Absa index to assess a decade of Africa’s financial market development
The annual index examines the development of financial markets across the continent, focusing on market accessibility, openness and transparency, while providing policy-makers and financial market participants with benchmarks for strengthening investment and economic resilience
BANGKOK, October 10, 2026 — The 10th edition of the Absa Africa Financial Markets Index will assess a decade of transformation in Africa’s financial markets when it is launched at the International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 14.
The annual index examines the development of financial markets across the continent, focusing on market accessibility, openness and transparency, while providing policy-makers and financial market participants with benchmarks for strengthening investment and economic resilience.
The 2026 edition will review developments over the past year and, for the first time in its 10-year history, examine the longer-term transformation of African financial markets to identify countries that have recorded the greatest progress.
The report will also assess the diversification of financial products, adoption of environmental, social and governance [ESG] frameworks, digital financial innovation and efforts to strengthen regulatory frameworks.
The launch is expected to bring together policy-makers and financial market participants from across Africa to discuss the findings and exchange practical ideas on improving the continent’s financial markets.
According to the event organisers, Absa and the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum [OMFIF], it will provide an opportunity for African policy-makers to share best practices and learn from one another, while marking a decade of progress tracked by the index.
The index currently covers 29 African countries and draws on a survey of more than 50 organisations operating across the continent.
Supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa [UNECA], the index has become a benchmark for assessing financial market development and how improvements can enhance countries’ investment appeal and economic resilience.
The 2026 launch follows last year’s edition, which was held in Washington, DC, during the IMF-World Bank annual meetings.
The 2025 launch brought together policy-makers, market leaders and financial market experts to discuss the report’s findings and developments recorded over the preceding 12 months.
Speakers at last year’s event included representatives from UNECA and the IMF, as well as officials from the central banks of Angola, Eswatini, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa.
The 2026 edition is expected to provide a broader perspective by combining its annual assessment of financial market developments with a 10-year review of changes across the countries covered by the index.
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