Africa’s Telecom Companies Are Becoming Financial Institutions
Mobile money began as a convenient way to send and receive cash. Today, Africa’s largest telecom operators are moving into lending, savings, insurance and investment products. MTN’s interest in acquiring banking licences raises a bigger question: could the mobile network eventually become more important to African consumer finance than the traditional bank branch?
ET&A Research · 27 August 2026
For much of Africa, the most important financial institution of the next decade may not look much like a bank.
Insight research
Continue reading with a subscription
Insight members get deeper company research, sector analysis and premium market commentary. Or buy just this report.
More in Markets and Economics
The Skills Gap Holding Back African Manufacturing
Africa has the labour force, natural resources and increasingly the capital required to build a larger manufacturing economy. But shortages of technicians, engineers, production managers and job-ready industrial workers are becoming a more important constraint on how quickly the continent can industrialise.
ET&A Research · 25 August 2026
Why People Make Irrational Financial Decisions
Money is often treated as a numbers problem, but many of the most important financial decisions are driven by psychology. Fear, confidence, social pressure and mental shortcuts can influence how people save, spend and invest often in ways that work against their own interests.
ET&A Research · 19 August 2026
GDP Is Not the Same as Prosperity
A growing economy can still leave households poorer, public services weaker and opportunity concentrated among a narrow share of the population. GDP matters, but treating it as a complete measure of economic success can create a deeply misleading picture of how well a country is actually doing.
ET&A Research · 19 August 2026