Business

Some top Nigerian banks are eyeing the international and local capital markets to raise fresh capital in a bid to meet the recapitalisation exercise by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Egie Akpata, Chairman of Skymark Partners joins CNBC Africa to examine options available to banks.

Here's what's been making the business headlines in sub-Saharan Africa this week.

Germany is grappling with a wave of strikes. Initially, it was the farmers and logisticians, and now it's the train drivers and airport ground staff disrupting traffic. Not only do travelers and commuters suffer, but the economy is also spiraling further downwards.

A study by the Ifo Institute has found that Russia's economy is not doing as badly as expected after two years of war against Ukraine and the resulting economic sanctions. China, in particular, has stepped in and is benefiting from doing so.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Wale Edun says 4.83 trillion naira from T-Bills and Bonds issued in the first quarter of this year was used to pay part of the Ways and Means advances from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Sam Chidoka, CEO of Kairos Capital joins CNBC Africa for more on this discussion and Nigeria's debt management strategy.

Some countries in Europe have begun to ban short-haul flights to cut emissions. Will other countries follow? And — can these bans make a real difference?

The US consumer price index for March stood 3.5 percent higher than a year earlier, as inflation proved stickier than expected. A rate cut from the Federal Reserve, anticipated for June, is now in doubt. Also in this edition: the UN's climate chief calls for a new finance deal for developing countries, saying nations have two years to save the planet.

The trial of 27 people charged in the "Panama Papers" tax evasion and money laundering scandal opened in Panama on Monday. After the first day of hearings, we take a look back at the bombshell investigation that showed how the world's rich and famous used shell companies to avoid their domestic tax authorities. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn reports on US President Joe Biden's second attempt at cancelling student loan debt for 30 million Americans.

Gold broke above $2,300 on Thursday, and Juerg Kiener, chief investment officer at Swiss Asia Capital, told CNBC the precious metal could hit $2,600 within a year. Geopolitics, government money-printing and accelerated demand for precious metals in Asia will also boost gold's price, according to Kiener.

Following the 4.8-magnitude earthquake in the New York metropolitan area with the epicenter located in central New Jersey, New York City Mayor Eric Adams convened a briefing with senior administration officials to address the incident on Friday.

Striking a balance between regulation and letting businesses grow is always a difficult thing for policymakers to do. But has the EU veered into over-regulation? Our guest argues that red tape in some areas is holding back EU-based companies, and is partly responsible for those firms losing ground to their competitors in other parts of the world.