South Africa has an ambitious plan to build more than 22 GW of renewables-focused energy capacity between now and 2030, but there is plenty of apprehension in the country as some major hurdles to getting financing in place need to be cleared.

Having been handed the extra role of economic planning, Nigeria’s finance minister Zainab Ahmed believes measures in her 2020 budget will raise much-needed tax revenues and turn the country into a magnet for private investment.

Our winners from across the region.

This has been a sluggish year for lending across the entire CEEMEA region, with the market hit by macroeconomic uncertainty and a dearth of jumbo deals. EMEA Finance reviews the syndicated loan market with some of the region’s leading bankers.

While Georgia has long made use of hydropower, many of its water resources remain untapped. As the private sector begins to invest in this sector – along with other renewables – the country is taking strides towards energy reforms.

Islamic banking has been in Britain for almost four decades, making the country the leading Western and non-Muslim hub. As these mostly retail focused Islamic banks mature, they are looking to expand their product range and offers to the UK’s large and growing Muslim populations’ interest in services beyond the vanilla bank account. 

Since 2017, Belarus has expanded its presence on the international capital markets. As the country seeks to reduce its dependence on Russia, we profile its bid to raise foreign debt while maintaining macroeconomic stability. 

Chinese Depositary Receipts are becoming a major force in the DR world, leading to an increasing number of European jurisdictions setting up the framework to facilitate new routes to listing companies in what some estimate to be a US$1 trillion dollar market.

Cédric Derras, the new head of CIB for MEA, will support a mix of European and GCC clients, as the bank works to strengthen its international network.

Armed with two decades’ experience at South Africa’s central bank, Mminele is hoping to reverse Absa’s fortunes at a challenging time.

Loic Morel and Dr Sherif El Sayed Ayoub both joined the Corporation in 2019.

The issuance, supported by the EBRD, will be used to refinance an existing bond and ensure smooth running of the port.