First Independent Mena Newspaper
Casablanca ranked as Africa’s leading financial center in the latest Global Financial Center Index (GFCI 39), underscoring its growing prominence on the continent. The index, published in March 2026 by consultancy Z/Yen Group in partnership with the China Development Institute, ranked Casablanca 49th out of 120 financial centers worldwide. It placed ahead of other African […]
Standard and Poor’s agency has affirmed Morocco’s long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings at ‘BBB-/A-3’ with stable outlook despite uncertainties over the Middle East war and its impact on commodity prices, supply chains, economies, and credit conditions. Morocco has solid buffers that will help it navigate current headwinds, including potential adverse economic impacts and related […]
Morocco’s economy expanded at a rate of 4.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025, a marginal deceleration from the 4.2% recorded during the same period in 2024, according to the latest national accounts data published by the High Commission for Planning (HCP). The slowdown was primarily driven by a softening in non-agricultural activities, even as […]
Moroccan electric mobility startup GoSwap has secured $2.1 million seed funding, from Azur Innovation Fund, to expand its battery-swapping network for electric scooters across major Moroccan cities, according to local press. The company offers users of electric scooters the possibility of exchanging depleted batteries for charged ones for $2.6 to $3 per 100 kilometres. GoSwap […]
Standard & Poor’s has downgraded again the credit rating of Senegal from B- to CCC+, deepening the country’s position in junk territory amid the $ 7 billion hidden debt scandal and the $ 747 million borrowed secretly by Dakar through Total Return Swaps (TRS) to keep up appearance and hide its alarming financial situation. The […]
The Central Bank of Libya has announced plans to inject $2.5 billion into the financial system starting April 1, 2026, to clear outstanding requests linked to letters of credit and personal foreign currency allocations. The intervention is expected to address a backlog of pending transactions while supporting commercial banks in meeting customer demand for foreign […]
Morocco is planning to set up a market for non-performing loans (NPLs) offering the possibility of buying and selling of unpaid loans beyond set deadline. Banks can sell NPLs to reduce risk, free up capital, and maintain profitability, while investors seek to profit by restructuring or recovering value. Morocco’s Central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib, has been […]
Noussair Mazraoui, who plays as a defender for British Premier League club Manchester United and the Atlas Lions, has become a strategic partner with US-based Islamic fintech company Wahed. The announcement has been made by Wahed which has already built a unique ambassador family that brings together global sports icons such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Paul […]
Senegal, which is reeling under serious economic crisis, has secretly borrowed € 650 million from Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) in bid to avoid default. But concealing public debt and internal financial fragility from investors, partners, public opinion or regional rivals undermines the country’s credibility. The hidden debt scandal of […]
The Mauritanian Investment Promotion Agency, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, convened, on March 25, 2026, a high-level workshop in Nouakchott to review financing mechanisms aimed at supporting private sector projects. The initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen cooperation between regional financial institutions and domestic economic actors, with a view to stimulating […]