University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Finance Papers Wharton Faculty Research 4-2011 African Financial Systems: A Review Franklin Allen University of Pennsylvania Isaac Otchere Carleton University Lemma W. Senbet University of Maryland Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/fnce_papers Part of the African Studies Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, and the Finance and Financial Management Commons Recommended Citation Allen, F., Otchere, I., & Senbet, L. W. (2011). African Financial Systems: A Review. Review of Development Finance, 1 (2), 79-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rdf.2011.03.003 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/fnce_papers/238 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. African Financial Systems: A Review Abstract We start by providing an overview of financial systems in the African continent. eW then consider the regions of Arab North Africa, West Africa, East and Central Africa, and Southern Africa in more detail. The paper covers, among other things, central banks, deposit-taking banks, non-bank institutions, such as the stock markets, fixed income markets, insurance markets, and microfinance institutions. Keywords Banks, financial markets, insurance Disciplines African Studies | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Finance and Financial Management This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/fnce_papers/238 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Review of Development Finance 1 (2011) 79–113 Review African financial systems: A review Franklin Allen a,∗, Isaac Otchere b, Lemma W. Senbet c a Finance Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Suite 2300 SH-DH, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6367, United States b Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Canada c Robert H.