ProgressSoft and Symbol Technologies lead financial industry discussion in Ethiopia. Adis Ababa, Ethiopia - August 19, 2026 ProgressSoft, in partnership with Symbol Technologies, brought together senior executives and decision-makers from across Ethiopia's financial sector for an exclusive conference under the theme 'Shaping What's Next in Payments,' held on August 18, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa. The conference explored how global payment standards are converging with Ethiopia's national modernization agenda, addressing the transition to ISO-native payments, forthcoming international compliance mandates, and the infrastructure required to support instant, interoperable and data-driven financial and payment ecosystems. Across a full day of expert-led sessions, ProgressSoft showcased the latest developments shaping the future of payments, from modernizing and consolidating payment operations through its Enterprise Payments Hub to preparing financial institutions for evolving Swift requirements, including Swift Case Management 2027. The sessions also explored modern infrastructure for greater scalability and flexibility, enhanced visibility and insights across payment operations, and new approaches to digital payment acceptance through Symbol Technologies' SoftPOS. Throughout the conference, delegates engaged directly with ProgressSoft's and Symbol Technologies' experts, exchanging insights on the practical capabilities Ethiopia's financial institutions need to modernize payment operations, and turn global standards into local opportunity. ProgressSoft and Symbol Technologies are delighted to bring together globally proven payment technologies and local expertise, empowering financial institutions in Ethiopia to build efficient, unified and future-ready payment ecosystems.

BEAC and ProgressSoft launch SYSTAC 2, modernising payment infrastructure in Central Africa. Filters. Cross-Border Payments Europe and Central Asia North America * The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and ProgressSoft launched SYSTAC 2, a centralised electronic clearing house serving the six CEMAC member states: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. * Since 3rd August 2026, SYSTAC 2 has supported 59 banks, six National Treasuries, and six BEAC National Directorates with a unified clearing infrastructure. * SYSTAC 2 integrates ProgressSoft's automated clearing house for retail payments, electronic cheque clearing, and a dispute management system, all designed to ISO 20022 standards and deployed via an Application Service Provider model. * The platform centralises maintenance and upgrades, reduces participant infrastructure needs, and harmonises clearing processes across member states. * The coordinated migration involved all 71 participants transitioning simultaneously to the new system, enhancing transaction efficiency, security, traceability, and monitoring. * Future plans include adding ProgressSoft's interoperable instant payments platform to enable real-time regional payments, further advancing CEMAC's payment services modernisation. Devanshee Dave 18 Aug, 2026 Supply Chain Finance Trade Finance Europe and Central Asia North America Viaservice-Ke, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Viatrans SA, has partnered with Maersk to offer Viaservice Container Solution (VCS), a digital trade financing platform for Kenya's logistics sector. Devanshee Dave 14 Aug, 2026 Commodities Development Finance Emerging Markets Middle East and North Africa North America Sub-Saharan Africa The US Senate approved a two-year extension of AGOA, allowing eligible sub-Saharan African countries to maintain duty-free access to the US market until December 2028. Devanshee Dave 14 Aug, 2026 Published: 13 Aug, 2026 Cash Management Payment Processors North America RBC and BMO sell Moneris payment processor to US private equity firm Francisco Partners for $2 billion, ending their 25-year Canadian joint venture. 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The deployment enables SIDBI to validate invoices financed through TReDS and other factoring platforms, including SBI Global Factors and India Factoring, enhancing secure and... Devanshee Dave 11 Aug, 2026 Trade Finance Trade Policy North America The Trump administration has refunded about $100 billion in tariffs following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a wave of duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Devanshee Dave 07 Aug, 2026 Published: 07 Aug, 2026 Cross-Border Payments Digital Assets Digital Payments Channels Europe and Central Asia North America Devanshee Dave Cross-Border Payments Digital Trade Europe and Central Asia North America PaymentWorks introduced Payee Profile, a standardised, reusable credential that helps businesses manage tax, banking, and compliance information required for payments. Devanshee Dave 06 Aug, 2026 Commodity Finance Digital Assets Digital Trade East Asia & Pacific Europe and Central Asia Middle East and North Africa On 5 August, the ICC Digital Standards Initiative, Teesside University, and the Asian Development Bank hosted a working session on the Trade Document Object (TDO) consultation, now open on the Digital Trade Navigator. Devanshee Dave 05 Aug, 2026 Published: 05 Aug, 2026 Digital Trade Documentary Trade Europe and Central Asia North America ICC has renamed the Trade Register as the Global Trade Intelligence Report, reflecting a broader focus on trade finance data, market insights and risk analysis for the global trade community. Devanshee Dave Published: 04 Aug, 2026 Development Finance Export Agency Finance Supply Chain Finance Europe and Central Asia North America EVelution Energy secures increased US$275 million EXIM financing for Arizona cobalt processing facility supporting critical minerals supply resilience. 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