South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago has warned that the next global financial crisis could be sparked by a major cyberattack, calling on African nations to establish robust regulatory and security guardrails.

Delivering a keynote address at the 3rd Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection Forum on Africa and Geopolitics in Johannesburg, Kganyago highlighted emerging technological threats to economic stability. He pointed to recent reports of an artificial intelligence system infiltrating an Australian government network as evidence of autonomous systems targeting sovereign institutions.

Kganyago cautioned that sophisticated digital threats targeting SA’s national payment systems or major commercial financial firms could unleash unprecedented supply shocks and systemic economic disruptions if left unaddressed.

–ChannelAfrica–