Diaspora dollar flow rises by 17 per cent to Ksh.29 billion in October

By Kepha Muiruri,

Inflows from Kenya’s diaspora have continued to grow by 17.3 per cent to Ksh.28.8 billion ($263.2 million) in October from Ksh.24.6 billion ($224.3 ...

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) , diaspora remittances

Why the CBK isn’t losing any sleep over banks sinking profitability

By Kepha Muiruri,

Banks earnings continue to take a beating from economic disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. This however is merely a secondary concern fo...

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) , Dr. Patrick Njoroge , Kenya Bankers Association (KBA)

Kenya seeks three and a half year access to IMF emergency loans

By Kepha Muiruri,

Kenya is in deep talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the access of emergency bail out loans over the next three and a half years, th...

CS Ukur Yatani , debt , International Monetary Fund (IMF) , National Treasury

National Treasury raises Ksh.53.7B from local borrowing in November

By Kepha Muiruri,

The National Treasury has raised Ksh.53.7 billion from the local market in November’s primary bond sale completed on Tuesday. The pair of bonds w...

local borrowing , National Treasury

49 percent of ‘rich’ Kenyans fall behind loan repayments

By Kepha Muiruri,

Nearly half of all Kenyans with a stable financial footing have fallen behind their loan repayments revealing the extent of the economic distress in t...

COVID-19 , debt , Kenya Bankers Association (KBA)

OPINION: Why affordable housing is a game changer

By Guest Writer,

Home ownership in Kenya has generally been reserved for wealthy individuals with considerable disposable income and for bankers who have access to loa...

BOA Kenya granted exemption to CBK ownership rules

By Kepha Muiruri,

The Bank of Africa (BOA) Kenya Limited has been exempted from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) ownership rules for up to five years. The exemption b...

Access Bank unveils Kenyan operations after Transnational takeover

By Kepha Muiruri,

Africa’s largest retail lender Access Bank has unveiled local operations in the country following its acquisition of Transnational Bank at the end o...

Access Bank , Transnational Bank

Free cash transfers take Ksh.6billion from Safaricom’s M-Pesa purse

By Kepha Muiruri,

The roll out of free mobile money transactions has punched a Ksh.6.1 billion revenue hole in Safaricom's M-Pesa service in six months to September 30....

coronavirus , free cash transfers , M-pesa , Safaricom

Safaricom half-year profit falls for the first time since 2012

By Kepha Muiruri,

Leading telco operator Safaricom PLC has reported a reduced Ksh.33 billion half year profit representing a six percent slide in earnings from Ksh.35.2...

M-pesa , Peter Ndegwa , Safaricom

KRA eyes Ksh.5 billion from the digital economy by June next year

By Kepha Muiruri,

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has set its sights on raising Ksh.5 billion from the digital economy in six months to June 2021. This ahead of th...

Digital Services Tax (DST) , Githii Mburu , Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)

Free mobile cash transfers to eat into Safaricom’s profit cake

By Kepha Muiruri,

Free mobile money transfers below Ksh.1000 implemented in mid-March are expected to curve a part of Safaricom’s profit when the company publishes it...

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) , M-pesa , Safaricom

African money transfer firms thrive as pandemic spurs online remittances

By Reuters,

Having fled an economic implosion in his native Zimbabwe, Brighton Takawira was able to support his mother back home with modest earnings from a small...

coronavirus , money transfer , mpesa

CBK dollar reserves fall below 5-month cover as shilling treads on 109 mark

By Kepha Muiruri,

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) usable foreign currency reserves have fallen below the five months import cover in the past week as the shilling faces...

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) , Kenya Shilling

CBK unveils its fourth currency centre in Kisii

By Kepha Muiruri,

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has launched its fourth currency centre in Kisii town. The new centre is expected to support the reserve bank’s c...

CBK , Kisii

Shelter Afrique to develop another 10,000 affordable homes in Rwanda

By Citizen Reporter,

Shelter Afrique Board has approved the development of another 10,000 affordable homes in Rwanda. Making the announcement in Nairobi, Shelter Afriqu...

Kinyinya Park Estate Project , Shelter Afrique

Kenyan economy shrinks for the first time since September 2008

By Kepha Muiruri,

The Kenyan economy contracted for the first time since the third quarter of 2008 as second quarter growth dropped to a negative 5.7 per cent from a po...

COVID-19 , Kenya's economy , recession

Kenya’s financial markets attractiveness drops to 7th spot in Africa- Report

By Kepha Muiruri,

The attractiveness of Kenya’s financial markets on the continent has slumped to position seven from three according to a just released report. Ac...

Absa Africa Financial Markets Index 2020 , Capital Markets Authority (CMA) , Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)

IMF raises Kenya’s 2020 growth projection to 1 per cent

By Kepha Muiruri,

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised Kenya’s 2020 growth forecast from a minus one per cent to one per cent in its latest global economi...

IMF , Kenya's GDP

COVID-19 chokes interest rate repeal gains – Report

By Kepha Muiruri,

The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed benefits earned from the repeal of the interest rate caps in November last year. While the rate repeal was expec...

COVID-19 , Fitch , interest rate caps