
Can Digital Wallets, Stablecoins Solve Small Banks’ Cross-Border Cost Center?
Cross-border payments don’t have a small bank problem; small banks have a cross-border problem.
With layers of intermediaries, opaque fee structures and legacy infrastructure, the cost and complexity of sending money internationally remain disproportionately high for regional and community banks.
As large banks use economies of scale and bespoke infrastructure to streamline international transactions, small banks, credit unions and other local financial institutions can find themselves left grappling with high costs, longer processing times and limited transparency.
