At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, global leaders once again invoked a “ spirit of dialogue ” around reforming international institutions, revisiting debates about whether existing financial frameworks remain suited to a fragmented, multipolar order. Yet one of the most consequential challenges to financial orthodoxy is unfolding far from the Alpine halls. Across African financial capitals, a high-stakes standoff between the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)