Serena Hotels Profit Falls 40% as Forex Gains Fades
TPS Eastern Africa (NSE: TPSE) reported FY2025 PAT of KSh 787m, down 40% from KSh 1.32bn in 2024. The decline reflects a collapse in unrealised FX gains from KSh 655m to KSh 39m as the shilling stabilised. Revenue held at KSh 10.1bn; EBITDA fell 7% to KSh 2.27bn; dividend maintained at KSh 0.35.
NSE Derivatives Open Interest Contracts Jump From 1 to 12,000 in a Year
NSE NEXT derivatives open interest surged from a single contract worth KSh 48,000 in Q1 2025 to 11,983 contracts valued at KSh 54.36 million in Q1 2026, CMA data shows. Q1 2026 turnover reached KSh 318 million, exceeding the full-year 2025 total of KSh 248.7 million, with February setting an all-time monthly record of KSh 140.9 million since NEXT launched in July 2019.Artificial Intelligence is the Future of Capital Markets Research in Africa
The broader promise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) requires deliberate fine-tuning for African markets, not the assumption that what works in New York will work in Nairobi, Writes Ken Oidamae Tobiko.
NSE Local Individual Bond Traders Surge 298%
Local individual bond accounts at the NSE surged 297.6% to 3,010 in Q1 2026, breaking above a five-year ceiling, as full-year 2025 bond turnover hit a record KShs 2.71 trillion and February 2026 set an all-time monthly high of KShs 417.03 billion. The overall bond investor base rose 164.2% year-on-year to 3,640 accounts, NSE and CMA data shows.KMRC Floats KSh 3bn Bond to Refinance Home Loans
KMRC has launched a KES 3bn sustainability bond offer open until May 12, 2026. The eight-year note is Tranche 2 of its KES 10.5bn MTN programme. Proceeds target green and social home loan refinancing. NSE listing is scheduled for May 25, 2026.DirectLine Deepens Loss to KSh 929.8Mn as Kenya's General Insurance Profit Drops 23%
General insurance sector recorded a profit after tax of KSh 10.7 billion in 2025, a 23% decline from KSh 13.9 billion in 2024, as claims rose 12.8% to KSh 107.97 billion on gross premium growth of 11.4% to KSh 227.2 billion.Nation Media Group Posts Third Straight Loss as Ownership Change Looms
Nation Media Group posted a net loss of KSh 308.6 million for the full year ended 31 December 2025, its third straight annual loss, as turnover fell 3.1% to KSh 6.04 billion. Revenue has nearly halved from a KSh 13.37 billion peak in FY2013, tracking a 66% collapse in Kenya's print circulation market over the same period. Digital revenue and broadcasting each grew 5%, with the user base expanding to 64.7 million.Foreign Investors Account for Majority of NSE Turnover in Week 17
The NSE pulled back 0.50% in Week 17 after three consecutive green weeks, as the US-Israel-Iran war re-escalated and Murban crude rose to $92.38. Foreign investors recorded KSh 311.98M in outflows and drove 52.12% of total market turnover, the first time offshore players accounted for the majority of trading.WPP Scangroup's Losses Deepen to KSh 713 Mn as Airtel Exit, Client Flight Compound Four-Year Decline
WPP Scangroup posted a KSh 713.67 Mn net loss in FY2025, widening 40.8%, as revenue fell 16.3% to Ksh 2.04 Bn following the Airtel Africa exit, three CEO changes, and Tanzania wind-down.Ethiopia's Biggest Private Bank Makes Its Stock Market Debut on the ESX
Awash Bank S.C. has listed on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange Main Market under ticker AWAB, becoming the third company and first major private commercial bank on the bourse. The listing by introduction covers 37,896,928 shares out of 54,066,089 registered with ECMA. Awash reported gross profit of ETB 25.67 billion for FY2025, a 137% surge, with total assets of ETB 442.6 billion and deposits exceeding ETB 358 billion. The listing comes as the ESX targets nine listings before the end of the Ethiopian fiscal year on 7 July 2026.Sanlam Allianz Kenya Posts Best Profit in Over a Decade
Sanlam Allianz Holdings (Kenya) PLC reported a profit before tax of KSh 1.315 billion for the full year ended 31 December 2025, its best result since 2014. The insurance service result surged 45.7% to KSh 951.5 million, reflecting stronger underwriting discipline and reinsurance optimisation. A KSh 2.5 billion rights issue retired the group's Stanbic Bank debt, cutting borrowings 66.3% and nearly tripling shareholders' funds to KSh 4.635 billion. The deposit administration fund grew 20.1% to KSh 4.727 billion, supported by the launch of Akiba Plus, the group's digital pension platform.Kenya Pipeline to Remain on Catholic Church Land Despite Invalid Deal
An Eldoret court has ruled that an underground oil pipeline can remain on land owned by the Catholic Church, even though the agreement used to justify it was found to be invalid.
