Forex powers banks' non-interest earnings
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 190 Views |
Cashing in: Foreign currency trade has become a money spinner for local banks PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Preliminary Bank of Botswana (BoB) figures released recently show that between January and June 2025, non-interest income earned by the country’s commercial banks averaged P352.8, before rising to an average of P548.1 million between July and October.
The difference, analysts say, were July changes to the exchange rate framework made by the BoB, giving commercial banks greater room in the margins they charge both buyers and sellers of foreign currency (forex). In July, the BoB increased its margins for foreign currency trade with the banks from +/-0.5 percent to +/-7.5 percent, as a way of protecting further erosion of the official foreign exchange reserves managed by the BoB. The move, amongst other measures, made it more expensive for banks to resort to the BoB for forex and was also designed to encourage greater inter-bank trading of forex.
‘A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle’.- George William CurtisAccording to the report carried in this publication, the fraudsters operating the so-called “dark fleet” have selected Botswana’s flag as their cover of choice. This is a direct assault on our country’s most valuable asset, the good name.For decades, Botswana has...