Following the announcement of the largest potential merger in Kenya’s banking sector in over a decade, Genesis Financial Services Strategy manager in Nairobi Shezaad Sunderji asks whether it is possible for the country’s 45 banks to remain profitable in the current economic context.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to advance healthcare in high-income countries. Genesis Analytics and Discovery Vitality came together in December 2018 to host their first Technology Salon to discuss its impact in developing countries. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria has published new bank regulations that may allow mobile network operators (MNOs) to establish payment service banks allowing them to provide mobile money services for the first time.

At Genesis, which turned 20 this year, we are dedicating our next decade to the future of young Africans. These young people, measuring around 500 million over time, will build their lives in a hyper-technological world whilst managing the impact of climate change. 

Despite their generally weakened financial positions, several African governments are once again flirting with the idea of establishing dedicated SME banks. But is creating dedicated ‘banks’ for SMEs the right strategy?

On behalf of the CEOs’ Initiative, Standard Bank asked Genesis Analytics to prepare a joint Action Plan to bring business and government together to address the decline of the Vaal Region and prevent it from becoming the “rust belt” of South Africa. Last week, the CEO Initiative delivered the report and regeneration action plan to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni. 

When a market has adopted a payment standard, a huge marketing effort is required to shift consumer behaviour. Can mVisa tip the scale of retail payments back in favour of Kenyan banks? Genesis associate Tom Magara looks at the experience of mVisa.

The Portfolio Committee for Economic Development approved further amendments to the SA Competition Amendment Bill this week. Our Competition and Regulatory Economics practice has participated closely in the debates over the Bill. The Bill will now be placed before the National Assembly for a vote before heading to the National Council of Provinces.

While impact measurement and management is considered a technical discipline built on logical frameworks, quantitative data and analysis, it has another facet through which it answers a much more human question – does the impact generated live up to what people and planet want and need? Alyna Wyatt and Mishkah Jakoet (from Genesis Analytics) tackle the subject with Tris Lumley (NPC).

Genesis Analytics has developed climate-smart agriculture handbooks for frontline agricultural extension staff in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as part of its 18-month Climate Smart Agriculture Education and Policy Project funded by the UK’s Department for International Department (DFID).

Genesis Analytics has developed climate-smart agriculture handbooks for frontline agricultural extension staff in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as part of its 18-month Climate Smart Agriculture Education and Policy Project funded by the UK’s Department for International Department (DFID).

Genesis Analytics has developed climate-smart agriculture handbooks for frontline agricultural extension staff in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as part of its 18-month Climate Smart Agriculture Education and Policy Project funded by the UK’s Department for International Department (DFID).

Our Evaluation for Development practice provides African governments, companies, international donors, foundations and non-profits with the information and insight they need to improve their interventions and produce better results, ultimately achieving greater impact on economies and people’s lives.

Applications for our annual recruitment drive are open. We are looking for newly qualified talent to join either one of the following streams: Policy and Development, Banking Strategy and Behavioural Economics, Microeconomics.

Genesis manager Noel Verrinder presented the findings from Genesis's impact study on an innovative housing microfinance loan in Kenya at the European Microfinance Week 2018 on behalf of Habitat for Humanity International. See page 60 of the report …

Our Evaluation for Development practice conducted a review of the Jobs Fund's enterprise development (ED) portfolio to capture lessons around which models work best and why. We broke down the programmes into five core elements, and identified four key success drivers in SA. Check out this learning brief for more: