Category: Finance

BY SIFISO NHLABATSI MBABANE – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has expressed confidence in Eswatini’s development trajectory, highlighting strong national ownership, capable project implementation teams and the Government’s determination to turn development financing into tangible results. The positive assessment follows a mission to the Kingdom by a delegation from the AfDB Board of Directors, with […]

BY SIFISO NHLABATSI EZULWINI – Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) Governor Dr Phil Mnisi says the construction of the bank’s new Ezulwini headquarters should set an example of projects being completed on time and within budget. Mnisi said the project was procured on a fixed budget, with fixed quality requirements and a fixed delivery period, […]

BY SIFISO NHLABATSI EZULWINI – Eswatini is strengthening its fight against financial crime through tighter compliance with anti-money laundering laws, improved reporting of suspicious transactions, risk-based supervision and closer cooperation between financial institutions, the Financial Intelligence Centre and law enforcement agencies. The measures are part of efforts to prevent criminals from abusing the country’s financial […]

BY SIFISO NHLABATSI MBABANE – Government has defended its decision to stop the capital investment subvention to Mbabane and Manzini, arguing that the country’s two major cities have developed sufficiently and now have the revenue-generating capacity to sustain their operations and fund further improvements. Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg made the position clear in Parliament on […]

Swaziland Building Society one of two granted provisional licences BY THEMBA ZWANE MBABANE – The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) approved two provisional bank licences during the 2025/2026 financial year, while two other banking licence applications remained under review at the close of the financial year. According to the CBE’s 2025/2026 Annual Economic Review, the […]

Economy holds firm despite sugar, mining pressures Minister sees stronger growth as industries recover BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE MBABANE – Eswatini’s economy is showing remarkable resilience, with growth projected at about 5% in 2026 despite a difficult operating environment for some of the country’s major industries, while a new E4.06 billion development financing framework could provide fresh momentum for […]

BY SIFISO NHLABATSI LOBAMBA – Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg has told the House of Assembly that municipalities are not barred from approaching commercial banks for loans to finance infrastructure development. Rijkenberg said Mbabane and Manzini could access bank financing, provided they first obtained approval from Government, while clarifying that there had been no ban […]