First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa’s long-fragmented cross-border payment systems may be on the cusp of transformation, driven by emerging alternatives to Western-dominated networks like SWIFT. The launch of BRICS Pay — a decentralized platform aiming to settle transactions in local currencies — signals a broader push to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar and challenge the geopolitical sway it […]
Morocco’s dirham appreciated 1.3 percent against the U.S. dollar while weakening 0.7 percent versus the euro between May and June 2025, according to Bank Al-Maghrib’s latest monthly economic review, reflecting broader currency market dynamics and the euro’s strength. The central bank attributed these movements partly to the euro’s 2.1 percent appreciation against the dollar during […]
In a strategic move to reduce global reliance on the U.S. dollar, China has welcomed six new financial institutions from Africa, the Gulf, and Central Asia into its Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). The expansion, announced during a ceremony in Shanghai, brings direct participation in the yuan-based payment network to 174 institutions, as China steps […]
With the euro having recently declined to less than one US dollar, this development has a direct impact on the CFA franc, which has a fixed exchange rate parity value with the single European currency. The euro’s continued to slide toward the US dollar since 5 July has resulted in a 20-year low, according to […]
Morocco’s Central Bank, Bank Al Maghrib, said it will launch the gradual float of the Dirham as of June in collaboration with the IMF to reach a flexible exchange rate system. In a statement to Reuters, Governor of Bank Al Maghrib, Abdellatif Jouahri, said that the first stage of Dirham liberalization will start in June, […]