With Africa at the forefront for investors looking for new opportunities, it is no surprise to see established companies highlighting their Africa exposure.

At Barclays Bank, the effort  is already well underway, with the British lender last year moving its Africa headquarters from Dubai to Johannesburg and integrating its operations with Absa, the big South African bank that it controls.

On Tuesday, Barclays announced its next move – combining the two businesses into one.  It’s logical and well-intended. But it could still prove tricky given the many national regulators involved. Not for nothing did Barclays warn that there was “no certainty” the proposals would succeed. Continue reading »