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31 August 2026
Morning: Digital cooperation, banking consolidation and Africa Capital Week launch
Five key stories: Kenya joins the 24-country Digital Cooperation Organization; Nedbank secures CBK approval for 66% NCBA stake; Africa Capital Week opens in Nairobi; Airtel applies for key telecom licenses; M-Pesa merchant fees cut up to 50 percent.
Kenya/Nairobi
Africa Capital Week launches in Nairobi
The inaugural Africa Capital Week opened in Nairobi on August 31, 2026, a five-day forum running through September 4 that convenes institutional investors, fund managers, development finance institutions and policymakers to advance continental capital market integration and mobilize investment at scale.
Kenya hosted the inaugural Africa Capital Week from August 31 to September 4, 2026, positioned as the continent's first capital markets forum built entirely around mobilizing investment at scale. The forum, led by the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary alongside the Capital Markets Authority, Nairobi International Financial Centre and Nairobi Securities Exchange, aims to address Africa's estimated $402 billion annual infrastructure financing gap. With the NSE 20 Share Index up nearly 60 percent over the past year, organizers frame the event as the venue where fragmented regulatory frameworks will be confronted and cross-border capital flow frameworks established. The forum combines high-level plenary sessions, technical sessions across asset classes, structured investor matchmaking, and project site visits to investment-ready projects across Kenya.
M-Pesa merchant fees cut up to 50 percent
Safaricom reduced M-Pesa business merchant fees by up to 50 percent effective August 2026, following CBK-led regulatory moves to make digital payments more affordable for Kenya's small business sector.
Safaricom cut M-Pesa business merchant fees by up to 50 percent effective August 2026, following the Central Bank of Kenya's regulatory direction. The revised charges apply to Pochi la Biashara, Lipa na M-Pesa Buy Goods, and Business Till accounts. A 90-day promotional period from August 1 to October 31, 2026 doubles the free limit for Pochi la Biashara targeting micro-merchants. For Kenya's vast informal and small business sector where M-Pesa functions as primary payment infrastructure, the cuts translate to real monthly savings. Safaricom stated the revisions align with CBK's pricing principles of customer-centricity, transparency, fairness, competition and affordability.
Tech
Kenya joins 24-country Digital Cooperation Organization
Kenya secured formal approval from the DCO Council in Riyadh on August 28 to join the international body, giving Nairobi a critical voice in shaping global AI, data privacy and cross-border digital trade rules.
Kenya has secured formal approval to join the Riyadh-based Digital Cooperation Organization, giving Nairobi a critical voice in shaping global AI and data rules. The DCO Council approved Kenya's membership candidature during a high-level meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on August 28, 2026. The approval marks the culmination of a two-year diplomatic effort led by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy under Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, alongside Kenya's Special Envoy on Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo. Membership is expected to open new doors for Kenyan startups and innovators, giving them stronger links to global markets and investors through DCO-backed initiatives such as STRIDE and InvestConnect, programs that have already helped participating startups raise more than $21 million (~KES 2.7 billion).
Nedbank secures CBK approval for 66% NCBA stake
The Central Bank of Kenya approved South African lender Nedbank Group's acquisition of up to 66 percent of NCBA Group Plc, paving the way for a major ownership change in one of East Africa's largest banking groups.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said it approved the proposed acquisition on August 28 under Section 13(4) of the Banking Act. The transaction will give Nedbank a controlling stake in NCBA, strengthening the South African lender's presence in East Africa while bringing one of the region's established banking groups under the ownership of a larger continental financial institution. CBK welcomed the transaction as it will ensure continued stability and enhance the resilience of the Kenyan banking sector and promote competition. NCBA was created in 2019 through the merger of NIC Group and Commercial Bank of Africa, and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The Nairobi-based group has expanded beyond Kenya and operates banking subsidiaries in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, as well as a joint venture in Côte d'Ivoire.