The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said it narrowed Africa’s trade finance gap by more than its annual target in 2025, extending billions of dollars in credit to banks and businesses as the continent continued to grapple with constrained access to international capital.
The lender reduced Africa’s trade finance gap by 18.7% last year, surpassing its target of 15%, after expanding credit lines, onboarding more financial institutions and increasing support for small and medium-sized enterprises across the continent.
As part of the effort, Afreximbank extended 80 trade finance lines worth $4.8 billion to banks in 26 African countries, including least-developed and landlocked economies, to improve access to trade financing for importers and exporters. The facilities supported 58,952 sub-loans to SMEs, including businesses owned by women and young entrepreneurs.
The bank also expanded its network of financial institutions, cumulatively onboarding 652 African banks while providing letter of credit confirmation services to 382 banks across 54 member states, helping reduce payment risks associated with cross-border trade.
The results indicate Afreximbank’s growing role in addressing one of Africa’s biggest barriers to trade. The continent faces an estimated multibillion-dollar trade finance gap as international banks scale back exposure to African markets because of tighter regulations, rising compliance costs and higher perceived risks, limiting access to affordable credit for businesses.
Beyond financing, the bank expanded its digital infrastructure to facilitate trade. Its Payment Services Programme enabled 241 banks and 170 corporations in 46 member states to access cross-border payment services, benefiting more than 363 sub-clients.
Afreximbank also strengthened its due diligence platform, MANSA, adding 16,636 verified organizations in 2025, bringing the total number of vetted companies and institutions on the platform to 43,197, up from 26,561 a year earlier. The database is designed to make it easier for financial institutions to verify African businesses and reduce compliance hurdles that often delay trade finance approvals.
The expansion of trade finance support comes with efforts to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is expected to increase demand for cross-border financing as tariffs fall and regional trade expands.
The bank said it facilitated $8.7 billion in intra-African trade in 2025 through its trade initiatives and regional projects while continuing to invest in payment systems, logistics infrastructure and industrial development aimed at boosting commerce across the continent.
The expansion of trade finance is expected to ease one of the biggest constraints on African commerce by improving access to working capital for exporters, manufacturers and lenders. Greater availability of credit could help businesses increase production, fulfill export orders and expand cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while enabling commercial banks to extend more trade-related lending with lower risk.
