Company Announcement - Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today announced that the 4th Trading Africa Summit will take place on March 4th & 5th in Cape Town, South Africa.

This year, the summit will debate Africa’s high interest rates, moving from risky and illiquid to safe and liquid markets, doing business across the continent, as well as Africa’s economic fundamentals, growth performance and prospects. The two-day conference will also explore the continent’s commodity cycle, impacts of China’s cooling economy, and the challenges emerging from the oil market.  The summit, sponsored by Barclays Africa, attracts more than 600 senior delegates from the regional trading and investment community including capital markets authorities, government bodies, investment firms, and companies.

Keith Nichols, Managing Director, Africa, Thomson Reuters, said: “We are delighted to organise this networking and discussion platform for authorities, practitioners, advisors and market participants. It is vital that we collectively debate and tackle the common challenges facing the continent’s capital markets.”

He noted: “Africa is now proving the pessimists wrong, as growing consumer spending and a rising middle class transform the region. The boom in several industries, particularly telecoms and banking, has drawn much attention from investors. Africa is becoming a magnet for investments and a destination for international capital.”

“The summit presents an opportunity for capital markets stakeholders to coordinate and cooperate with a view to achieve fairness, efficiency, transparency and protect Africa capital markets investors. We believe that this network is critical to effectively address cross-border issues, obtain, and share information,” he added.

Chris Paizis, Head of Markets Distribution, Barclays Africa, said; “African countries have been witnessing strategic and timely institutional reforms, enhanced governance and an increasingly positive business environment. The private sector is keen to invest, not only in commodities but also in Africa’s budding services and innovation sectors. We are delighted to be part of this summit which will address a variety of themes that are significant for the continent’s growth and its improved macroeconomic environment.”

The rapid pace of change globally has created many challenges for national African supervisors. Regulatory bodies have been working hard to address significant gaps in corporate governance, financial crime prevention, sanctions enforcement, securities regulation, and risk management. Panellists will showcase the key improvements in African countries that embarked on structural adjustment programs.

The summit will also debate regulating Africa securities exchanges, creating a secondary bond market, developing a private equity market, and the rise of corporate treasury across the continent’s markets.