Banking | - Part 117

Dollar Shortage Leaves ATMs Empty, Zimbabweans Without Cash

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Capital Markets in Africa — Banks in Zimbabwe, which abandoned its own currency in 2009 because of hyperinflation, have limited cash withdrawals and shut down some ATMs as the country’s ailing economy causes dollar supplies to evaporate, threatening to result in company failures. Lines of people are growing outside banks in the capital, Harare, as cash-strapped residents try get money to pay for everything from school fees to groceries. The shortage highlights the struggle…

South Africa Reserve Bank Sees Medium to High Risk of Credit-Rating Cut to Junk

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Johannesburg, South Africa, Capital Markets in Africa — There is a medium to high probability that South Africa’s debt will be downgraded to non-investment status, according to the country’s central bank. A cut may lead to capital outflows, affect the government’s rand-denominated debt, increase the cost of funding and reduce credit to the private sector, the Pretoria-based South African Reserve Bank said in its Financial Stability Review on Tuesday. Spreads on credit-default swaps would also widen, corporate profits…

Kenya’s Biggest Bank May Expand Operations to Four New Countries

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa — Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group Limited, owner of Kenya’s largest bank, may enter Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Djibouti by 2020, said Chief Executive Officer Joshua Oigara. The lender is willing to swap shares to fund transactions, he told reporters in the capital, Nairobi, on Friday. KCB will complete an assessment of Chase Bank Kenya Ltd., the failed lender that it is helping to reopen branches and…

Central Bank of Egypt Keeps Policy Rate Unchanged at 10.75% in April

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CAIRO, Egypt, Capital Markets in Africa — In its meeting held on April 28, 2016, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the overnight deposit rate, overnight lending rate, and the rate of the Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) main operation unchanged at 10.75 percent, 11.75 percent, and 11.25 percent, respectively. The discount rate was also kept unchanged at 11.25 percent. Annual headline CPI remained at around 9 percent in February and March 2016,…

S&P sees South Africa’s banks up against growing credit risks

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Johannesburg, South Africa, Capital Markets in Africa — South Africa’s banks will find it tougher to turn a profit as the economy remains feeble for the next few years and credit risks rise, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s said on Thursday. Consumers, squeezed by rising interest rates, unemployment of around 25 percent and high debt levels, are a growing headache for lenders in Africa’s most advanced economy which is forecast by the government to…

Family Bank Plans Share Sale to Fund East African Expansion

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa — Family Bank Limited, a closely held Kenyan lender, plans to raise 4 billion shillings ($40 million) in a share sale to existing investors by June that will be used to fund an East African expansion. The company wants to make a “cautious entry” into markets in the region over the next year, outgoing Managing Director Peter Munyiri told reporters in Nairobi on Friday, without identifying any countries. The lender, which has 1.7…

Kenya Regulators Help Investment Bank Free Funds Held in Lender

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa — Kenyan regulators are working with Genghis Capital Ltd. to help the investment bank free up cash locked in Chase Bank Kenya Ltd., an associated company which is being nursed back to health after collapsing following a run on deposits. Authorities are collaborating with the caretakers of Chase Bank so that clients of Genghis wanting to redeem some of their mutual fund holdings can access their money, Capital Markets Authority acting Chief…

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