AfricaGrowth Agenda

The financial industry at the global level is experiencing a rapid adoption of financial technology. Financial Institutions such as commercial banks, Microfinance Institutions, Insurance firms and other Capital houses are therefore substantially investing in fintech which reflect their expectations of future direction in their industries. Financial Institutions are also aware of the risks that Fintech can possibly endanger the financial systems. Central banks and other players in the supervision and regulations of financial industries are actively getting involved to make sound and informed supervisions, regarding the Fintech landscape. This informative article is intended to provide an overview of fintech landscape at a global level and what Namibia can learn from it. The article is further unpacking various challenges and implications that banking systems are facing in the adoption of Fintech.

On the 29 March 2017 the former British PM Theresa May invoked Article 50 and officially began the process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, also popularly known as ‘Brexit’. There have been very many analyses about the consequences of Brexit for Europe and the UK but not as much emphasis on the perception of Brexit as a sign of European disintegration and the resultant implication of its role as a model of integration to other regions of the world. This paper contributes to this debate by outlining a number of lessons Brexit and a perception of European Disintegration brings to the integration discourse in Africa. It argues that Brexit calls for a re-examination of the role of cooperative hegemons in advancing integration agendas especially when at odds with their domestic interests. Brexit also highlights citizen’s ownership and participation in the integration agenda especially in functional democratic environments. Both lessons have clear implications for Africa’s integration agenda which has often struggled with citizen’s participation and the incorporation of the interests of the member states in the integration agenda. The paper concludes by arguing that notwithstanding the challenge presented by Brexit, the EU remains an authoritative integration experience that has a number of valuable lessons to offer to Africa’s integration trajectory.