Consumer Protection & Anti-Fakes: Kenya’s Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) is rolling out a nationwide digital product authentication mark, starting with high-risk categories like medicines, fertilisers, cosmetics and alcohol, alongside legal moves to tackle counterfeit sales online and across borders. Youth Finance & Insurance: South Africa’s youth are being urged to “customise” insurance coverage (especially excesses and add-ons) and to build financial independence through better credit habits, as many still lack credit history and find insurance too complex or costly. Housing Pressure on Gen Z: TransUnion says affordability constraints are delaying South Africa’s shift from credit use to homeownership, with younger consumers still active in entry-level credit to build records. Device Financing Boom: Mogo says it has financed 500,000+ smartphones across East Africa in 14 months, driven by “lipa mdogo mdogo” micro-instalments and fast approvals. BNPL for Micro-Assets: Kenya’s growing demand for microcredit to buy productive assets is helping explain the rise of BNPL-style models. Connectivity for Commerce: Seacom launched a higher-capacity Nairobi–Kampala route (1Tbps, scalable to 30Tbps) to support data-heavy services across East Africa. Retail Behaviour Shift: South Africa’s mall visits are changing—shorter, more deliberate trips—while community malls are proving more resilient as online shopping grows. Market & Policy Watch: Nigeria’s NGX introduced new tiered minimum-volume rules for share price movements, while Kenya’s Konza smart-city body rebranded under the Technopolis Act.