Africa Finance Corporation has raised approximately $430 million (CHF350 million) through the largest digital bond issued in the Swiss-franc market, opening a new route for African institutions seeking funding from global investors.
The five-year bond makes AFC the first African institution to issue a digital bond that is listed, traded and settled through regulated digital-market infrastructure, the corporation said on Wednesday.
South Africa recorded Africa’s first tokenised corporate bond in 2024, but that transaction was issued through a private blockchain-based marketplace rather than the regulated Swiss exchange infrastructure used by AFC.
The bond is structured as a tokenised security using distributed ledger technology. Ownership is recorded on a regulated digital register instead of relying exclusively on conventional securities records.
Proceeds will be used for AFC’s general funding requirements and to expand its capacity to finance infrastructure and industrial projects across Africa.
