Private Sector & Development #16 - New players and new banking models for Africa

The African banking sector – largely dominated by the European banks through to the late 1990s – is currently undergoing radical change. Alongside the sector’s traditional players, regional operations are emerging – and steadily evolving into genuinely pan-African groups. These banks, whether they are local, regional or continental, are deploying a more aggressive growth strategy, seeking to penetrate new market segments and reach target groups previously excluded from the banking system. They are growing branch networks and introducing innovative, low-cost services better suited to underbanked populations.