Tag Archives: Economy

03Nov/26

How Zambia Recovered From Historic Drought

Moody’s Upgrade Marks Turning Point for Zambia, Yet Household Relief Remains Ahead

Tue 03 Sept 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — On October 30, 2026, Moody’s upgraded Zambia’s sovereign credit rating from Caa2 to Caa1 with a positive outlook, citing substantial, sustained progress in government debt management following the nation’s 2020 default. This rating action follows earlier upgrades by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, alongside a staff-level agreement reached on October 9, 2026, for a US$1.472 billion, 36-month IMF Extended Credit Facility. Over time, these improved assessments are expected to lower sovereign borrowing costs and help attract financing for major infrastructure initiatives such as the Lobito Corridor. Continue reading →

03Nov/26

Hackers Turn Supermarket Freezers Into Ovens

November 3, 2026Securityand air conditioning, ANSSI, Articles, Belgium, Carrefour, Computer security, Coopérative U, Copeland, Cybercrime, E-commerce, Economy, Estonia, Finland, Food preservation, Forescout, France, Heating, Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, Intermarché, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Operational technology, Refrigeration, Refrigerator, Sweden, Technology, Van, Vapor-compression refrigeration, ventilatingadmin

A Wake-Up Call for Retail OT: Hackers Weaponize Supermarket Cooling Systems Across Nine Countries

Tue, Nov 03 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — In October and November 2026, a coordinated wave of cyber-physical attacks compromised commercial refrigeration systems across hundreds of supermarkets in France and at least eight other European countries, including Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland. Threat actors remotely hijacked internet-exposed supervisory controllers—chiefly Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC series, as well as Copeland and Dixell XWEB units—manipulating operational parameters to force evaporators into continuous manual defrost modes. Cabinet and freezer temperatures soared to between 50°C and 55°C (122°F–131°F) for hours overnight, spoiling thousands of metric tons of perishable inventory across major chains such as Intermarché, Carrefour, Delhaize, Coopérative U, Coop, and ICA. The sabotage caused tens of millions of euros in direct stock and business losses, triggered temporary store closures, and led to localized electrical fires from thermal runaway in compressor units. Continue reading →

24Oct/26

How Foreign Investors Trade in Zambia

October 24, 2026FinanceAirtel, Capital gains tax, Copperbelt Energy Corporation, Corporate finance, Corporate tax, Dividend, Double taxation, Economic globalization, Economies, Economy, Income tax in the United States, International taxation, Lusaka, Pangaea Securities Limited, Stockbrokers Zambia Limited, Tax, Tax haven, Taxation in Canada, Taxation in India, Taxation in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, United Kingdom corporation tax, Zambiaadmin

Investing in the Lusaka Securities Exchange: Comparative Pathways, Settlement Mechanics, and Treaty Tax Relief for UK Residents

Sat Oct. 24, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) operates under the regulatory supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Zambia pursuant to the Securities Act No. 41 of 2016, providing a centralized capital market with an equity market capitalization of approximately USD 2.30 billion. To prevent off-market fragmentation, Zambian law mandates that all public companies with 50 or more shareholders must register with the SEC and trade exclusively on a recognized stock exchange, effectively prohibiting Over-The-Counter (OTC) equity markets. The exchange functions across a two-tier market structure comprising the Main Board (Official List) for established public enterprises and the Quoted Tier for growth-phase entities. Zambia maintains a fully liberalized foreign exchange regime with no exchange controls, permitting up to 100% foreign ownership in private and listed assets—with narrow statutory exceptions, such as domestic cellular network operators required to float 10% of their shares on the exchange—and guaranteeing the repatriation of investment capital, dividends, and profits through the Bank of Zambia. Continue reading →

23Oct/26

How War and Climate Break Supply Chains

October 23, 2026EnvironmentArticles, Brazil, Brent Crude, Colombia, eastern energy, Economics, Economy, Ecuador, El Niño, Energy crisis, Energy economics, Ghana, Goldman Sachs, India, Indonesia, Inflation, Iran, Kenya, Panama, Peak oil, Petroleum, Philippines, Price of oil, Pricing, S&P 500 INDEX - CBOE, Thailand, the world meteorological organization (wmo), Vietnamadmin

Global Economic Impacts of the 2026–2027 Super El Niño

The Severity of the Climate Shock in a Fragile Macro Context

Fri Oct. 23, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The 2026–2027 El Niño climate event is developing into one of the most severe episodes on record, with equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature anomalies projected to exceed +2°C to +3°C. Meteorological authorities assign a greater than 90% probability to a very strong event, with a 75% likelihood of exceeding the intensity of historical benchmarks recorded since 1950. Unlike previous cycles, this climate phenomenon collides with an exceptionally fragile macroeconomic environment characterized by historically elevated public debt, high interest rates, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and pre-existing supply chain frictions. Continue reading →

19Oct/26

Why Zambia National Budget Needs Local Accounting

October 19, 2026EconomyAnthony Bwembya, Dangote Group, Economy, Edinah Lukonka, International Monetary Fund, Joseph Chisanga, Konkola Copper Mines, Lusaka, Organizations, Seiko Mwenya, Situmbeko Musokotwane, Sunga Ng’ambi Chilambo, Tax, Toyota S, United Nations, United Nations Development Group, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Yande Siame-Mwenye, Zambiaadmin

You Can’t Share Poverty: Reconciling Fiscal Discipline with Local Empowerment in Emerging Economies

Mon Oct. 19, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Hakainde Hichilema’s political memoir and reform playbook, You Can’t Share Poverty: The Choices That Shape a Nation’s Future, sets forth a structural growth doctrine that redefines the social contract in developing nations. The foundational premise argues that state-driven wealth redistribution in low-income or heavily indebted economies serves merely to socialize scarcity and dilute existing capital without building productive capacity. Sustainable poverty reduction and employment creation cannot be achieved through consumption subsidies or state patronage, but require expanding national output (GDP) by attracting foreign direct investment, expanding the industrial tax base, and establishing predictable regulatory frameworks where the state acts as a facilitator rather than a controller of commercial enterprise.
Continue reading →

20Sep/26

XRP Powers Stripe’s New Payment Standard

September 20, 2026FinanceBlockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Economy, Finance, Money, Ripple, Ripple Labs, Smart contract, Stripeadmin

Ripple Connects XRP Ledger to Stripe via Machine Payments Protocol

Sun 20 Sept 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The XRPL AI Starter Kit version 1.1 serves as the software framework enabling this connection by adding support for both the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) and the Open Wallet Standard. Originally launched in June, this updated developer resource incorporates MPP—a protocol co-authored by Stripe and Tempo, a payment-focused blockchain that launched its mainnet in March. Continue reading →

08Sep/26

African Payment Pitfalls and $25,000 Tax Traps

September 8, 2026DevelopersAirtel, Credit card, DPO Group, E-commerce, Economy, Financial services, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Lagos, Lusaka, Merchant services, Money, MTN Group, Nigeria, Payment gateway, Payment processor, Payment systems, U.S. LLC, United States, Webhook, Zambiaadmin

The Three Pillars of African Payments

Tue Sep 08 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — For a student entering the world of fintech, the African payment landscape can initially seem overwhelming. Unlike Western markets where credit cards are the standard, the African ecosystem is built on a “Hybrid Imperative.” In markets like Zambia, global tools like Stripe are often used for international billing, but they lack localized settlement and struggle with poor conversion rates due to bank-side fraud rules. To reach the actual local consumer, businesses must tap into the infrastructure that people already use: mobile money.The ecosystem is supported by three primary players:

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs): The foundational infrastructure providers that issue digital wallets and manage the movement of local currency.
Payment Gateways: Intermediaries that bridge the gap between global standards and local methods across multiple countries.
Payment Aggregators: Specialized “simplifiers” that bundle multiple mobile money connections into a single, developer-friendly interface.Learning Insight: The “So What?” While credit and debit cards are the global gold standard for SaaS, they represent only a minor fraction of transactional volume in many African nations. In the retail ecosystem of Southern Africa, mobile money is the dominant force. Understanding how to connect to these networks is the key to unlocking the market.While these three pillars work together, the journey starts at the foundational “source”: the MNOs.

Continue reading →

09Feb/26

The Rise of the Autonomous Economy: AI Agents and Blockchain Converge to Redefine Finance in 2026

February 9, 2026FinanceBitcoin, Blockchain, Blockchain in web browsers, Blockchains, Brad Garlinghouse, Coinbase, Consensys, Cryptocurrencies, Decentralization, Decentralized finance, Decentralized physical infrastructure network, E-commerce, Economy, Financial technology, Franklin Templeton, Machine Economy, Money, OwlTing Group, Ripple, Ripple Labs, Silicon Valley Bank, Stablecoin, Tokenized real-world asset, United States, Uquid, US Dollar, Web3admin

10 Feb. 2026 /Mpelembe Media — Ripple will unveil its 2026 Roadmap on February 11, focusing on integrating XRP into capital markets. Key updates include smart contracts, zero-knowledge proofs for privacy, and cross-chain liquidity. These advancements aim to drive institutional adoption and utility. Continue reading →

23Jun/23

Is zambia the cinderella of Africa, poor indebted by wicked China and saved by the western prince?

June 23, 2023EconomyArticles, China, China–Zambia relations, Christianity in Zambia, Economy, Economy of Zambia, France, G20 Washington summit, Global financial system, International Monetary Fund, Paris, Sustainability, United States–Zambia relations, World, Zambiaadmin

23 June 2023 /Economy/– Zambia’s recent debt restructuring deal with its creditors is a major step forward for the country’s economy. The deal will allow Zambia to access much-needed financial resources to help it recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and stimulate economic growth.

In the short term, the deal will likely lead to a decrease in Zambia’s debt servicing costs, which will free up funds that can be used for other purposes, such as infrastructure development and social programs. This will help to boost economic growth and improve living standards for Zambians. Continue reading →

21Jun/23

Europe cannot survive without Africa

June 21, 2023EconomyArticles, Business, Economy, Iis, Outsourcing, South Africa, Sustainability, Western influence on Africaadmin

June 21, 2023 /World/ — The statement that “Europe cannot survive without Africa” is a bit of an exaggeration. While Europe does rely on Africa for a number of resources, it is not entirely dependent on the continent. However, it is true that Africa plays an important role in the European economy.

Here are some of the ways in which Africa contributes to the European economy: Continue reading →