Digital trade finance is no longer limited to mature markets. We’re seeing real momentum across Africa as banks move to modernise and scale their operations
For a long time, meaningful progress in digital trade finance was largely limited to a handful of established markets where banks had the infrastructure and regulatory clarity to invest at scale. That dynamic is starting to shift. Across Africa, activity is picking up as cross-border trade grows and banks face increasing pressure to move away from manual, fragmented processes. Client expectations are changing as well, with a clearer demand for faster and more transparent trade execution.
In this conversation with Digital Trade Outlook, Enno-Burghard Weitzel, Chief Solution Officer at Surecomp, talks through how this shift is unfolding across emerging markets and what deployments like Banco YETU’s in Angola signal for the region’s direction.
What stands out is that banks are no longer treating this as a long-term transformation exercise. The focus has moved to practical implementation, with modular approaches that deliver results quickly. Trade finance is becoming more connected, with platforms playing a larger role in improving visibility, coordination and the ability for banks to operate across an increasingly active cross-border trade environment.
Digital Trade Outlook-What made Banco YETU’s deployment of RIVO™ in Angola particularly significant for Surecomp’s broader Africa strategy?
Enno-Burghard Weitzel, Chief Solution Officer at Surecomp: We had predominantly been focused on South Africa working with banks like Absa, Investec and RMB, with just a handful of deployments in other countries across the continent. However, the decision of Banco YETU in Angola to deploy RIVO™, and others more recently in countries like Kenya, is indicative that digital trade finance is no longer confined to the more mature markets. For Surecomp, it validates both the growing demand for modernizing trade finance operations in frontier economies and our ability to deliver quickly in more complex markets.
Angola is a growth market for trade. This project sets the standard for how banks working with us can adopt a scalable, cloud-based infrastructure to enhance digital customer service and participate more actively in pan-African trade. We only see this trend accelerating further with other banks in Angola and beyond as we continue to actively pursue enablement of trade finance optimization.
From an implementation perspective, what key insights did this engagement highlight about how banks in emerging markets are approaching trade finance transformation?
The implementation is currently in progress and is expected to be completed within a couple of months. Speed and pragmatism are defining the approach here. In general, banks in both emerging and developed markets are moving away from the large, multi-year overhauls of yesteryear and instead prioritizing modular deployments that deliver fast, tangible results.
There’s also a strong focus on digitizing the entire trade finance process end-to-end from back-office to the front-end client experience, all driven by a need to gain real operational value, rather than adopting technology for technology’s sake. Banks want to reduce manual intervention, improve compliance and shorten transaction cycles.
Based on Surecomp’s experience, how is digital trade finance evolving across Africa, particularly as cross-border trade activity continues to grow?
We see momentum is building quite rapidly. As intra-African and cross-border trade expands, banks are under increasing pressure to digitize and scale their trade operations. We’re seeing a steady shift towards automation and real-time processing. At the same time, interoperability is becoming a higher priority as banks are looking for platforms that can connect seamlessly across borders and ecosystems.
Another key driver is how digital solutions are helping banks extend trade finance services to SMEs, unlocking new growth opportunities and supporting economic development across the region.
What are the most persistent challenges banks in Africa face when digitising trade finance, and where are you seeing tangible progress today?
Typically, fragmented regulation remains the biggest hurdle, particularly for cross-border digitalization. Many banks in Africa have operations across multiple markets, meaning they must navigate multiple jurisdictions, multiple currencies, multiple stakeholders and varying readiness to digitize. Fortunately, one of the benefits of cloud adoption is the ability of providers like Surecomp to remove some of that burden and help manage and standardise the process.
Our RIVO™ platform is designed specifically to foster collaboration across the ecosystem, bringing multiple parties together in real-time.
Looking ahead, what role do platforms like RIVO™ play in shaping a more connected and efficient trade finance ecosystem across high-growth markets?
RIVO™ was designed to do just that – to foster a more collaborative and efficient trade finance ecosystem. As we see the digital network effect take hold – with corporates asking their banks to join the platform, and banks inviting their corporates – the value of being on the platform is growing exponentially. We have been a dedicated trade finance technology provider for forty years, with some of our banking clients working with us almost since the beginning. But there’s no doubt that we’re seeing a fundamental sea change now, not just across Africa but globally. Technology is underpinning trade growth, enabling bank agility, reducing processing friction, enhancing customer service and playing a central role in driving interoperability, data visibility and trade finance inclusion.