CIB survey finds microfinance loans cost double bank rates
AnalysisMonday 26 October 2026
A Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana survey finds microfinance banks charge 31 to 40 per cent, against 10 to 15 per cent at universal banks. The findings were presented from its September pre-Monetary Policy Committee sentiment survey.
The gap in lending rates is a benchmark for observers assessing whether policy easing reaches microfinance borrowers.
MTN Ghana and its separately incorporated Mobile Money Fintech Limited posted a combined profit after tax of about $670 million (GH₵7.75bn) for the nine months to September 2026, up 43 percent. The results cover the telco and its mobile money business, which became a separate company in March 2026.
Zenith Bank reported a nine-month profit before tax of about $690 million (N929bn), up 1.24 percent from the same period of 2025. Gross earnings fell 15 percent to about $2.1 billion (N2.87trn), while impairment charges dropped sharply.
The African Development Bank launched a HKD 2 billion five-year social bond due November 2031. The issue is a social bond placed in Hong Kong's market.
Nigeria-focused fintech OPay sold 16 million American depositary shares at $19 each, raising $300 million and valuing the company at about $4 billion. It rang the NYSE opening bell, but ThisDay reports that trading was temporarily held over an outstanding regulatory clarification in a foreign jurisdiction.
Afreximbank is raising a $1 billion syndicated loan that includes a tranche denominated in yuan, according to a paywalled report. The deal diversifies the bank's funding sources beyond dollar and euro markets.
