Barclays Africa Group and Frontclear partner to develop Africa’s interbank markets

ACCRA, 24 January 2018 – Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL) has signed a 2-year agreement to provide financial support to Frontclear Technical Assistance Programme (FTAP) through the latter’s Partnership Facility. The contribution reflects the bank’s commitment to market development in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Ghana.

BAGL and Frontclear also concluded a memorandum of understanding regarding the implementation of the TradeClear interbank guarantee facility in Kenya and other leading African financial markets.

The partnership allows BAGL to implement the findings of the Barclays Africa Financial Markets Index. Released in late 2017, the Index ranks the maturity, openness and accessibility of 17 financial markets in Africa, based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Development of local investor capacity and ability to attract foreign capital are also key points of focus.

“Our partnership with Frontclear and this investment in the FTAP Partnership Facility is a further demonstration of Barclays Africa Group’s commitment to expanding and deepening financial markets across Africa. The investment allows us to immediately act on the findings of our Africa Financial Markets Index, which through expert analysis of the African financial markets, draws attention to the considerable investment opportunities and uncovers the untapped market potential” – George Asante, Head of Global Markets Africa (ex SA) at Barclays Africa Group

“We are delighted to formalize our partnership with Barclays Africa Group and look forward to working together in building more liquid, stable and inclusive interbank markets. The developments of these markets are critical to economic growth, stability and poverty alleviation.” – Philip Buyskes, CEO Frontclear

The FTAP Partnership Facility is a unique initiative, in that it teams-up international donors with regional and global banks, in a highly targeted effort to build inclusive interbank markets in frontier economies. Its trainings, advisory and research activities combine to remove the barriers to well-functioning capital markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The TradeClear interbank guarantee facility aims to establish secured trading interbank trading environments in Africa. Under the program, Frontclear guarantees financial losses for all participants incurred due to counterparty failure, thereby stabilizing the interbank market and improving liquidity. It is expected that TradeClear will be implemented in Kenya in Q1 of 2018.