By ignoring poor people’s needs, financial institutions are overlooking a massive potential market COMMENT | REETA ROY | In a sea of gloomy news, one bright headline appears on the horizon. The World Bank’s latest figures on individuals’ bank accounts, to be released early next year, are expected to show that …
Read More »EU to vote on relocation of agencies after Brexit
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The fight for some of the most prized spoils of Brexit comes to a climax on Monday when 27 EU states pick the new host cities for two London-based regulatory agencies. In a process only half-jokingly compared to the Eurovision Song Contest, ministers will vote …
Read More »KCB set to roll out agency banking
Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Regional lender, KCB, is set to rollout agency banking by close of the year as it strives to grow profitability. This follows the lender’s approval from the Bank of Uganda, two weeks ago, in line with the new Financial Institutions (amendment) Act. Joram Kiarie, the …
Read More »COMMENT: Banks partnering for housing
The role of commercial banks and real estate developers are changing to create affordable housing for Ugandans COMMENT | Jackson Emanzi | Uganda’s population is projected to grow from an estimated 37 million people today to 41.2 million by 2020 (Uganda Bureau of Statistics). Under Goal 11 of the United …
Read More »Sudan receives first US dollar transfers since sanctions lifted
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s central bank said Wednesday it had received its first overseas fund transfer in US dollars since Washington announced the lifting of a 20-year-old trade embargo against Khartoum. Washington last week announced the lifting of sanctions from this Thursday onwards, saying Khartoum had made progress on …
Read More »Bank of Uganda cuts CBR to 9.5%
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, has October 03, announced a reduction in the Central Bank Rate (CBR) by 0.5 percentage points to 9.5% for the next three months. The CBR is the rate of interest which a central bank charges on loans and advances to commercial banks. The …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Credit Reference Bureau firm goes online
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Metropole Uganda (Ltd), a credit reference bureau services provider, is set to unveil an online service that will enable borrowers check their credit ratings via mobile phones. Credit rating reports normally profiles borrowers and their abilities to pay back debt and are therefore used …
Read More »China Construction Bank profits lifted by economy, debt crackdown
Shanghai, China | AFP | China Construction Bank, one of the country’s “big four” financial institutions, reported a moderate first-half profit rise and improving asset quality as a government crackdown on bad debt kicked in. The bank’s earnings were posted Wednesday night, hours after China’s three other big state-owned lenders announced …
Read More »51 bankers, businessmen on trial in Vietnam for fraud
Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector. Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favouritism …
Read More »IGG asked to investigate wealth of BOU official
Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | A concerned citizen on Wednesday petitioned the office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) asking for investigations into the wealth of a Bank of Uganda (BOU) official. Denis Nyombi a lawyer from Denis Nyombi & Co. Advocates said he is seeking the IGG’s …
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