As the continent’s most developed insurance sector, South Africa accounts for some 52% of African non-life premiums. The short-term insurance market is primarily focused on property and auto products, which together make up almost 75% of short-term gross premiums. Speedy growth in the number of independent insurers has created a robust takeover environment for the major insurers. However, the...
Displaying 3385 - 3390 of 4356
Chapter | Capital Markets from The Report: South Africa 2013
Home to the world’s 19th-largest exchange, South Africa has mature capital markets able to serve not only the domestic economy but also the wider continent. As global risk appetite for emerging market equities returned from mid-September 2012 following concerted interventions by the world’s central banks, South African equities rallied sharply. Bonds also did well in 2012, despite sovereign...
Competition in South Africa’s highly concentrated banking sector has led to it having the highest penetration rates – both in terms of credit to GDP and banked customers – of any African country. The sector had recovered from the effects of the global financial crisis on the real economy by the start of 2012, but significant uncertainties remain, stemming mainly from the flat growth outlook in...
With a long-established track record as the continent’s largest financial platform and one of the world’s biggest mining producers, South Africa has significant economic clout in the region.
Recent rate cuts and additional international funding should boost bank lending in Jordan, with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in line to benefit from the increased loan availability. However, lingering concerns over regional instability and rising debt levels could influence commercial lenders’ willingness to extend credit lines.
Articles & Analysis | Solid ground: Pursuing regional integration and boosting equity are key focuses from The Report: Colombia 2013
A coming of age is reflected in Colombia’s increasingly deep, diverse and sophisticated capital markets. Its well-established sovereign fixed-income and foreign exchange markets have been complemented in recent years by a developing derivatives market, increased domestic corporate debt issuance and a stock exchange that has taken off since the...