The COVID-19 pandemic has a disproportionately negative effect on already disadvantaged and marginalised populations. As you continue to implement and adapt your work to respond to COVID-19, the need to monitor and evaluate developmental efforts is greater than ever. Relevant and timely evidence is required to inform programme implementation.

While young people are widely considered to be less vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, it would be a mistake to forget about them in our responses to the global pandemic - especially in Africa. The pandemic requires policymakers, donors, and the private sector to develop solutions that improve the resilience of Africa’s youth in these uncertain times. The Genesis Analytics Youth team looks at how we can prioritise young people in our responses to COVID-19.

At times of extreme crisis and unpredictability, bank leaders do well to rely on trusted tools such as scenario planning. Scenario planning has an advantage over other “tools” as it allows leaders to think forward through different scenarios, establish indicators to determine when circumstances are moving from one scenario to another, and to plan accordingly. At Genesis we have been leveraging our combined expertise to work with clients to implement scenario planning processes during the COVID-19 crisis.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Genesis is monitoring the evolving situation closely. Our teams have run various scenarios of the effects of the epidemic on the economies in which we operate our business. Genesis chair Stephan Malherbe outlines the position of the firm.

The World Health Organisation’s advisory that cash can carry the virus for several days doesn’t bode well for a continent whose main mode of payment is cash. East Africa seems better placed to curb the spread of the virus thanks to the proliferation of mobile money - and because mobile money users can pay each other without physical contact.

The rise of fintech start-ups is disrupting long-established incumbents in the banking industry. Genesis estimates that there are at least 224 active fintech startups operating within eight market segments in South Africa alone.

As Genesis grows we have sought to ensure that we integrate into a community of ethical development practitioners through becoming a voluntary signatory to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. These are highlights of our annual Communication on Progress (COP) to the UN Global Compact.

Cloud banking has been hailed as a technological innovation that will enable financial services providers (FSPs) in Africa to extend banking services to approximately 717 million people on the continent who are either underserved or unserved.

Davos 2020 was a turning point for global big business. There were five takeaways that will be important for business going forward. They include stakeholder capitalism as the new orthodoxy to people wanting business to lead to understanding that climate change is a business risk. We unpack them them.

This was one of the key findings of the South Africa in the Digital Age (SADA) process. SADA is an urgent multi-stakeholder initiative to develop a forward-looking digital economy strategy. It is convened by Genesis Analytics in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science and the Pathways for Prosperity Commission at Oxford University.

Cloud banking can provide a much-needed stepping stone to development and prosperity for people throughout Africa. However, both government and business need to acknowledge the opportunity, prepare for it and seize it.

We have grown our presence in West Africa and our offices in Nairobi and London. We are also looking to establish a presence in North America. We’ve been blessed with productive and enjoyable partnerships during the year. Most of all, we’ve been struck by the power of helping our clients seek out the great opportunities that exist amid the surface volatility of what has been a historic year.