Banking | - Part 87

Bank of England Governor’s Brexit Worries Mean BOE Chief in No Rush to Tighten

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mark Carney is still worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy and signalled he won’t be rushing to raise interest rates anytime soon. In his first major comments in six weeks, the Bank of England governor addressed weaknesses in the economy, saying that domestic inflation pressures remain subdued and wage growth is anemic. He also highlighted the level of uncertainty surrounding the U.K.’s talks to exit the European Union, saying he…

South Africa Graft Ombudsman Proposes Changes to SARB Objective

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s graft ombudsman has suggested changes to the nation’s constitution to amend the Reserve Bank’s primary objective of protecting the value of the currency. The chairman of parliament’s justice committee should start a process to change the law’s section 224 that sets out the central bank’s primary objective, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said in a report handed to reporters in the capital, Pretoria, on Monday. The proposed amendments remove the…

Barclays Africa Faces $88 Million Payout to State Over Bankorp

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Barclays Africa Group Limited, the South African lender formerly known as Absa, may have to pay the government an amount equivalent to 8 percent of its annual profit after the country’s anti-graft ombudsman said the bank unduly benefited from state support when it bought ailing Bankorp before the end of apartheid. “The illegal gift granted to Bankorp and Absa is in the amount of 1.125 billion rand,” Public Protector Busisiwe…

Uganda Cuts Key Rate to Record Low to Boost Sluggish Growth

Posted on by The Editorial Team

KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Uganda’s central bank reduced its benchmark rate to the lowest since it was introduced in 2011 to boost an economy that’s projected to grow at the slowest pace in four years. The Monetary Policy Committee cut the key rate by 100 basis points to 10 percent, Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile told reporters Monday in the capital, Kampala. The central bank has reduced the rate by 700 basis points since the start of last…

Kenyan Lender CBA Agrees to Acquire Crane Bank’s Rwanda Unit

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd., a closely held Kenyan lender, agreed to acquire the Rwandan unit of Crane Bank Ltd., Uganda’s fourth-largest lender. An agreement on the purchase has been signed, the Nairobi-based lender said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, it said. “The acquisition signals CBA’s strategic intentions to expand its existing business operations in Rwanda and participate meaningfully in Rwanda’s economic growth…

Moody’s assigns first-time ratings to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc

Posted on by The Editorial Team

London (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service has today assigned first-time ratings to Union Bank of Nigeria plc (Union Bank): long- and short-term Local and Foreign Currency Deposit and Issuer Ratings of B2/Not Prime, and a b3 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA). Moody’s also assigned long- and short-term Counterparty Risk (CR) Assessment of B1(cr)/Not Prime(cr), long- and short-term National Scale Local Currency Ratings of Aa3.ng/NG-1, and long- and short-term National Scale Foreign Currency Ratings…

Biggest Kenyan Bank Makes Takeover Bid for State-Owned Rival

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s biggest bank by assets offered to buy a state-owned lender as the industry struggles to cope with interest-rate caps that have cut profits and curbed lending. KCB Group Ltd. provided an expression of interest to the Treasury to acquire a controlling stake in National Bank of Kenya Ltd., Judith Odhiambo, a spokeswoman for Nairobi-based KCB, said in an emailed response to questions on Monday. “Further details will, however, be provided in…

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