Banking

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — A key funder of South Africa’s renewable energy drive is backing natural gas as the fuel needed to help the country bridge the transition from coal power generation to the use of wind and solar. Old Mutual Ltd.’s African Infrastructure Investment Managers will consider funding companies that compete for the right to produce 3,000 megawatts of electricity from gas in an upcoming bid round planned by the government, said Vuyo Ntoi, co-managing…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — As the U.K. inches out of its third Covid lockdown and leads the way in vaccinations, some financial firms are starting to entice employees back to deserted offices. Others are doubling down on the lure of living rooms. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. invited London employees back starting March 29, the day the U.K.’s blanket “stay home” mandate was lifted. Standard Chartered Plc is embracing a hybrid working model, mapping out strategies to…

LAGOS (Capital Bloomberg) — A widening gap between the spot and forward rates of the naira signals further devaluation of the currency, an official of Nigerian lender FCMB Group Plc said at an investor call. The bank is projecting a boost in profits due to a weaker naira in 2021 as it did in the previous year when foreign currency earnings rose more than two-fold to 10 billion naira ($24.5 million) from 3.5 billion naira,…

JOHANNESBURG (Bloomberg) — South Africa’s largest lender to farmers has delayed a debt restructuring deal with creditors because of conditions attached to a government bailout, forcing it to repay what it owes to Standard Chartered Plc. Land & Agricultural Development Bank said on Wednesday that a March 31 deadline to reach an agreement won’t be met. The government’s 7 billion rand ($474 million) commitment required “a material change” to previous versions of plans to deliver on…

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Several heads of state and government, the United Nations and heads of multilateral development finance institutions on Monday called for expansion of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, under which low-income countries have suspended paying down debt during the Covid-19 pandemic. The initiative should be widened beyond low-income countries and its current expiration extended to offer much-needed fiscal space, panelists urged in a discussion of international debt architecture and liquidity….

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – New research from Crown Agents Bank has found that there is a strong appetite from UK companies to step up their presence in Africa, with 69% of those surveyed planning to expand their footprint in the continent following Brexit. The bank, which is a UK regulated provider of wholesale FX and cross-border payment services, asked 200 decision makers from businesses that trade in frontier markets about their perceptions around…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc and seven banks accused one of Nigeria’s largest oil producers of defaulting on loan repayments that stand at more than $900 million and are locked in a court battle to reclaim the money, legal documents show. The previously unreported impasse stems from a deal that Aiteo Eastern E&P Co. did six years ago to purchase a major interest in one of the nation’s most prized oil blocks…