Bracing for higher food prices

Good evening from The Kenyan Wall Street. The conflict in the Middle East could reverberate in local food markets, according to a new CBK survey. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s biggest private bank becomes the third entrant into the country’s young bourse. 

These are today’s financial and business stories…

Bracing for Higher Food Prices 

By Fred Obura

Price expectations in Kenya have taken a sharp hawkish turn as global geopolitical instability threatens to undo months of relative price stability. A significant majority of respondents in the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) March 2026 Agriculture Sector Survey now expect overall inflation to climb over the next one to three months. The shift in sentiment is largely attributed to the "adverse impact" of the escalating conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, which has already rattled global supply chains and energy markets. The respondents cited higher international oil prices and the "disruption of global supply chains triggered by the escalation of war in the Middle East" as the primary catalysts for their dimmed outlook.

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A Gov’t-Backed E-Commerce Platform?

By Brian Nzomo  

Kenya is laying the groundwork for a potential state-backed digital marketplace that will target micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by opening a feasibility study that could reshape how millions of small businesses access online trade. In an expression of interest issued by the State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, the government is seeking consultants to assess whether to scale up existing private digital marketplaces or develop a separate government-led or public–private platform. The consultant will be required to estimate operational and financial costs, identify potential revenue streams, and determine the scale and duration of any public subsidies required.

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Ethiopia’s Stock Exchange Lists Third Company

By Harry Njuguna

Ethiopia's largest private commercial bank by assets, deposits and profitability - Awash Bank S.C. - has officially listed its shares on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX). The bank is the third company to join the bourse's Main Market and the first major private commercial bank to debut since the exchange launched in January 2025. The listing was commemorated with a Bell Ringing Ceremony at the ESX trading floor in Addis Ababa, marking what exchange officials described as a pivotal moment for Ethiopia's nascent capital market. Awash Bank lists under the ticker AWAB, with 37,896,928 shares available for trading out of 54,066,089 registered with the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) in March 2026.

Read the article here >>>>>

Heads Up 

What You Should Watch!

What’s one money belief you grew up with that you’re still unlearning today? In this episode of Wall Street Mtaani, we take the conversation to the streets, listening to real Kenyans share their experiences, beliefs, and struggles with money. Joined by mindset and leadership coach Cece Ojany, we unpack the concept of Financial Trauma.

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Crypto Insights with Luno

Last week global financial markets logged gains and set records for the first time in a while, something investors had been getting used to before the US flexed its military muscle against Iran. It was a reminder of easier times. The S&P 500 set a new record high, and Bitcoin almost, almost pushed to $80K. Promises of resolution, and the growing hope that the conflict in the Middle East is moving toward an end, have played no small part. Here is what happened, and why it matters.

01 — CRYPTO MARKETS

Bitcoin climbed nearly 10% from the beginning of April, at the time of writing, briefly touching $76,000 on Tuesday before settling just under $75,000. On Tuesday, investors realised approximately $1.14 billion in profits, one of the largest single-day readings of the year, according to CryptoQuant. Throughout the week, Bitcoin held steady just under $75,000 before surging above $76,000 on Friday, trading at $76,659.48 by the afternoon. 

02 – STOCK MARKET
The S&P 500 gained 0.80% Wednesday last week. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 1.59%,  both closing at record highs, with the Nasdaq posting an 11-day streak, and the S&P notching its 10th positive session out of 11. The market rally followed a Truth Social post from US President Trump announcing that Israel and Lebanon reached a 10-day ceasefire agreement. Trump said he had  "excellent conversations" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. And that he would be inviting both leaders to the White House for further talks. The US and Iran are also reportedly in indirect discussions to extend their own two-week ceasefire, set to expire on 22 April, Reuters reports.

03 — THE BIG NEWS

Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted gains of $996.4 million in inflows last week, the largest weekly net inflow figure since mid-January 2026. In the last three weeks, more than $1.8 billion were drawn in. BlackRock's IBIT attracted $906 million in this time. Last week also marked the first full trading week for Morgan Stanley's MSBT, which logged a weekly net inflow of $71 million, according to The Block.

04 — SLIPPERY SATOSHI

Who really founded Bitcoin? Is it a person? A group of people? Is Satoshi Nakamoto really their name or just a pseudonym? For years, many have tried to unmask who we might argue is a deity of sorts behind the ongoing global financial revolution. In early April, the New York Times published an article in which John Carreyrou, an American investigative reporter, claimed to have figured out who Bitcoin's creator is. He named British cryptography expert Adam Back, a veteran Bitcoin miner, as Satoshi Nakamoto. His reasoning? Adam was active in the crypto community around the time Satoshi was posting.

Adam denied the claims through a series of posts on X.

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