Hi there and welcome to Daba’s weekly Next Frontier newsletter.

Here’s a quick preview of today’s newsletter: Côte d’Ivoire taps Japan’s Samurai market, African startup funding rebounds, Benin posts record growth, and Bitcoin hits new highs.

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What’s New on Daba?

Investing in Africa’s growing stock markets has never been easier, safer, or more consistent. 

With the launch of Daba Recurring Investment, investors now have access to a simple yet powerful investment strategy known as Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA). 

This new feature helps users consistently build wealth over time, without worrying about timing the market or reacting emotionally to daily price changes.

Markets Snapshot

Daba indexes track curated stock collections—all available to invest in directly on the app.

The best-performing BRVM stocks of the week by share price increase—all available to invest in directly on the app.

Data as of 07/18/2025 market close

Listen to the latest episode of our MarketsTalk podcast for a full recap of what happened on the BRVM market in the past week and where to look in the week ahead.

Four Things You Need to Know

Continental first: Côte d’Ivoire debuted in the Samurai bond market, raising $336M through a 10-year yen note at 2.3%. Backed by JBIC and ESG-labeled, the issuance marked Africa’s first sustainable Samurai bond, signaling a strategic pivot toward Asian capital and diversification beyond eurobonds.

Funding rebound: African tech startups raised $426.9M in Q2 2025, a 50% jump from Q1, reversing a prolonged slump. Though fewer startups were funded, larger late-stage deals drove the recovery, pointing to renewed global confidence in Africa’s tech ecosystem.

Benin boom: The West African nation’s economy grew 7.5% in 2024, its fastest pace since 1990, as poverty declined and fiscal targets were met. The World Bank lauded progress but urged deeper tax reform to fund social services and ensure that growth translates to equity.

Bitcoin breakout: Bitcoin hit a record $122,571 early last week amid Trump’s vocal crypto support and anticipation of U.S. legislation like the Genius Act. Despite bullish momentum and ETF inflows in Asia, analysts warn the rally reflects global uncertainty, not pure market optimism.

Headline Roundup

Markets & Finance

• Malawi Stock Market Up 112% This Year on Bank Stocks Rally

• Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Lists Itself in Landmark Move

• Benin Raises $58M in Oversubscribed Treasury Bond Auction

• Listed Insurance Companies in Nigeria Post Record Profits

Economy & Macro

• Ghana Signals Interest Rate Cut as Inflation Falls to 13.7%

• IMF Disburses $367M to Ghana as Economy Outperforms

• AfDB, Partners Launch $264M Project in Southern Nigeria

• Senegal Lists $717M Quadruple Bond on BRVM in Regional First

Corporate & M&A

• Kenya’s Mediamax Announces Sixth Round of Layoffs

• Air Senegal, Asky Sign Codeshare Deal to Expand Routes

• Engage Capital Offers $24.5M to Acquire Collapsed Lipa Later

• Asante Gold Raises $173M to Boost Ghana Operations

VC, Startups & Tech

• Paymenow Gets $22.5M from Standard Bank for Expansion

• Morocco’s ORA Technologies Raises $7.5M Series A to Scale

• Village Capital Launches $4M Africa Fund for Startups

• Visa Opens Applications for Fifth Africa Fintech Accelerator

Must-Reads on Daba

• What To Do When Your Stock Portfolio Is Suffering a Loss

• A Comprehensive Guide to Mutual Funds for Beginners

• How to Invest in African Bonds: A Guide for Investors

• Investing in African IPOs: A Beginner’s Manual on How it Works

Chart of the Week

Over the past decade, the francophone West African economy has quietly but consistently outpaced many of its anglophone peers, thanks to stable macro policies, currency stability, and bold public investment strategies. 

2025 is no different. 

The latest IMF data shows Senegal leading the WAEMU (or UEMOA in French) with a projected 8.4% real GDP growth, followed by Niger, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire. 

The region’s average growth rate of 5.9% once again beats the sub-Saharan African average (3.8%).

And most of its economies are represented on the BRVM stock exchange, giving everyone a chance to invest in this rapid expansion.

If you’re looking to align your portfolio with the continent’s fastest-growing economies, BRVM-listed stocks offer direct exposure. 

And with Daba, investing in these markets has never been easier. Get started today by downloading our app.

That’s it for today.

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Catch you next week!