Monetary Policy Watch (South Africa): As the SARB MPC meets, TransUnion warns households are already in an affordability squeeze, so any rate hike could deepen pressure on bonds, rentals and food/transport budgets. Cost-of-living Pressure (South Africa): PayInc reports April net salaries fell to the lowest in two years, with real pay down as inflation rises and the labour outlook weakens. Retail Deals (South Africa): Woolworths shoppers are sharing winter-sale bargains online, from discounted chicken and tuna to household cleaning and cooking oils. Digital Payments Push (Ghana): Melcom and Point Africa launch a digital loyalty programme to reward purchases and drive digital payments across grocery, fuel, retail and more. Mobile Money Regulation (Ghana): CUTS applauds the Bank of Ghana for pausing a proposed mobile money wallet-to-bank transfer fee after consumer-protection concerns. Banking Growth (Nigeria): Fidelity Bank says Q1 gross earnings jumped 37.9% to N434.95bn, supported by higher interest income and deposits. Eid Credit Strain (Nigeria): Reports from Ilorin show some families buying Eid rams on credit as prices rise and incomes fall. Infrastructure & Energy (Kenya): Kenya Power announces planned outages in Nairobi and other counties on May 28 for upgrades and new connections. Manufacturing Spotlight (Ghana): Interplast ranks 49th in Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies, highlighting momentum in Ghana’s plastics/building solutions sector. AI Ownership Debate (Africa): At ASP Summit 2026, leaders argue Africa must build the data, compute, talent and financing layer of AI instead of staying a consumer of tools owned elsewhere. Payments Infrastructure Bet (Nigeria): Paga doubles down on “infrastructure” via Paga Engine, aiming to sell the plumbing behind payments rather than rely only on end-user transactions.