Uganda’s US$500 billion economic ambition comes with a financial requirement that is almost as striking as the target itself, private-sector credit will have to rise from roughly Shs30 trillion today to more than Shs490 trillion by 2040. That means the…
For years, Uganda’s informal economy has operated largely outside the traditional banking system. Small traders, farmers, transport operators, artisans and entrepreneurs generate income every day, but many remain outside the kind of formal financial systems that banks have traditionally designed…
Uganda’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are about more than whether the country needs another financial programme. They offer a window into a broader shift across East Africa, governments still have ambitious development plans, but financing those ambitions…
Uganda’s ambition to transform its economy tenfold will require more than public spending and government programmes. It will require private capital to flow into businesses capable of driving productivity, jobs, exports and value addition. The latest results from Stanbic Uganda…
Uganda is building up its financial reserves, but the strategy is exposing a bigger question about the country’s economic resilience, can Uganda generate enough foreign currency to make those reserves sustainable? The Bank of Uganda has begun buying locally produced…
Uganda’s trade with China is booming, but almost entirely in one direction. In 2025, Uganda imported $3.3 billion worth of goods from China while exporting just $118 million. That means for every dollar Uganda sold to China, it bought roughly…
The next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) will not be defined by chatbots answering questions. It will be defined by systems that can do the work. AI agents can plan tasks, use digital tools, analyse information, interact with other systems…
For years, mobile money in Africa was understood as a convenient alternative to cash: a way to send money home, pay a bill, receive money or withdraw funds without visiting a bank. That description is becoming too narrow. Airtel Money…
The evolution of banking from what it was, brick-and-mortar, to what we are witnessing today is all thanks to the growth in technology and innovations that have enabled digitisation in banking, so that more people are ushered into formal financial…
East Africa’s banking industry is entering a new phase. For years, the defining measure of ambition was expansion: opening branches, entering new markets, acquiring customers and building regional footprints. Now, as banking becomes more technology-intensive and the cost of competing…
Africa has never lacked ambition. Governments have produced long-term development plans, businesses have announced transformation strategies and regional institutions have created frameworks for trade, industrialisation, technology and investment. The ambitions are considerable. Uganda has its Tenfold Growth ambition. The African…
East Africa’s financial system has been shaped, more than any other factor, by the rise of Kenya as the region’s banking centre. For decades, Kenyan banks have operated with an ambition that extended beyond the country’s borders. As neighbouring economies…
For decades, Nairobi has been East Africa’s commercial capital. Today, it is becoming something even more significant, the gateway through which Africa’s largest banking groups hope to shape the future of regional finance. A new contest is unfolding across Kenya’s…
For decades, a bank’s strength was measured by the size of its branch network. Marble-floored banking halls, long queues and expansive physical footprints symbolised stability and reach. Today, that definition is rapidly changing. Across Africa, the most important branch may…
Uganda’s ambition to build a US$500 billion economy by 2040 will not be determined solely by oil production, industrial parks or major infrastructure projects. It will also depend on whether millions of women running small businesses can access the capital,…