Taxing the Borderless Web

Hi 👋🏽 It's Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street

In today’s edition of our daily newsletter, Kenya is once again testing the edges of the digital frontier, this time not with innovation but with taxation.

Brian Nzomo writes…

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is sketching new rules that would pull the invisible profits of faraway companies into the domestic net. The taxman wants to actively stake its claim on a borderless digital marketplace.

The plan would allow KRA to tap local banks, payment firms, and even customers to withhold taxes from foreign tech companies that profit from Kenyan users without a physical office here.

But here lies the tension: a levy that promises fairness at home risks irritation abroad, particularly with Washington and Brussels, which have never viewed unilateral digital taxes kindly.

Consumers, too, may feel the pinch, as higher subscription fees and fares often follow such policies.

Read more here >>>>>

Your Opinion 

SACCOs Under Money Laundering Scrutiny

By Fred Obura 

Kenyan SACCOs, long trusted community lenders, are under sharper watch. Thirty-five of them face sanctions after failing to register with the Financial Reporting Centre, a requirement tied to anti-money laundering rules.

Regulators say that with SACCOs now holding over a trillion shillings in assets and any gaps in compliance undermine both domestic stability and international confidence. The grey-listing of Kenya by the FATF has already raised the cost of doing business, making vigilance in the cooperative sector unavoidable.

The crackdown, though burdensome for some, marks the country’s latest bid to prove its financial system belongs on the right side of global standards.

Read more here >>>>>

Raising the Ceiling Of Financial Trust

By Brian Nzomo

Kenya is quietly moving to fortify the safety nets beneath its financial system. Regulators want to double the payout ceiling for insurance policyholders to half a million shillings, a gesture meant to reassure consumers after years of collapsed firms, cyber intrusions, and bad actors in the market.

Similar reforms are on the table for bank deposits and even pension and digital accounts, where protection has lagged behind innovation. The Central Bank’s own stress tests suggest why: rising bad loans and cyber risks could push several lenders into dangerous territory.

Read more here »»»»»

Interview

In this interview with Fred Obura, Judy Maroko, the Site Operations Manager at Superior Homes, reflects on the unseen rigors of project management. She speaks of deadlines and budgets not as checklists but as a discipline of constant adjustment, where communication and trust weigh as heavily as concrete and steel. Her work on Greenpark Estate and other projects shows how attention to process can ripple outward, shaping reputations and communities alike. What emerges is less a story about buildings than about the infrastructure of reliability itself.

Read full interview here »»»»»

More Stories 

NSE Gainers & Losers 

The NSE Investment Challenge is a fun, interactive, and educational platform designed to teach you how to invest on the Kenyan Stock market using a real-time trading simulation.

✅ Virtual capital to trade

✅ Live market data

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Click here to join this amazing opportunity 🎉

For up-to-date market insights and data from the NSE, join our Whatsapp channel here »»»»»

On Your Watchlist

In a market where traditional banks often shy away from risk, CIB Kenya CEO Abhinav Nehra is doing the opposite. He sits down to discuss the bank's bold new approach to SME lending and its plans to change the financial landscape in Kenya and beyond.

Yesterday's Poll Results 

Do you think the financial regulator can succeed in lowering the costs of mobile money transactions?  

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes (53%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ No (47%)

Keep up with what’s happening on our X and LinkedIn pages. Stay updated with the latest financial news on our website The Kenyan Wall Street.