Banking | - Part 111

Kenyan Treasury, Central Bank in Turf War Over Capital Rules

KENYA, Capital Markets in Africa: Kenyan Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich is counting on three bank failures in eight months to help drive through proposals that will reduce the central bank’s oversight of the industry. Rotich, 47, is seeking to persuade lawmakers to accept proposals that will increase the amount of capital banks must set aside as safety buffers and is also pushing amendments to allow the government more influence in the management of financial institutions. Central Bank of…

Brexit Could Hurt South Africa’s GDP Growth, Kganyago Says

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SOUTH AFRICA, Capital Markets in Africa: The U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union will hurt South Africa’s economic growth, according to Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago. “We would not venture into a recession at this stage, but there is no doubt that it will slow the South African economy from the weak growth that we already have,” Kganyago said in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the European Central Bank Forum in Sintra, Portugal on Tuesday. The…

Kenya Central Bank Governor Prefers ‘Natural’ Bank Consolidation

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa: Kenya’s central bank would prefer the country’s lenders to consolidate naturally to build resilience in the industry, Governor Patrick Njoroge said. Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich this month revived proposals that require lenders to increase their core capital fivefold by 2019, a move that could spur takeovers. The measures, first suggested by Rotich last year, were rejected by lawmakers and labelled by Njoroge in August as “rushed”. “I am not officially pushing consolidation,” Njoroge said…

Rwanda Sees Accommodative Stance as Prudent Ahead of MPC

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Kigali, Rwanda, Capital Markets in Africa: The Rwandan central bank’s “accommodative” monetary policy stance is prudent because inflation is expected to remain below the government’s target, Governor John Rwangombwa said ahead of a rate-setting committee meeting next week. Consumer-price growth in the tea-growing East African nation is expected to remain below the government’s target of 5 percent this year, Rwangombwa said in an interview June 20 in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Rwanda’s MPC is…

Kenya | NIC of Kenya to Acquire Assets of Collapsed Lender Imperial

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa: NIC Bank Limited, Kenya’s ninth-biggest lender by market value, will acquire the deposits and some of the assets of collapsed lender Imperial Bank Ltd., central bank Governor Patrick Njoroge said. The Nairobi-based bank will conduct due diligence on Imperial, which was placed under statutory management in October, and will absorb most of its branches and staff, Njoroge told reporters Tuesday in the capital, Nairobi. The acquisition of the assets was agreed with the…

Kenyan Central Bank Signals Rates on Hold as Inflation Slows

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa: Kenya’s central bank signaled it will keep interest rates unchanged after inflation slowed to within the government’s target range. The bank last month cut its benchmark lending rate by one percentage point to 10.5 percent, the first reduction in three years, as consumer-price growth eased to 5 percent, the slowest pace since June 2013. Inflation will probably remain steady even as fuel costs rise and after the Treasury announced tax increases…

Banking | Pan-African lender Ecobank may close some operations

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LOME, Togo, Capital Markets in Africa: Ecobank is reviewing its expansion strategy following a decline in profits and may pull out of some African countries to focus on its most promising markets, chairman Emmanuel Ikazoboh told Reuters. Ecobank is based in Togo and operates in 36 African countries, making it a rare example of a pan-African bank that has developed outside South Africa, home to giants such as Standard Bank and FirstRand. But falling global…

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