Monetary Policy Shock (South Africa): The South African Reserve Bank lifted the repo rate by 25 bps to 7.25%, pushing the prime lending rate to 10.75% as fuel-linked inflation risks rise; households and borrowers are set to feel higher repayments. Digital Finance & Payments: Equity Mobile App added biometric payment authorisation via face ID or fingerprint, while Airtel Money confirmed plans to float on the London Stock Exchange (expected valuation around $9bn, raising about £600m). SME Finance Expansion (Cameroon): Access Bank and the International Trade Centre included Cameroon in a 14-country programme to expand SME finance, market access and skills—starting with a Ghana pilot. Energy & Clean Cooking Investment: Kenya will host the Africa Clean Cooking Summit in January 2027, with a stated $600m institutional clean cooking investment opportunity. Infrastructure Delivery Bottleneck (South Africa): Infrastructure South Africa says only ~16% of public infrastructure tenders were concluded in the past year, blaming weak procurement conversion and internal departmental issues. UN & AU Cooperation: The AU and UN renewed agreements to strengthen operational support and knowledge exchange. Tech for Investors: ArcPoint expanded its institutional intelligence platform for modern investors across London, Ottawa, Zürich and Cape Town.