The governor of the National Bank of Angola (BNA), Manuel Tiago Dias, called on Friday (16) during the presentation of the Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy Balance Sheet and Outlook for a reduction in interest charges applied by commercial banks.
According to the governor, reductions in lending rates charged by banks on customer transactions will only be seen once monetary policy transmission mechanisms have been adjusted.
“We believe that the reduction in interest rates charged by banks to customers will also contribute to better signaling the new direction of economic activity in our country, because in reality we are seeing a positive trajectory in the economic cycle,” he said.
Manuel Dias highlighted the control of liquidity in circulation in the economy, noting, however, that it is not possible to achieve low inflation rates if there is a lack of control over liquidity in circulation.
He therefore emphasized that the BNA uses the various monetary policy instruments at its disposal to control liquidity, in particular open market operations, which have been used as the preferred instrument for controlling inflation.
In 2024, he pointed out, credit growth to the economy in national currency was around 30%. In 2025, credit to the economy grew again, albeit to a lesser extent, but he believes this growth should be taken into account, as it was 22.6%, corresponding to US$1.4 billion.
“If we compare this amount of credit granted in 2025 to the current stock of credit granted to the economy, we will see a very substantial change in the performance of commercial banks, especially in recent years,” he concluded.
Source: Forbes Lusophone Africa
