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Banks increase lending rates on liquidity crunch

Mercury rising: The pressure is increasing on households, from the slowdown in the economy, to banks raising their lending rates 
PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Mercury rising: The pressure is increasing on households, from the slowdown in the economy, to banks raising their lending rates PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Two commercial banks unilaterally raised their prime lending rates in the past week, marking the first-time banks have uncoupled from the Bank of Botswana interest rate benchmark since the freedom to do so was introduced two years ago.

Absa Bank Botswana, Stanbic Bank Botswana, and BBS Bank raised their lending rates by between 75 and 100 basis points, as the impact of a long-running liquidity crunch in the local capital market came to bear.

Since April 2023, banks have been able to raise their lending rates independently from the central bank’s Monetary Policy Rate (MoPR), as part of interest rate reforms aimed at better transmitting monetary policy.

Editor's Comment
Get back what was stolen, and lock the door

That a single private law firm pocketed P6.5 million for just four cases, out of a total P11.1 million paid for 25 matters, reeks of a system that was not merely disorganised but open to abuse.Bayford has taken a welcome first step by telling the Public Accounts Committee the truth. Now he must act decisively to ensure it never happens again and that any money lost to wrongdoing is recovered.The figures are staggering. Whilst ordinary Batswana...

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