Category: Finance
Financial Inclusion: An Enabler, Not an Economic Solution
By: David Shoombe The Principal Economist at the Bank of Namibia, Sesilia Nekwaya Okafor, indicated that financial inclusion brings Namibians into the formal financial system, which can enable broader participation in the economy. Commenting on the recently…
Fragmented Systems Cost Africa Around US$100 billion Annually
By: Dwight Links The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has noted that Africa’s fragmented systems are costing the continent billions in intra-trade, investment and convenience. Wamkele Mene, secretary-general for the AfCFTA, said this last week during a partnership…
Namfisa, NovaNam, Oshakati TC and AB Inbev Affirmative Reports Rejected
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala The Employment Equity Commission (EEC) has disapproved Affirmative Action reports of seven companies and public institutions for not meeting the requirements of the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act. According to the updates released by…
Redeeming Eurobond Saves Govt N$12 bn in Debt Servicing
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala Bank of Namibia quarterly updates show that debt servicing for the central government increased by N$550 million year-on-year to N$5.0 billion during the first quarter of 2026. The increase was reflected in domestic debt service,…
Namibia’s Debt Larger Than Real GDP
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala Total government debt (foreign and domestic) stood at N$178.4 billion at the end of March 2026. At this level, it is more than the country’s Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2025. Namibia’s debt is…
Microlending Sector Struggles with Compliance
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hnagala Only 58% of the 958 registered microlenders were fully compliant with regulatory provisions by the end of last year, according to NAMFISA. According to the latest quarterly report, which covers the last three months of…
Nam’s Exposure to Money-Laundering and Financial Crime Risks Drop
By: David Shoombe Namibia improved its Basel Anti Money-Laundering Index score to 4.78 in 2025, making it the fifth best-performing country in Africa in terms of lower exposure to money-laundering and financial crime risks. This was revealed during…
Central Banks Still Banking on Gold
By: Dwight Links About 74% of respondents to the latest Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey for 2026 noted that they expect to see moderate or significantly lower US dollar holdings within global reserves over the next five years….
Treasury Given Green Light to Start Spending the N$87.9bn Budget
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala The country treasurer, Ericah Shafudah, has been given the green light by Parliament and the President to start releasing the National Budget funds to various Offices, Ministries, and Agencies (OMAs) for the procurement and fulfilment of…
NADD Joins Continental WhatsApp Banking Wave
By: Peneyambeko Jonas Namibia Digital Dollar (NADD) has launched NADD Pay, a WhatsApp-based payment platform that allows users to send, receive and transact with the blockchain-backed stablecoin directly through the popular messaging application. The platform was announced in Oshakati…