South Africa’s Financial Integrity Boost: The Prudential Authority says South Africa’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list is a major milestone, expected to cut cross-border compliance costs and restore investor confidence. Municipal Finance Pressure: National Treasury says equitable-share transfers to 69 municipalities are being withheld to force fiscal discipline, including reductions in irregular spending and better governance—while warning electricity revenue models are becoming unsustainable. Cross-Border Payments Push: The East African Community is advancing a pilot linking Tanzania’s TIPS and Rwanda’s RSwitch, aiming to finalise legal, risk and operational requirements for instant payments. Big Banking Deal in the Region: Emirates NBD’s $2.75bn acquisition of a 60% stake in RBL Bank signals a deeper Gulf-to-emerging-markets banking bridge, with implications for capital strength and governance. Logistics Financing for Growth: Newlyn Group secured R5bn integrated financing with Absa CIB to fund South Africa’s logistics development pipeline. SME Sentiment Slips: South African SMEs’ confidence fell in 2H 2026 as Middle East conflict and fuel costs squeeze margins. Ebola Containment Urgency: Analysts warn delayed containment of the DRC-Uganda Ebola outbreak could cost billions through health-system strain and economic disruption. Clean Trade Momentum: The EU and South Africa launched senior-level talks under the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership to unlock green hydrogen and critical raw materials investment. Lafarge Africa Sale Cleared: Nigeria’s Senate backed the proposed sale of Lafarge Africa to Chinese investors, saying Nigeria’s stake remains protected amid transparency concerns. Return of Nigerians: A fifth batch of 282 stranded Nigerians returned to Lagos, with states and private partners offering support packages.