Breaking News Today – Friday 14 August 2026

African Start-up News Headlines:

• Nigeria’s fintech startup – Clea, the stablecoin based cross-border payments platform, has launched Vendor Payments, a new capability that enables businesses to simplify payments to international suppliers, auction platforms and shipping companies directly through the platform. The feature enables customers to make payments to supported vendors, including vehicle auction platforms Copart and IAA, directly from their Clea account. The company has showed continuous growth after previously hitting a transaction value of $20 million within only six months of emerging from stealth in December 2025,
  

Business News Today 

South African Space Programme Announces Flight Dates

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI), which is is in the process of developing the liquid-fuelled Saffire engine and the two-stage commercial launch vehicle (CLV) has identified its time frame to launch and deploy a space rocket capable of delivering a home-grown satellite. The first stage will be to fly a suborbital sounding rocket capable of reaching space in 2028, followed by a satellite deployment into orbit on a locally built rocket by 2030.

First African Digital Bond Launched

African Finance Corporation (AFC) has raised $430 million through a five-year digital bond issuance arranged by Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank, traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange. This makes it the first African institution to issue a digital bond on a regulated digital exchange, and it’s the largest digital bond ever issued in Swiss Francs. The proceeds will support AFC’s general funding requirements and strengthen the Corporation’s capacity to finance transformational infrastructure across Africa. Approximately 90% of demand came from Swiss domestic investors, with the remaining 10% from international accounts. Banks and financial services institutions made up 57% of the order book, followed by asset managers at 37% and hedge funds at 6%. AFC holds a dual investment-grade rating: A with a positive outlook from S&P and A3 with a stable outlook from Moody’s.

Private Equity Group Gets Big Pay-Day from Africa’s Newest Unicorn

Silverbacks Holdings, a private investment group based in Mauritius-based announced cumulative deployments of more than $37 million intoAfrica’s newest startup Unicorn  Moove, the Lagos-founded global mobility company now with a value of around $2.1 billion. The Silverbacks stake is now worth over $62 million based on Moove’s latest Series C valuation, making it one of the largest single-investor exposures to an African-born tech company.

Silverbacks, which focuses its startup investments on the African continent, first invested in Moove during its A1 round and has followed on incrementally in subsequent rounds, including the recently closed a $250 million Series C funding round led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, and Ion Pacific. Other backers in the round include Uber, BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, MUFG, BlueCrest Capital Management, Sona Asset Management, and The Raptor Group.

Breaking Business and Market News Shorts:  

• Platinum futures fell to around $1,710 per ounce today after reaching a two-month high this week, as traders took profits while assessing the outlook for demand. Rising hybrid vehicle production has provided near-term support for autocatalyst consumption, although markets remain cautious about the broader shift toward electric vehicles, which recorded a fifth consecutive monthly increase in July
• Taiwan’s TAIEX, benchmark stock index, climbed 201 points, or 0.4%, to 46,222 today, extending gains for the fifth straight session, following a rally on Wall Street overnight as expectations grew that the Fed would hike interest rates at its September meeting amid softer inflation in the US. 
• Passenger vehicle sales in India surged 31.2% year-on-year in July 2026, accelerating further from an 18.2% growth in June 2026 to hit 395,199 units, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The strong performance was due to increased domestic demand, and aided by lower Goods and Services Tax rates. 
• Gold futures dropped below $4,350 an ounce this morning, extending losses from the previous trading session, with investors locking in profits while assessing the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook and developments in the Middle East. Data released Thursday showed US core producer prices increased less than expected in July.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped about 0.9% to 25,160 on today, marking its fourth consecutive session of losses and hitting its lowest level since July 24, as technology stocks remained under pressure and investors stayed cautious amid lingering geopolitical uncertainty.

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar weakening today. The Greenback is trading against the Euro at 1.15395 while trading against the Pound at 1.34982 The Yen is currently trading at 159.31 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR), is currently trading around the 16.14 mark against the US dollar this morning.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures are trading -0.7% lower this morning, and currently trading at around $4317.53 per ounce.  
• Copper prices are around -0.7% lower this morning, with prices currently around $6.5454 per pound
• Silver futures are down by -0.93% today, and currently trading at around $63.824 per ounce.
• Platinum futures are down -0.92% this morning, and currently trading at $1716.40 while Palladium is -1.7% lower today, and currently trading around $1303.00 per ounce.
• Lithium prices have seen a 2.7% surge today and currently at CNY151 500
• Brent crude oil prices are trending marginally higher today, and currently trading around $87.12 with WTI trading at $81.36 currently
• Cocoa futures are flat today, and currently trading at $5719 per ton. 
• Coffee futures have fallen by around -2.2% today, and currently trading at around $3.1280 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are down by -0.22% today, currently trading at around $63 255 per coin.
• Ether prices are trending 0.1% lower this morning, and currently trading around $1880.95

(All prices as quoted at approximately 07H30 Central African Time) 

African General News Briefs:

• Chinese Automaker Cherry will launch the Chery ‘KP31’ vehicle in South Africa in early 2027, and has invited South Africans to give its upcoming double-cab bakkie (truck) a name. The new Chery bakkie needs one important thing: a local name. This is consumers opportunity to give a future favourite its identity,” the company says. On Cherry’s website it has a dedicated page, where consumers can give their suggestion for what you think the ‘KP31’ bakkie should be named in the country.
• Mali’s army announced yesterday that 82 soldiers held hostage since nationwide attacks in April had been released after being detained by armed groups linked to al Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front. The soldiers were captured following coordinated attacks on April 25 that targeted military positions, including the main airport, and killed the country’s defence minister. The army described their release as the result of “rigorous planning” and coordinated efforts to secure their freedom.