Major African telco postpones mobile money listing — Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Airtel Africa on Friday delayed the planned public listing of its mobile money business to the second half of 2026 and forecast a near-term margin squeeze due to higher costs arising from the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.

The war has triggered an unprecedented crunch in crude supplies from the Middle East and upended supply chains, raising energy and logistics costs for companies everywhere, triggering forecast cuts, project delays and cost-cutting drives.

Several firms have also delayed listings as the war drives market volatility.

The African-focused telecommunications group said that market conditions were now unfavourable, while rising energy costs were also likely to weigh on Airtel Africa’s near-term core profit margins.

“We have made good progress and remain committed to the listing as market conditions allow,” it said in a statement.

The company had earlier planned to list Airtel Money in the first half of 2026. The unit is its third-largest business, contributing 21.1% of total revenue.

Core profit

For the year ended on 31 March, the group posted core profit of US$3.16-billion on total revenue of $6.42-billion, beating market expectations of $3.13-billion and $6.36-billion, respectively, according to a company-compiled poll.

The operator’s fiscal 2026 results benefited from a strong demand for mobile networks, adoption of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence.