BoB sees risks as inflation drops from peak
Friday, December 09, 2022 | 530 Views |
Tracking trends: Pelaelo and other bank executives say numerous threats lie in the path of declining inflation PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
The central bank raised interest rates three times this year in response to climbing inflation, sparking outrage from ordinary Batswana.
From 14.6% in August, which represented a 14-year high, inflation has since declined to 13.1% in October, as global fuel prices have eased in recent months. Responding to BusinessWeek enquiries recently, BoB executives projected that inflation would drop to 12.4% in November, average 11.4% in the first quarter of next year, 8.8 percent in the second quarter and seven percent in the first quarter of 2024.
That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...