The France-Africa Summit Opts for KICC

The France-Africa Summit to be held in Nairobi, the first in an Anglophone country, may have to change its venue.

Why has the upgrade of the Bomas Convention Center been delayed?

Good evening 👋🏽. It's Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street

The France-Africa Summit Opts for KICC 

By Brian Nzomo

Delays at the KSh 42 billion Bomas convention complex are now forcing organisers of the France-Africa Summit to consider shifting the May event to the KICC. Lawmakers have been told that only about 35% of the project has been completed, while labour unrest, safety concerns, and payment disputes have slowed work at a critical stage. A French delegation is already reported to have inspected the KICC as a fallback option, suggesting the decision may be more practical than temporary. If the venue is moved, the summit risks becoming an early test of whether Kenya’s flagship infrastructure projects can keep pace with the diplomatic ambitions attached to them.

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The Looming Showdown in the Broadcasting Sector

By Fred Obura  

Kenyan broadcasters are under siege as the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) escalates licence revocations over unpaid fees, even while some media houses claim the government owes them billions. The latest tribunal ruling favors the regulator, signaling that statutory compliance cannot be sidestepped by commercial or financial pressures. Legacy media, struggling with declining ad revenues and a shift to digital platforms, now face a regulator willing to assert its authority across the sector. With Standard Group poised to challenge the decision in the High Court, the outcome could set a lasting precedent for how state power and media independence intersect in Kenya.

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Family Bank’s Profit Up 55% Ahead of NSE Listing

By Harry Njuguna

As Family Bank prepares for its May debut on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), the city’s investors are suddenly treating the lender like a curtain about to rise on a long-anticipated performance.

Financial Snapshot :

🟢 Profit after tax jumped 55.4% to KSh 5.38 billion in 2025, quadrupling earnings since 2020.

🟢 Net interest income led the expansion, rising 46.1% to KSh 15.63 billion, with non-interest income adding 4.7% to KSh 4.56 billion.

🟢 The cost-to-income ratio fell to 68.6% as operating expenses grew 24.4% to KSh 13.85 billion, reflecting tighter operational control.

🟢 Total assets crossed KSh 208.7 billion, supported by net loans of KSh 105.9 billion and customer deposits of KSh 151.88 billion.

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Heads Up 

Crypto Insights with Luno

It was a week of price swings, more complications around the US Clarity Act, incoming regulation in Kenya, and a new cryptography roadmap for Ethereum. Here's what it all means for your investments.

In this week’s issue:

🔸 On Wednesday, 25 March, Bitcoin rose 1.2% following an announcement by US President Donald Trump, proposing a 15-point plan to bring a ceasefire to the conflict in the Middle East, which was quickly dismissed by Iranian government officials as false, CoinDesk reports. Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, crypto markets have shown resilience, outperforming traditional assets like gold for much of March.

🔸 On March 17, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the National Treasury opened public consultation on draft regulations governing cryptocurrency and digital asset businesses, a significant step before the country's Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Act takes full effect.

🔸 The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), brought an end to more than a decade of crypto regulatory ambiguity in the US by publishing regulatory guidance that clearly defines and clarifies how federal securities laws apply to crypto assets. Research suggests that the lack of a uniform market regulation not only challenges compliance efforts,

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On Your Watchlist

Is Kenya ready for a US$19.5 Trillion Digital Assets and Tokenization shift? While the world focuses on Bitcoin’s volatility, a much larger revolution is quietly unfolding: Tokenization.

Snapshots 

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Happening Tomorrow 

The African REITs Conference 2026, hosted by the REITs Association of Kenya, brings together the people shaping the future of listed real estate across the continent — from investors and developers to financiers, regulators, and capital markets leaders.

📍 31st March – 2nd April 2026 | Enashipai Resort & Spa, Naivasha

🎯 Theme: Transforming Africa’s REIT Landscape through Policy Innovation, Market Transparency, and Global Alignment

Register here »»»»»

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