The road to environmental transition in Uganda with the push of e-mobility through local companies like #Zembo has shown fair amount of growth with time.

According to the project by German Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative and the United Nations Development Program, the efforts to electric mobility in Uganda is gaining momentum- with the opportunities of creating new jobs in the green technology.

E-mobility start-up companies like Zembo and Bodawerk are trying to push the initiative with #Bodawerk’s conventional motorcycles and Zembo’s e-bikes, making it a good investment and attempt to reduce the carbon footprint.

Additionally, Zembo is coming up with solar-powered stations around the Ugandan capital Kampala with over 200 e-bikes and over 15 charging stations- availing their pay-as-you-go battery swap model.

Uber and Taxify have made their presence felt in the capital city as well, offering e-hailing services for boda bodas. The Zembo Storm e-bike is tailor-made to exude robustness and cover up to 60kms on a single charge.

Driven by the #Africa Mobility initiative, start-ups across African countries like Uganda and Kenya have emerged in the mobility space to embrace the green energy.

#Suez SA has announced of sharing over 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) with its stakeholders in mid-2021 with subject to an unsolicited acquisition bid from French utility Veolia, on Tuesday.

Both are headquartered in Paris; #Veolia had announced its offer to acquire 29.9% in Suez from French gas and utility #Engie on August 30, with plans of complete takeover, if successful. Additionally, Veolia is also identified as strengthening its position in north #Europe, North America, and #Asia.

With Suez management rejecting the offer, chairman Philippe Varin addressed the takeover bid hostile and based on an industrial mirage.

Further, Varin confirmed of Suez board and management looking for other possibilities while declining to give information on the same.

According to Suez group, their performance and strategy was producing substantial results on multiple workstreams with an aim to achieve 900 million euros in annual savings by 2022.

In the wake of the coronavirus-induced pandemic, recycling chains with acute workforce shortage and logistics difficulties- are under significant pressure. The rub was seen in Veolia and Suez’s Q2 financials fell by 10.8% and 12.7% respectively.

Investment company, Shuaa Capital has planned to raise $150 million (AED550.5 million) with the aid of issuing bonds through a private placement, to be listed outside of the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, the company disclosed its plans to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), where the Board of Directors approved the issuance. The planned bond issue is expected to be out within weeks for use.

The UAE government along with private sector enterprises will largely benefit from the issuances, wherein they are availing the recent low-interest rates to mine debt funds. The validation by stakeholders will help in the authorization for the board to undertake all the legal procedures required for the issuance of bonds.

The company will utilize the proceeds from the issue and bring changes to its investment strategy portfolio.

Shuaa Capital’s net profits in the H1 this year reached to be AED164 million, ruling out the mark-to-market losses on portfolio investments. Additionally, the company’s borrowings recorded AED2.777 billion with 81.82% to be repayable within a year from the month (June) end.

In an effort to bolster cross-border payments, #RHB Banking Group has launched RHB Live FX @ Reflex, which provides FX services to both small and medium enterprises as well as corporate customers.

The announcement by the banking group focused on five functions, such as FX rate booking, agreement rate request, conversion scale request, booking status request, and demonstrative forward trade focuses.

Being the first and the only online platform amidst local banks in Malaysia in taking up FX forward contracts in a single platform, the RHB Banking Group also aims at growing their foreign exchange volume by 20% in 2022.

With RHB Live FX @ Reflex, customers will be enabled with monitoring, booking, and executing all online FX conversion and hedging transactions. Additionally, the RHB Live FX @ Reflex also offers FX rates for a seamless end-to-end processing of toward and spot transactions.

In a statement, RHB Banking Group managing director, Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli said that the RHB Live FX @ #Reflex platform will enable their SME and corporate customers to manage their foreign currency exposure in real time and help them execute FX transactions online.

Enabling no minimum FX booking and online #FEA declaration with its business banking Internet platform, customers avail flexibility and better control over their cash management needs.

The #Lloyd’s of London syndicate, #Ki remarked of having raised $500 million capital on Thursday.

The funds were backed by an insurance holding company- #Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. and private equity firm The Blackstone Group Inc.

Announced in May 2020, Ki is the product of Brit Ltd., Brit’s innovative team, and Google Cloud. The algorithm of Ki developed by University College London, will enable it to reduce the time required by brokers in placing their follow capacity, as well as evaluate Lloyd’s policies. Additionally, with the help of its digital platform built by Google Cloud, the quoting of prices will be automated and directly accessible to brokers.

In a statement, CEO of Brit and Chairman of Ki, Matthew Wilson said that the financial backing will aid the business in reaching its full potential alongside Blackstone’s capital ad denoting its entry in Lloyd’s market in such pivotal times.

Speaking of Ki’s digital model, senior managing director at #Blackstone, Qasim Abbas remarked that Ki’s digital model will facilitate it to build, alongside the algorithm which represents a transformation in the portfolio management of specialty risks.

After accelerating the digital payments in Africa for over a decade, #AfricanFinTech company #Interswitch has decided to encourage its corporate venture afresh, as discussed by CEO Mitchell Elegbe at Disrupt 2020.

Switching into high-volume business as well as personal finance, Interswitch will now be resuming investments in African countries, according to Elegbe. Some of its backers include #Helios Investment Partners and IFC.

In a statement, #Elegbe said that the business will gear up with acquisitions and investments again soon, all while leveraging its network and selective investments.

The firm acquired unicorn status last year after a $200 million equity investment by #VTech. One of the major milestones of the firm is its venture arm called #ePayment Growth Fund, launched in 2015.

Interswitch has come a long way in pioneering the digitization landscape of Nigeria, supplying rails for the country’s online banking system that serves over 200 million citizens. With time, the firm delved into supplying enterprise as well as private fee merchandise in over 23 nations in the continent.

In conclusion to the Disrupt 2020 session, Elegbe shared his perspective on the possibilities of doing business in Nigeria, the boom of startups, and VC investment in recent years.

#Bahrain’s Gulf International Bank hired several banks to make arrangements for the distribution of the U.S. dollar-dominated five-year bonds on Tuesday.

The dollar bonds are issued outside of the U.S. by a foreign company or a government, denominated in U.S. dollars instead of their local currency. In order to attract a wide range of investors, the issued bonds pose a less currency risk for the U.S.-based creditors.

The dollar bonds are liquid which makes institutes sell them easily without any significant change in the prices and are considerably safer than stocks. The bondholders also remained cushioned from bankruptcy. Thus, it is an ideal choice for most banking firms, institutes, and companies.

The banks hired for this purpose were #GIB Capital, #HSBC HSBA.L, Standard Chartered STAN.L, and Gulf International Bank.

According to estimates, GIB is 97.2% indirectly owned by Saudi Arabia through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. They were to organize necessary investor calls in the countries of Europe, Asia, and the #Middle-East, to facilitate the issuance. This would set a benchmark and would be in accordance with the market conditions and regulations.

This opens a window for wider participation of investors, larger markets, and lesser risks.