Addis Ababa, Oct. 22, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde ranks 16th among 29 African economies in an index measuring financial market development, compiled by Absa and the UN, which places Mozambique and Angola in 23rd and 24th place, respectively.
The Absa African Financial Markets Index, compiled by the South African Absa Bank in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, ranks Cabo Verde 16th among the countries that have developed their financial markets the most in the last year, in a list that analyses 29 African countries.
Cabo Verde fell two places this year, from 14th to 16th, but the report still highlights the approval of new legislation that "allows the exploitation of central bank digital currencies".
Mozambique improved one position, moving from 24th to 23rd, in a list that praises the new financial inclusion strategy, while Angola, which also improved one position to 25th, is noted for its "impressive drop in inflation".
The report "assesses the development of financial markets across the continent through the lens of transparency, accessibility and openness, providing, in this ninth edition, a benchmark for market infrastructure and an opportunity for policymakers to learn from improvements made across the continent," the document reads.
The 29 economies represent about 80% of Africa's population and gross domestic product (GDP), say the authors of the report, which uses six pillars to arrive at the final index: market depth, access to foreign currency, market transparency, tax transparency and regulatory environment, pension fund development, macroeconomic environment and transparency, and legal standards and enforceability.
For the executive director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which supported the report, the Index "highlights the growing importance of climate-aligned financing, with more economies issuing green and sustainability-linked bonds, conducting climate stress tests and launching platforms such as Africa's first regulated voluntary carbon market".
In one of the document's opening texts, Claver Gatete adds that "maintaining this momentum will require an unwavering commitment to transparency, legal certainty and the expansion of domestic institutional investment" and concludes that "now is the time to scale up capital market solutions that align with the continent's priorities under Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals."
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