Breaking News Today – Monday 13 April 2026

African Start-up News Headlines:

• Moroccan fintech PayTic officially rolled out its new PayTic Intelligent Components platform, integrating the AI capabilities of GUPPY-AI, a UK-based startup specialising in autonomous AI agents designed specifically for banking and payments systems modernisation, which it acquired in early April, following a $4 million funding round in 2025. The new product is not just a simple integration — it is a full re-platforming that combines PayTic’s established data operating system for payments with PayTic’s established data operating system for payments. This is one of the cleaner, faster AI acquisitions-to-product launches seen in African fintech recently. It positions PayTic as a serious player in the AI-powered payments infrastructure space, an area that is becoming critical as African banks and merchants modernise legacy systems.

Business News Today 

Your African Economic Week Ahead (13-18 April)

The IMF Regional Economic Outlook due 16 April should be the standout economic data release of the week. IThis will provide an update on Sub-Saharan Africa’s 2026 growth forecast – currently around 4.1% but could change with downside risks from energy prices and geopolitical tensions. Expect commentary on industrial policy, debt sustainability, and AfCFTA momentum. South Africa mining data is due for release by Stats SA on 14 April that will provide February figures. This will indicate whether the sector is stabilising after recent weakness. Any surprise rebound or further contraction will feed directly into Q1 GDP expectations. Nigeria’s CPI data is due 15 April. Here markets will be looking for signs that inflation is continuing to moderate or whether energy/food pressures are pushing it higher again.

The IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings take place this week which should they still proceed, will provide plenty of Africa-focused side events and bilateral meetings all week. There is some doubt that they will happen due to the escalation of the Iran conflict. Any new financing pledges or policy signals from the IMF/World Bank is likely to move markets. The development of ceasefire talks regarding the war in the Middle East will remain the driver of market movements, with current agreements proving fragile and oil and gas exports from the region not yet normalised. 

Oil prices on the Boil After US -Iran Talks Fail

Brent Crude prices are currently up by more than 7.2% this morning, at $102 per barrel, after the US /Iran peace negotiations in Islamabad Pakistan, completely broke down yesterday without reaching any agreements. President Trump announced yesterday, that the US Navy would immediately begin a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, effective Monday 13 April at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (17:00 SAST). The blockade is designed to stop any and all ships from entering or leaving the strait, with particular emphasis on intercepting vessels that pay tolls to Iran.

Brent crude initially jumped around 8%, and analysts expect $110–$130/barrel in the coming weeks if traffic is meaningfully disrupted.South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, and most smaller importers will see diesel and petrol prices rise sharply within days. South Africa’s diesel price (already under pressure) could climb another R2–R4 per litre in the next adjustment cycle. The crisis has accelerated calls for local refining such as the Dangote model, and renewable diversification. Countries without strategic reserves (most of Africa) are most vulnerable to these disruptions.

Precious Metals on The Skids Today

As has been the trend in the last month, when there is escalation of risks, precious metals have seen prices curbed and today has followed the trend with Gold, Silver, copper and platinum all seeing prices trimmed. Silver in particular is down by over -1.5% this morning and was at one point as low as -3%. The effective shutdown of the Srait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route has driven energy prices sharply higher and intensified inflation risks, reinforcing expectations that central banks may delay rate cuts or even tighten policy further. This dynamic has weighed on silver, which remains down more than 20% since the conflict in Iran began. Copper futures also fell by more than 1% to below $5.8 per pound this morning, trimming last week’s gains.

Breaking Business and Market News Shorts:  

• Saudi Arabia has restored full oil pumping capacity through its East-West oil Pipeline, to about seven million barrels per day, it ‌said on Sunday, only days after providing an assessment of damage on its energy sector from attacks during the Iran /US conflict. The ministry said energy facilities and ​the pipeline affected by attacks during the conflict have ​recovered and restored operational capacity.
• China’s Shanghai Composite edged down 0.2% to 3,980 this morning, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.5% to 14,386, as sentiment turned cautious amid renewed geopolitical worries following the collapse of US–Iran peace talks
• Apple is reportedly testing four designs for upcoming smart glasses models. Apple plans to sell its first smart glasses in 2027, with a possible unveiling at the end of this year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The glass won’t have any displays, but will allow users to take photos and videos (Apple is reportedly using oval camera lenses), answer phone calls, and be able to play music.
• France has announced it is trying to move on from Microsoft Windows. The country said it plans to move some of its government computers currently running Windows to the open source operating system Linux to further reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar strengthening against major currencies today. The Greenback is trading against the Euro at 1.16857 while trading against the Pound at 1.34047. The Yen is currently trading at 159.72 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR), is currently trading around the 16.55 mark against the US dollar this morning.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures are losing traction today down around -0.7%, and currently at around $4717.00 per ounce.  
• Copper prices are trending around -1.1% lower today, with prices currently around $5.8059 per pound
• Silver futures are around -1.7% lower today, and currently trading at around $74.383 per ounce.
• Platinum futures are around -0.75% lower this morning, and currently trading at $2049.10, While Palladium prices are trending higher this morning, and currently trading around $1545.00 per ounce.
• Brent crude oil prices are spiking upwards today, with prices up by around 7.3% and currently trading at $102.10. WTI is trading over 8% higher at $104.84 currently
• Cocoa futures are trending 2.69% higher this morning, with prices currently trading around $3327 per ton. 
• Coffee futures are up over 2% today, and currently trading at around $2.9590 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are trending higher this morning, and trading at around $70 808 per coin currently 
• Ether prices are slightly lower today, and currently trading around $2187.17
• $Trumpcoin are currently trading lower at around $2.801

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

African General News Briefs:

• South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance, has elected Cape Town’s mayor , Geordin Hill-Lewis, to lead it into the 2029 national polls, stepping up a drive to take votes away from the faltering ANC. The election of Hill-Lewis, 39, marks a reset for the centre-right DA that entered a multi-party coalition government in 2024 when the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority.
• Hundreds of people have died in airstrikes in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe state as military aircraft hunted Boko Haram jihadists, local residents and Amnesty International said on Sunday. The airstrikes occurred on Saturday, however the death tolls differed by sources. Amnesty International said on X there were “more than 100 dead” and 35 people seriously wounded, while a local chief spoke of “200 dead and wounded”.
• Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh (78) has won a sixth consecutive presidential election with 97.8% of the vote, keeping him at the helm of the Horn of Africa nation for a controversial extra term in office, according to the preliminary official results show. Guelleh’s sole challenger Mohamed Farah Samatar got a mere 2.19% of the vote, in a poll boycotted by most of the opposition. After 27 years as president, Guelleh had promised to step down, but ran for re-election after the constitution was amended in November to remove the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.