MONETARY POLICY STATEMENT

BY
DR. J. P. MANGUDYA
GOVERNOR

RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE


“Stimulating Economic Growth and Bolstering Confidence”


JANUARY 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS


LIST OF FIGURES


LIST OF TABLES

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Monetary Policy Statement is issued in terms of Section 46 of the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 22:15] which requires the Bank to formulate and
implement monetary policy for the country. The main objective of this Monetary
Policy Statement is to present policies that stimulate the national economy with a
vision for Zimbabwe to regain its status of being the Bread Basket of Africa.
This is achievable through the national mission to enhance production and
productivity across the board within the context of the New Normal that is
characterised by several domestic and global economic and geopolitical
considerations.

This Monetary Policy Statement also seeks to assess the measures instituted by the
Bank since May 2016, including the introduction of an export incentive scheme
financed through bond notes, among other policy interventions geared at promoting
domestic output and productivity (supply-side reforms) that are necessary to
increase jobs and exports, ensure monetary and financial sector stability, promote
formalisation of the economy, and to reduce poverty.

The prospects of achieving the objective of stimulating the national economy has
been made brighter by the expected good outturn of the 2016/2017 agricultural
season which is coming soon after the devastating El Nino induced drought of
2015/2016. This positive agricultural outturn is expected to be a catalyst or
springboard for transforming Zimbabwe’s growth model to move away from being
a consumptive economy to a productive and high exporting country. This new
economic development model calls for fundamental structural reforms in addressing
the nation’s high gearing or leverage ratio, perceived negative investment
environment, lack of export competitiveness, fiscal consolidation, institutional and

market indiscipline, formalisation of the economy and expanding the role of small
to medium scale enterprises (SMEs).

A number of policy measures are being implemented to transform Zimbabwe’s
growth model in line with ZimAsset. Chief among them being the ease and cost of
doing business reforms being championed by the Office of the President and
Cabinet, the Public Finance Management Framework by the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development, the Special Economic Zones by the Ministry of MacroPlanning and Investment Promotion, localisation of domestic industrial production
through Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 promulgated by the Ministry of Industry
and Commerce and the foreign exchange management measures put in place by the
Bank.

Moreover the introduction of an export incentive scheme financed through bond
notes has seen a positive response, particularly from tobacco and gold producers.
According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), tobacco farmers
have increased the hectarage under this agricultural season by around 10% from
97 000 hectares planted in 2015/2016 to 107 000 hectares with an expected output
of 200-215 million kilograms of greenleaf tobacco. The gold sector has also
responded positively to the incentive scheme and the monitoring process by the Gold
Mobilisation Committee resulting in the increase in gold delivered to Fidelity
Printers and Refiners (FPR) by 17% from 18.3 tonnes in 2015 to 21.4 tonnes in 2016.
Gold delivery to FPR, which excludes the gold from Platinum Group Metals
(PGMs), is expected to be 25 tonnes in 2017.

The positive spin-offs from the recent removal of Zimbabwe from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) remedial measures, following successful clearance of its
arrears to the Fund in October 2016, are also expected to go a long way in reducing
Zimbabwe’s country risk, thus attracting the much needed foreign investment.

Completion of the clearance of external debt arrears to the rest of the international
financial institutions – African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank and
European Investment Bank (EIB) – is expected to further reduce the country’s debt
burden that continues to be an albatross on Zimbabwe’s access to foreign finance for
the past 16 years now at a time when other emerging markets have been making
tremendous strides in their economic transformation. As a consequence, Zimbabwe
has lagged behind and needs to catch up with its peers.

The implementation and effect of Brexit in Europe will have an impact on the trade
relationship between Britain and the rest of Europe and also between Africa and
Europe. Also the depreciation of the British Pound following the vote to leave the
EU will affect the size of remittances to countries such as Zimbabwe. In addition,
the rebalancing of the Chinese economy between production and consumption has
direct impact on Zimbabwe’s exports of primary products (mainly minerals) to
China.

In view of the above, this Monetary Policy Statement aims at taking opportunity of
the expected good agricultural season to change the course of the economy through
instituting additional policy measures and in some cases reforming current policies
with a view to enhance financial stability, bolster business sentiment and increase
output and exports in 2017 and beyond. This opportunity should not be squandered.

Measures in this Monetary Policy Statement that are geared to stimulate this
economic growth agenda are summarised below:

1. Measures to strengthen the stability of the financial sector by extending the
US$200 million African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Trade DebtBacked Securities (Aftrades) facility which operates on the lines of the lender
of last resort at the Bank for local banks.

2. Putting in place a US$70 million nostro stabilisation facility to deal with the
delays in processing of outgoing payments by banks.

3. Measures to reduce the cost of doing business by reducing lending rates
charged by banks from an upper limit of 15% to 12% per annum, and by
reducing charges on the use of plastic money to as low as 10 cents for small
purchases of $10 and below.
4. Measures to promote efficiency and discipline in the utilisation of foreign
currency by ensuring that banks comply with the foreign exchange priority
guidelines.
5. Measures to strengthen the resuscitation of firms under ZAMCO through the
provision of working capital to deserving cases through normal banking
channels.
6. Measures to promote exports by revamping the horticulture finance facility
and enhancing the gold development facility from US$20 million to US$40
million.
7. Putting in place facilities to cater for the requirements of bonafide cross-
border traders registered with recognised cross-border associations through
normal banking channels and Easylink.
8. Strengthening the parity of bond notes to the US$ by meeting foreign
exchange demand attributable to bond notes deposits.
9. Making available up to US$35 million for spearheading funding
requirements under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy to meet the
needs for women, SMEs, business linkages/ value chain activities.

10. Financial integrity to combat money laundering and ensuring that offshore
accounts for Zimbabwe entities are closely monitored to avoid tax invasion
and transfer pricing.
11. Operationalisation of the Credit Registry to enhance financial stability and
improve financial intermediation by banks.
12. Strengthening the farmers stop order system to curb side marketing and
attract funding for agriculture.

These measures would be complemented by policy advice on measures necessary to
support a sustained economic recovery anchored on the good agricultural season.

The rest of this Policy Statement is organized as follows; Section 2 reviews the
global economic developments. Section 3 looks at the balance of payments
developments. Section 4 looks at Inflation, Monetary and Financial sector
developments. Section 5 gives highlights on the National Payment System. Section
6 presents new measures to stimulate the economy and bolster confidence. Section
7 gives policy advice. Section 8 is the conclusion of the Statement.

SECTION 2: GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Economic activity is projected to pick up in 2017 and 2018 following a slowdown
in 2016. Global growth is projected to rise from 3.1% in 2016, to 3.4% in 2017 and
3.6% in 2018. Recovery in global growth stems from improvements in some large
emerging market and low income economies that were stressed in 2016. Better
prospects in the United States, Europe, China and Japan are also expected to lift up
growth.

Notwithstanding the global recovery, vulnerabilities include rising aversion towards
globalisation, trade and immigration, widespread high levels of public and private
debt, the ongoing climate change which especially affects low-income countries; and
continuing slow growth and deflationary pressures as well as non-economic factors
in the form of geopolitical and political uncertainty in some regions.

Table 1 shows economic growth developments and the revised projections for
selected regions and countries for 2016 and 2017.

Table 1: Global Economic Growth & Outlook (%)

Actuals
Estimate
Projections

World Output

Advanced Economies

US

Euro Area

Japan

Emerging
Market
&

China

India

Sub-Saharan Africa

Zimbabwe

Latin
America
&
the


Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Update (January 2017), Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
and RBZ projections

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)’s growth prospects are expected to improve on account
of normalization of conditions in large economies that experienced macroeconomic
strains. Oil production in Nigeria is projected to increase due to security
improvements. Growth in the region is projected to rise from 1.6 % in 2016 to 2.8%
and 3.6% in 2017 and 2018; respectively.

The risks to global growth in the outlook period calls for accelerated implementation
of monetary, fiscal and structural policies tailored to country circumstances in order
to spur productivity and output.

Commodity Price Developments
Commodity prices generally declined over the recent past mainly on account of
weakening growth prospects in China, the world’s largest metal consumer. This,
notwithstanding, commodity prices modestly recovered on the backdrop of transient
stabilisation of global markets during the first quarter of 2016.

Commodity price developments for precious and base metals have implications on
Zimbabwe’s external sector position as the country mainly exports primary and
semi-processed minerals.

Precious Metal Prices
Precious metal prices firmed during the period January to December 2016 on
account of strong investment demand and safe haven buying amid continued low
interest rate policies.

Accordingly, monthly average gold prices recovered from a low of US$1 096.68/oz
in January to a pick of US$1 152.35/oz in December 2016. However, prices slipped
in late September and early October on growing expectations that the U.S. Federal

Reserve would raise interest rates in December 2016.The gold prices further
declined, after a rise of interest rates on 4 December 2016.

Similarly, platinum prices recorded a modest recovery in 2016, firming by 7.7%
from a monthly average of US$853.65/oz in January to US$919.47/oz in December
2016. The modest recovery in platinum prices was supported by exchange rate
developments of the South African rand and tightening physical supply of the
commodity.

Figure 1: Precious Minerals Prices (US$/oz): Jan 2012 - Dec 2016
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data

Notwithstanding the firming gold and platinum prices, they are still way below the
levels realised in 2012.

2012M1
2012M3
2012M5
2012M7
2012M9
2012M11
2013M1
2013M3
2013M5
2013M7
2013M9
2013M11
2014M1
2014M3
2014M5
2014M7
2014M9
2014M11
2015M1
2015M3
2015M5
2015M7
2015M9
2015M11
2016M1
2016M3
2016M5
2016M7
2016M9
2016M11
Gold
Platinum

Base Metal Prices
Over the period January to December 2016, copper and nickel monthly average
prices picked by 24.4% and 30.8% to US$5 693.16/tonne and US$11 082.63/tonne,
respectively, as shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Nickel & Copper Prices (US$/tonne): Jan 2012 - Dec 2016
Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data

Policy efforts in China, the world’s largest consumer of base metals to boost the
commodity-intensive infrastructure and construction sectors was a key driver of
demand in 2016. Nickel prices were also supported by strong stainless steel demand
and potential loss of Philippines ore output due to environmental mine audits. The
Philippines government recommended suspending 55 percent of the country’s nickel
production, or more than 10 percent of global supply.

Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices, which declined to record low levels in early 2016, recovered
steadily to average US$55.48/barrel in December, 2016. Crude oil prices were,

10000


2012M1
2012M3
2012M5
2012M7
2012M9
2012M11
2013M1
2013M3
2013M5
2013M7
2013M9
2013M11
2014M1
2014M3
2014M5
2014M7
2014M9
2014M11
2015M1
2015M3
2015M5
2015M7
2015M9
2015M11
2016M1
2016M3
2016M5
2016M7
2016M9
2016M11
Nickel
Copper (RHS)

however, volatile, falling from a high of US$50/barrel in early June to below
US$47/barrel in September 2016, on weak demand and recovering supply.

Crude oil prices later rebounded to above US$50/barrel in early October following
an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreement to limit
output to between 32.5 and 33.0 million barrels per day. Figure 3 below shows the
evolution in crude oil prices since 2009.

Figure 3: Brent Crude Oil Prices (US$/Barrel): Jan 2009 - Dec 2016

Source: World Bank Commodity Price Data

2009 M1
2009 M4
2009 M7
2009 M10
2010 M1
2010 M4
2010 M7
2010 M10
2011 M1
2011 M4
2011 M7
2011 M10
2012 M1
2012 M4
2012 M7
2012 M10
2013 M1
2013 M4
2013 M7
2013 M10
2014 M1
2014 M4
2014 M7
2014 M10
2015 M1
2015 M4
2015 M7
2015 M10
2016 M1
2016 M4
2016 M7
2016 M10

SECTION 3: ZIMBABWE EXTERNAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS
The country’s external sector slightly improved on account of import compression
measures taken by Government. Sustained improvement in the external sector,
however, continue to be hampered by factors such as the continued appreciation of
the USD, low commodity prices and diminished direct and portfolio investments.

Balance of Payments
Over the period January to December 2016, merchandise exports decreased by 6.9%,
from US$3,614.2 million realized in 2015 to US$3,365.8 million during the
corresponding period in 2016. Similarly, merchandise imports for the period January
to December 2016 at US$5,350.9 million, declined by 11.7% from US$6,062.3
million realized over the comparative period in 2015.

Export performance was mainly driven by increases in the volume of gold exports
attributable to the export incentive being paid to gold producers by the Reserve Bank
and the positive effect of the Gold Monitoring Committee.

A combination of foreign currency management measures announced by the Bank
in May 2016 and import management measures by the Ministry of Industry and
Trade, as well as the effect of a stronger U.S. dollar on the country’s terms of trade,
in part, explain the declining import bill in 2016.

In 2016, food imports (maize and wheat), however, surged owing to the El Nino
induced drought that destroyed crops in the Southern African region, including
Zimbabwe. Continued reliance on imports of finished goods is unsustainable as it
undermines current efforts to resuscitate domestic industrial production, leading to
significant trade and current account deficits.

Driven by merchandise trade developments, the current account deficit is estimated
to have narrowed down by about 15.5%, from a deficit of US$1,519.4 million in
2015, to a deficit of US$1,283.9 million in 2016, partly on account of the projected
decline in the import bill.

Remittances, which are also a major source of import financing declined by 17.9%
in 2016, from US$1,917.7 million received in 2015 to US$1,574.0 million in 2016.
Of the total amount received in 2016, US$779.0 million reflects remittances from
the Diaspora while remittances from International Organizations (NGOs) amounted
to US$795.0 million.

Figure 4: Remittances (US$m)

Source: RBZ
The decline in Diaspora remittances is attributed to the poor performance of the
global economy, the depreciation of the South African Rand (South Africa
contributes about 34% of the total Diaspora remittances) and the increasing
preference of the Diaspora to send remittances in kind and through informal
channels. The introduction of Diaspora Remittance Incentive Scheme (DRIS) is
expected to increase the remittances sent through formal channels.


DIASPORA REMITTANCES
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

Despite these efforts geared towards containing the country’s import bill, export
growth has not been adequate to surpass that of imports, resulting in an estimated
US$1985.1 million negative trade balance in 2016. This situation is not sustainable.

Table 2: Balance of Payments Snapshot (US$m)

Actual
Actual
Actual
Est
Proj
Current Account Balance

Trade Balance (Goods)

Merchandise Exports F.O.B

Of which, Agriculture

Mining

Manufacturing

Merchandise Imports F.O.B

Of which, Food

Fuel

Capital & Financial Account
B l

Errors And Omissions

Overall Balance

Source: RBZ, Ministry of Finance & Zimstat

Financing of the Current Account Deficit

The current account deficit continues to be mainly financed through private sector
offshore loans against the backdrop of subdued direct and portfolio investment in
the economy. While private sector foreign loans have continued to be a major source
of liquidity in the economy since the adoption of the multicurrency system in 2009,
they also continue to increase the country’s gearing or leveraging ratio. This
scenario is to be improved by encouraging equity as opposed to solely rely on loan
finance.

External Loans Developments
The Reserve Bank approved and registered a total of 247 facilities with a monetary
value of USD1.8 billion in 2016. Agriculture received the largest, accounting for
47% of loan approvals during 2016, largely driven by tobacco finance facilities
which are renewed seasonally. Telecommunication companies have also managed
to negotiate for considerable amounts of credit from offshore lenders and hence
accounted for 8% of total loan approvals in 2016.

Table 3: External Loan Approvals by Industry/Activity: Jan-Dec 2016
Industry/Activity
Number of Facilities
Approved Amount
US$m
Percentage Contribution
Agriculture

886.8
48%
Communication

143.7
8%
Construction

7.5
0%
Energy

109.7
6%
Financial

383.7
21%
Individuals

0.1
0%
Manufacturing

52.6
3%
Mining

45.1
2%
Retail & Distribution

70.9
4%
Services

130.2
7%
Tourism & Hospitality

10.0
1%
Transport

26.0
1%
Total

1,866.3

Source: RBZ

The need to increase the country’s power generation capacity saw the country
mobilising close to US$109 million earmarked for power generation projects during
2016. This development is envisaged to improve the country’s power generating
capacity with positive knock on effects on productivity and the balance of payments.

Table 4: Comparison of Loan Approvals per Month in 2015 and 2016
Source: RBZ

The value of loan approvals increased by a marginal 1.5% from US$1,816.2 million
in 2015 to US$1,843.3 million approved in 2016. Notwithstanding the US$1,843.3
billion worth of external loan facilities approved during 2016, drawdowns during the
year amounted to US$509.6 million and this also included drawdowns on facilities
approved in previous years. This low drawdowns arose mainly from some borrowers
who failed to access the funds due to failure to meet drawdown conditions from
external lenders.

Net foreign direct investment flows are estimated to have declined from US$399.2
million in 2015, to US$254.7 million in 2016, while portfolio investment declined
from a surplus of US$122.8 million to a deficit of US$26.0 million.

Reflecting developments on both the current and capital account, the overall balance
of payments position is estimated to have deteriorated from a deficit of US$25.8
million in 2015 to a deficit of US$186.4 million in 2016. This phenomenon reflects

Month
Number of
Facilities
Approved Amount
(US$m)
Number of
Facilities
Approved Amount
(US$m)
January

27.4

98.8
February

133.1

129.8
March

126.6

170.4
April

73.9

373.9
May

427.5

111.3
June

187.8

278.5
July

95.7

August

35.1

132.4
September

44.9

October

372.8

November

203.1

169.6
December

115.4

33.5
TOTAL

1866.3

1,816.2

an unsustainable economic situation of funding capital projects using loans as
opposed to equity. The danger with this scenario is that debt would become
unsustainable as exports are mortgaged towards debt repayments.

Foreign Cash Payments and Receipts
Total foreign currency cash receipts for the year 2016 amounted to US$5,408.0
million compared to US$6,260.3 million received during the same period in 2015,
representing about 13.6% decline in liquid foreign currency supply. The table below
shows total liquid foreign currency receipts by source.

Table 5: Total Foreign Currency Receipts (US$m)
Type of Receipt

% Change
Export Proceeds
2,956.2
3,383.2
-12.6
International Remittances
1,572.0
1,917.7
-18.0
Loan Proceeds
509.6
756.1
-32.6
Income receipts
319.6
58.1
450.1
Foreign Investment
50.6
145.2
-65.2
TOTAL
5,408.0
6,260.3
-13.6
Source: RBZ
Foreign Cash Payments
For the year 2016, Authorised Dealers processed foreign payments amounting to
US$5,128.0 million. This represents a 29.0% decline from US$7,181.0 million for
the same period in 2015. The decline in foreign payments is attributed to the
enhanced management of foreign currency which is being implemented through the
import priority list guideline to Authorised Dealers.

In addition, the import containment measures introduced through Statutory
Instrument 64 of 2016 also assisted in the reduction of the foreign payments.
Furthermore, the Reserve Bank has adopted various measures to curb externalisation
and an enhanced compliance framework for market players which has seen import
payments significantly reduced.

SECTION 4: INFLATION, MONETARY AND FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENTS
Inflation Developments
Annual headline inflation remained in the negative territory in 2016, averaging -
1.56% for the year, despite accelerating from -2.19% in January 2016 to -0.9% in
December 2016. The increase in inflation was driven by both food and non-food
inflation. Food inflation rose from -3.96% in January 2016 to -0.95% in December
2016, while non-food inflation accelerated from -1.3% to -0.92% during the same
period. Figure 5 below shows the annual headline inflation profile for the period
January 2015 to December 2016.

Figure 5: Annual Inflation Rate (%)
Source: ZIMSTAT

Deflationary pressures, however, still persisted in the economy, largely underpinned
by competition from cheap imports; international oil price slump as well as low
disposable income.


Jan-15
Feb-15
Mar-15
Apr-15
May-15
Jun-15
Jul-15
Aug-15
Sep-15
Oct-15
Nov-15
Dec-15
Jan-16
Feb-16
Mar-16
Apr-16
May-16
Jun-16
Jul-16
Aug-16
Sep-16
Oct-16
Nov-16
Dec-16
Food
Non Food
Headline

The low food inflation in 2016, mainly driven by declines in prices of milk, cheese
and eggs; meat; fruits; vegetables and oils and fats, largely reflected increased
competition in the retail sector as well as continued availability of basic commodities
in the market. Other sub-categories that contributed to the decline in food inflation
include; bread and cereals; fish and sea food; and non-alcoholic beverages.
Following significant increases in the price of sugar, there were also corresponding
increases in the price of commodities in which sugar is an ingredient. This
significantly offset the price declines in other food categories.

Non-food inflation was weighed down by the decline in sub-categories such as
housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furniture, household equipment and
maintenance. Transport and communication also contributed to the negative
inflation in 2016, while the increase in education inflation partially offset the
declines.

Following these developments, Zimbabwe remains the only country with negative
inflation in the SADC region, as shown in the Table 6 below.

Table 6: Annual Inflation rates for selected SADC Member Countries &USA (%)
Source: Country Central Bank Websites, 2016

Zimbabwe SA
Botswana
Mozambique Tanzania
Zambia Malawi USA
Nov-2015

Dec-2015

Jan-2016

Feb-2016

Mar-2016

Apr-2016

May-2016

Jun-2016

Jul-2016

Aug-2016

Sept-2016

Oct-2016

Nov-2016

Dec-2016
-0.9
n/a

n/a
n/a

Inflation Outlook
Inflation is expected to move into positive territory in 2017 for the first time since
September 2014, on the back of anticipated increase in international oil prices and
domestic sector recovery. There are strong indications that oil supply will fall on the
global market, following the agreement by oil producing nations to cut production
in 2017. This positive trajectory is expected to be reinforced by the general recovery
of the economy in 2017 on account of the expected strong agricultural outturn which
is going to increase disposable income.

In view of the above factors, the Bank projects inflation of around 1 to 2% in 2017.

FINANCIAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS
Performance and Condition of Banking Sector
The banking sector continued to remain safe and sound. The financial soundness
indicators as at 31 December 2016 are shown in Table 7 below:

Table 7: Financial Soundness Indicators
Key Indicators
Dec-2015
Mar-2016
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16
Total Assets
$7.83bn
$7.79bn
$8.01bn
$8.25bn
$8.73bn
Total Loans
$3.87bn
$3.81bn
$3.73bn
$3.65bn
$3.69bn
Net Capital Base
$1.14bn
$1.16bn
$1.22bn
$1.24bn
$1.34bn
Total Deposits
$5.62bn
$5.67bn
$5.91bn
$6.14bn
$6.51bn
Net Profit
$127.47m
$38.55m
$67.97m
$111.78m
$181.06m
Return on Assets

Return on Equity

Capital Adequacy Ratio

Loans to Deposits

Non-Performing Loans Ratio

Provisions to Adversely

Liquidity Ratio

Cost to Income Ratio

Source: RBZ

The sector performed satisfactorily as measured by capital adequacy and
profitability as discussed hereunder.

Banking Sector Capitalisation
The banking sector is safe and sound with strong capital cushion that may be utilized
in times of stress. The banking sector’s aggregate core capital increased by 7.48%,
from $1.07 billion to $1.15 billion during the quarter ended 31 December 2016 on
the back of satisfactory earnings performance.

As at 31 December 2016, all operating banking institutions were in compliance with
the prescribed minimum capital requirements. The table below indicates the banking
sector capitalization levels as at 31 December 2016.

Table 8: Banking sector capitalization levels as at 31 December 2016
Institution
Core Capital as at
31 December 2015
(US$m)
Core Capital as at
31 December 2016
(US$m)
Prescribed Minimum
Capital requirements
(US$m)
CBZ Bank*
205.7
246.6
25.0
Stanbic Bank
86.1
107.8
25.0
BANCABC
67.9
71.4
25.0
FBC Bank
39.3
60.2
25.0
Barclays Bank
46.4
57.3
25.0
ZB Bank
39.0
55.1
25.0
Standard Chartered
B
k
57.4
54.0
25.0
Ecobank
44.4
52.1
25.0
Steward Bank
42.2
49.5
25.0
NMB Bank
42.1
48.2
25.0
MBCA Bank
41.3
45.5
25.0
Agribank
35.3
45.4
25.0
Metbank
33.8
40.0
25.0
BUILDING


CABS Building Society
108.6
117.6
20.0
FBC Building Society
35.0
40.8
20.0
National Building
-
21.9
20.0
ZB Building Society**
15.7
16.9
20.0

Institution
Core Capital as at
31 December 2015
(US$m)
Core Capital as at
31 December 2016
(US$m)
Prescribed Minimum
Capital requirements
(US$m)
SAVINGS BANK


POSB
41.4
40.5
-
Source: RBZ
* including CBZ Building Society
** Society being merged with ZB Bank

Capital adequacy ratio, a measure for solvency stood at 23.7% as at 31 December
2016 which is well above the regulatory threshold of 12%. All banks complied with
the minimum required capital adequacy and tier 1 ratios of 12% and 8%,
respectively. The Reserve Bank is monitoring implementation of the banking
institutions’ capital plans and progress towards compliance with the 2020 minimum
capital requirements.

Earnings
The banking sector remained profitable during the year ended 31 December 2016,
with an aggregate net profit of $181.06 million, an increase of 42.36% from $127.47
million reported for the corresponding period in 2015. The increase translated to
improved average return on assets and return on equity from 2.07% and 11.03%, to
2.26% and 12.64%, respectively.

All operating banking institutions recorded profits during the period ended 31
December 2016. The increase in profitability was largely driven by lower loan loss
provisions in line with improving asset quality, lower interest expenses, as well as
continued realignment of cost structures at most institutions.

Interest income continued to be the major income driver constituting 58.40% of total
income of $1.05 billion for the period ended 31 December 2016 while salaries &

employment benefits dominated total costs for banking institutions as they
accounted for 42.53% of total banking sector costs.

Banking institutions continue to implement various measures to enhance their
earnings capacity through embracing technology in banking which is more cost
efficient than traditional approaches to banking as well as adoption of agency
banking models, while instituting cost containment measures.

Financial Intermediation
Banking Sector Deposits
Total banking sector deposits increased by 6.10%, from $6.14 billion as at 30
September 2016 to $6.51 billion as at 31 December 2016.The figure below shows
the trend of banking sector deposits over the period 30 June 2009 to 31 December
2016.

Figure 6: Trend of Banking Sector Deposits


Source: RBZ


30-Jun-09
31-Dec-09
31-Dec-10
31-Dec-11
31-Dec-12
31-Dec-13
30-Dec-14
31-Dec-15
31-Mar-16
30-Jun-16
30-Sep-16
31-Dec-16

The commercial banking sub-sector accounted for 82.02% of the banking sector
deposits and 74.18% of the total banking sector loans as at 31 December 2016. The
composition of total banking sector deposits as at 31 December 2016 is depicted
below.

Figure 7: Composition of Deposits as at 31 December 2016

Source: RBZ

Banking sector deposits were dominated by demand and time deposits, which
accounted for 54.63% and 26.85% of total deposits, respectively, as at 31 December
2016.

Banking Sector Liquidity
The average prudential liquidity ratio for the banking sector was 61.91% as at 31
December 2016, above the stipulated minimum regulatory requirement of 30%. All
operating banks were compliant with the prudential liquidity ratio as at 31 December
Demand Deposits
54.63%
Call Deposits
5.60%
Time Deposits
26.85%
Savings Deposits
4.68%
Foreign Deposits
5.34%
Other Deposits
2.90%

2016. The graph below shows the trend in the banking sector average prudential
liquidity ratio since March 2014.

Figure 8: Prudential liquidity ratio Dec 2013-December 2016


Source: RBZ
Notwithstanding the high average prudential liquidity ratios recorded across the
sector, the banking industry continued to experience underlying physical US$ cash
challenges on the back of high demand for cash by the banking public. However, the
Bank has been promoting the use of plastic money resulting in significant use of
same and decline in the demand for physical cash.

The Reserve will continue with efforts to implement measures aimed at addressing
the liquidity challenges that have been experienced by the banking sector during
2016.

The opening up of the tobacco floors during the first quarter of 2017 will boost the
country’s foreign exchange earnings and this is expected to go a long way in


Dec-13
Mar-14
Jun-14
Sep-14
Dec-14
Mar-15
Jun-15
Sep-15
Dec-15
Mar-16
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16
Prudential Liquidity Ratio Trend (%)

ameliorating the liquidity challenges in the market. In addition, the various
initiatives by Government to improve ease of doing business and the re-engagement
process are expected to improve the flow of FDI into the country.

Loans & Advances
Credit growth in the banking sector has remained subdued during 2016. Banking
sector loans and advances marginally increased from $3.65 billion reported as at 30
September 2016 to $3.69 billion as at 31 December 2016. Figure 9 below shows the
trend of banking sector loans and advances from 31 December 2011 to 31 December
2016.

Figure 9: Trend of Banking Sector Loans (US$m)

Source: RBZ


Dec-11
Mar-12
Jun-12
Sep-12
Dec-12
Mar-13
Jun-13
Sep-13
Dec-13
Mar-14
Jun-14
Sep-14
Dec-14
Mar-15
Jun-15
Sep-15
Dec-15
Mar-16
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16

Sectoral Distribution of Loans and Advances
The distribution of credit remained largely unchanged from the first half of the year
with lending to individuals, services and agriculture sectors continuing to dominate
the banking sector loan portfolio as indicated in figure 10 below:

Figure 10: Sectoral Distribution of Credit as at 31 December 2016

Source: RBZ

Banking sector funding to the productive sectors of the economy, such as mining
and manufacturing continues to be constrained by the short - term liability structures
of banking institutions’ balance sheets. The sectorial distribution of credit
underscores the need for banking institutions to continue to re-orient their lending
towards productive and export sectors of the economy.

Housing and Infrastructure Development
The development of housing and infrastructure sectors is crucial for sustainable
growth of the economy. There is currently a gap in the provision of housing and the
Agriculture
16.70%
Construction
3.54%
Communication
1.58%
Financial Firms
2.11%
Manufacturing
10.43%
Mining
4.88%
Services
14.93%
Transport
1.67%
Individuals
28.77%
Distribution
15.39%

banking sector plays a central role in bridging this gap. In 2016, building societies
funded a total of 1,531 new units valued at $75.02 million as indicated in the table
below.

Table 9: New Housing Units Funded In 2016
Category
Units
Value (US$)
High Density

16,133,268.05
Medium Density

6,309,523.24
Low Density

35,086,980.67
Sub-Total
1,476
57,529,771.96
Commercial

17,487,304.97
Grand Total
1,531
75,017,076.93
Source: RBZ

It is encouraging to note that the highest number of housing units funded during
2016 were targeted at low income households in the high density areas. However,
there is further scope for building societies to re-engineer their business models,
mobilise funding and forge partnerships with relevant partners to offer affordable
housing units. In this regard, building societies are required to submit detailed plans
by 31 March 2017, on the housing development projects and units they will be
undertaking in 2017 and 2018.

Microfinance institutions on the other hand are challenged to develop innovative
housing micro-finance in line with developments in other countries. Microfinance
for housing is believed to progressively upgrade poor families' homes. Such
upgrades will entail building a home in incremental steps by improving existing
infrastructure rooms including adding a room, or installing water or electricity.

As at 31 December 2016, the portfolio in mortgage business by building societies
ranged between 40% and 73% signifying the need to align to the recommended
thresholds of 80% previously announced by the Reserve Bank.

Non-Performing Loans
The level of non-performing loans (NPLs) has declined from a peak of 20.45% in
the ratio of NPLs to total loans to 7.87% as at 31 December 2016. This is
attributable to the combined impact of the various policy measures instituted by the
Bank and initiatives by banking institutions during the year 2016. These measures
include enhanced credit management systems and collection efforts, as well as
disposal of qualifying NPLs to the Zimbabwe Asset Management Company
(ZAMCO), among other measures. The graph below shows the trend in NPLs from
2011 to 31 December 2016.

Figure 11: Non-Performing Loans as at 31 December 2016

Source: RBZ


Sep-14
Dec-14
Sep-15
Dec-15 Mar-16
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16
Level of NPL Ratio

Sustainable reduction in NPLs in banks’ balance sheets is beneficial to the economy.
In this regard, the Reserve Bank is monitoring closely the NPL trends of each
banking institution to ensure that they remain at acceptable levels. The level of NPLs
is expected to continue trending downwards in response to a number of holistic NPL
resolution policy measures by the Reserve Bank aimed at fostering responsible
borrowing culture including the establishment of a Credit Registry. Going forward,
all banking institutions will be required to obtain a credit history report of a
prospective borrower from the Credit Registry before granting credit.

Sectoral Distribution of NPLs
As at 31 December 2016, sectors with the largest proportions of NPLs were
individuals, commercial, mining and agriculture sectors, which constituted 18.41%,
14.30%, 13.13% and 12.28% of total non-performing loans, respectively. The chart
below shows the sectoral distribution of NPLs.

Figure 12: Distribution of NPLs by Sector as at 31 December 2016

Source: RBZ
AGRICULTURE, 12.3%
MANUFACTURING, 11.0%
COMMERCIAL, 14.3%
INDIVIDUAL, 18.4%
MINING, 13.1%
DISTRIBUTION, 11.3%
CONSTRUCTION,
1.9%
TRANSPORT, 0.8%
COMMUNICATION,
0.5%
FINANCIAL, 2.7%
OTHER, 13.7%

UPDATE ON CLOSED BANKS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2016

Allied Bank
The bank was closed on 8 January 2015 following surrender of the banking license
by the institution’s board on 6 January 2015. The bank was placed under final
liquidation on 6 March 2015 and the Deposit Protection Corporation (DPC) was
appointed liquidator of the bank. As at 31 December 2016, US$529,640 had been
collected from various debtors whilst US$584,596 had been realised from the
disposal of government stock and movable assets against claims amounting to
US$15.7 million that were accepted by the Master of the High Court. The
Corporation has so far paid US$526,193 to depositors, as compensation under the
Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS), being 42.15% of the total insured amount.

AFRASIA Bank Limited
AFRASIA Bank Zimbabwe Limited, whose license was cancelled on 24 February
2015 after the institution’s board surrendered the license was placed under final
liquidation on 29 April 2015 and the DPC was appointed liquidator. As at 31
December 2016, DPC distributed a total of US$2.95 million to preferred creditors
namely, employees, NSSA, ZIMDEF and ZIMRA. A total of US$1.89 million has
been reimbursed to depositors from the Deposit Protection Fund (DPF) representing
54.99% of the total insured amount for the bank.

Interfin Bank Limited
The bank which went into curatorship in 2012 was closed on 31 December 2014
after failing to trade out of critical liquidity and solvency challenges amid futile
recapitalization attempts. The bank was placed under final liquidation on 4 March
2015 and DPC was appointed liquidator of the bank. As at 31 December 2016, a
total of US$6.5 million had been recovered from a total loan book of US$167.3
million of which US$90.6 million are related party loans. The first interim

liquidation and distribution account was approved by the Master of High Court on
18 May 2016. Thereafter, US$520,875 was paid to preferred creditors namely
NSSA, ZIMRA, ZIMDEF and former employees. The corporation has so far paid
US$248,320 to depositors of the bank under the DPS.

Trust Bank Limited
The bank was closed on 6 December 2013 after failing to trade out of liquidity and
solvency challenges. A final liquidation order was granted by the High Court on 19
May 2016. The DPC was appointed liquidator and the first creditors meeting was
held on 21 July 2016. Claims worth US$9 million were provisionally accepted by
the Master of Court. To date, a total of US$4.6 million had been collected from a
gross loan book of US$18 million. About 42.57% of the insured deposits have been
reimbursed to the depositors out of the DPF.

Tetrad Investment Bank (Tetrad)
The DPC was appointed the Provisional Judicial Manager (PJM) of Tetrad
Investment Bank with effect from 1 July 2015. Since the appointment of DPC as the
PJM, about US$16.2 million has been recovered from the various debtors out of a
gross loan book of US$56.7 million. The recoveries comprise of cash US$5.48
million; properties US$8.95 million and Treasury Bills US$1.8 million. At the
second Tetrad Bank creditors’ meeting held on 24 and 25 September 2015 in Harare
and Bulawayo, respectively, the creditors passed a resolution authorising the PJM to
proceed to implement a scheme of arrangement in terms of section 191 of the
Companies Act [Chapter24:03].

The scheme of arrangement, which is expected to be consummated in the first
quarter of 2017 involves the conversion of debt to equity. An anchor shareholder
would still be required thereafter to inject working capital into the bank. As at 31

December 2016, DPC had paid out a total of US$3.17 million of insured deposits in
closed banks as depicted in the table below.

The deposit insurance payments as at 31 December 2016 are indicated below:

Table 10: Deposit insurance payments as at 31 December 2016
Name of
Institution
Total
Number of
Depositors
Gross Deposits
(US$)
Deposits payable
at US$500
No. of
Depositors
paid to date
% of
Depositors
paid to date
Value of
Deposits paid
(US$)
% Paid
to
Exposure
Royal Bank 5,453

Trust Bank
2,958
11,482,101
328,516

13.4
139,843.1
42.6
Genesis

1,426,912
11,810

72.1
8,821.0
75.0
Allied
Bank

Interfin
Bank
13,021
137,336,569
918,814

4.9
248,320.2
27.0
AfrAsia


Total

Source: RBZ

Microfinance as a Catalyst for Financial Inclusion
Microfinance has been identified as an important pillar of financial inclusion which
has the capacity to provide a wide array of financial services to the previously
marginalized and unbanked sections of the population, through job creation, funding
of MSMEs, and home industries, which are largely shunned by banks.

Cognisant of the correlation or nexus between microfinance and economic
development, and the catalytic role of microfinance in mitigating poverty,
facilitating women empowerment and enhancing financial inclusion, the Reserve
Bank will continue to work very closely with the industry to facilitate access to
finance by the micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Architecture of the Microfinance Sector
There were four (4) deposit-taking microfinance institutions (microfinance banks)
namely African Century Limited, Getbucks Microfinance Bank, Success
Microfinance Bank (formerly Collarhedge Finance) and Lion Microfinance Bank.
This was over and above the 181 registered credit-only microfinance institutions.

The sector recorded a total of US$158 million in loans and advances as at 31
December 2016. The trend in the performance indicators of credit only microfinance
institutions is as indicated on Table 11.

Acquisition of Microking Finance
Following the successful acquisition of MicroKing Finance (Private) Limited by
Microcred SAS of France and AfricInvest Financial Sector Limited of Mauritius in
May 2016, the institution changed its name to Microcredit Zimbabwe (Private)
Limited. The additional shareholders equity in excess of $3 million injected by the
shareholders brings in critical financial support to the institution and will enhance
Microcred’s role in the provision of financial access to support the micro, small and
medium enterprises sector of the economy.

Table 11: Key Performance Indicators


16-Mar
16-Jun
16-Sep
16-Dec
Number of Licensed
Institutions

Total Loans
$87.46 million
$136.47 million
$155.33 million
$158.01 million
Total Assets
$175.92 million
$181.90 million
$187.42 million
$205.90 million
Portfolio
at
Risk
(PaR>30 days)*


Number
of
Active
Clients

Number
of
Outstanding Loans

Number of Branches

* Portfolio at Risk [30] days-The value of all loans outstanding that have one or more instalments of principal past due
more than [30] days. This includes the entire unpaid principal balance, including both the past due and future instalments,
but not accrued interest. It also includes loans that have been restructured or rescheduled.

Portfolio Quality
The sector has witnessed an improvement in the portfolio quality, as measured by
the Portfolio at Risk (PaR>30 days) since December 2012, with year on year PaR
significantly improving from 25.2 % as at 31 December 2012, to 8.75% as at 30
September 2016. However, the ratio increased over the quarter ended 31 December
2016 to 12.06% largely due to non-performance of salary based loans. The trend in
the PaR ratio is shown below in Figure 13 below:

Role of Microfinance in Economic Development
A significant shift in the lending dynamics of microfinance institutions was noted
during the year with lending to the productive sector constituting 69% of the total
sector’s loans as at 31 December 2016. Figure 14 shows the trend in the distribution
of loans.

Figure 13: PaR ratio


The figure below shows the trend in the distribution of loans from March 2016 to
December 2016.

Figure 14: Distribution of Loans


Source: RBZ


Mar-16
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16
Trends in Total Loans & PaR
Total Loans
PaR

Mar-16
Jun-16
Sep-16
Dec-16
COMFIs Distribution of Loans
Consumptive
Productive

Going forward, the Reserve Bank will capitalize on the institutional knowledge base
and accumulated experience of the microfinance institutions to facilitate
implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy through microfinance
institutions. Microfinance institutions are encouraged to leverage on mobile
technology and provide their clients with a wider array of financial products through
agent banking and mobile banking.

Microfinance institutions are required to strengthen their corporate governance
structures and risk management systems in order to build sustainable financial
institutions that can grow and provide financial services on a permanent basis to an
increasing proportion of the low income and marginalized groups. Further,
microfinance institutions are required to protect their clients from over-indebtedness
through responsible lending and compliance to the industry code of conduct.

Microfinance Diagnostic Study
The Reserve Bank, in collaboration with the World Bank has commissioned a
microfinance diagnostic review of the microfinance sector. The main objective is to
provide baseline data on the microfinance industry which will inform policy and
development of supportive legal and regulatory frameworks, and financial services
infrastructure requirements conducive for the sustainable development of the
microfinance sector in Zimbabwe. Results of the diagnostic review which are
currently being finalised will provide input into the formulation of coordinated
activities towards building a robust and sustainable microfinance sector in
Zimbabwe.

Community Information Centres
The Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier
Services and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) together with other developmental
agencies (UNICEF, UNDP) are developing community information centres through
rehabilitating ZimPost Office buildings throughout the country which are currently
underutilised.

The target is to have a community information centre in every district of the country.
This is expected to go a long way in facilitating access to formal financial services
in marginalised areas through provision of relevant information. The Reserve Bank
will be leveraging on the community information centres to disseminate information
and promote and facilitate financial inclusion initiatives. In addition to providing
information to communities, the information centres may be used as agents of
banking institutions, thereby facilitating access to financial services.

Opening of Low Cost Accounts
I am pleased to report that significant progress has been recorded by banks regarding
opening of low cost or ‘no frills’ accounts with very low Know Your Customer
(KYC) requirements and minimal bank charges. Low income groups, who are the
target under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy are now able to open bank
accounts, which facilitates access to other formal financial services. There has been
an increase in low cost accounts across the banking sector in 2016 from 229,264 as
at 31 March 2016 to 412,383 as at 30 September 2016 and 1,230,052 as at 31
December 2016.

Training on SME Financing
The MSMEs sector in Zimbabwe plays a critical role in economic development
through job creation, and poverty alleviation. The MSMEs FinScope Survey of 2012

revealed that MSMEs in Zimbabwe employed approximately 5.7 million people, the
majority of whom are women. In addition, it is estimated that the MSME sector is
contributing more than 60% to the country’s GDP.

It has, however, been noted that most financial service providers do not have the
requisite knowledge and skills to finance SMEs. In this regard, there is need to
reorient financial institutions towards approaches that are different from the
traditional approach used for the corporate sector. These new approaches require
financial institutions to establish proper strategies, oversight mechanisms and
analytics while introducing products and services that are suitable for the sector.

In this regard, banking institutions and microfinance institutions should make
deliberate and structured efforts to understand the peculiarities of the sector, through
appropriate training and be able to develop products that suit the needs of SMEs.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will complement by partnering with development
institutions to facilitate training of financial services providers in the area of SMEs
financing during the first quarter of 2017.

Financial Literacy Programs
During the year 2017, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will partner with relevant
stakeholders and implement structured financial literacy programs guided by the
Financial Literacy Framework which is being developed. The Financial Literacy and
Consumer Protection Diagnostic study conducted by the World Bank in 2014
revealed that although the level of general literacy was very high in Zimbabwe,
financial literacy is very low.

Financial literacy is an important element in promoting higher levels of financial
inclusion and it is one of the four pillars of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy.

In this regard, a number of financial literacy programs will be implemented and these
will take a three –pronged approach as follows:
a. Provision of Information: Targets the general public through the
dissemination of information on financial products, using inter-alia, the print
media, booklets, websites, and third party publications.
b. Schools Programs: Targets primary and secondary school students and
promotes money management through school adoption program in
collaboration with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and
Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, and financial institutions.
c. Outreach Programs: Targets rural societies, women, youth, persons with
disabilities, and MSMEs, to be carried through workshops and seminars,
participations at expos, trade fairs, road shows, and collaboration with MNOs
to disseminate information through bulk SMS.

National Financial Inclusion Strategy
The Bank is in the process of implementing various initiatives under the National
Financial Inclusion Strategy aimed at positively impacting the economic lives of
target groups and communities. Deliberations of the thematic working group
constituted to spearhead the financial inclusion strategy revealed that many financial
institutions have instituted a number of initiatives targeting the identified priority
groups in the National Financial Inclusion Strategy i.e. SMEs, women, small holder
farmers and the youth. The initiatives include the development of innovative
products targeting women and the youth, innovative products for group savings
(mukando), and training and capacity building programs.

Implementation of the value chain financing model, with particular focus on smallholder farmers, is also underway. The program has identified irrigation schemes
around the country that were rehabilitated by Government but are lacking funds to

meet working capital requirements. As part of measures to address the challenge of
markets for the farmers, the model is leveraging on the database maintained by the
Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) of registered off-takers for various crops
that can be potentially grown at the rehabilitated irrigation schemes.

In addition, the Department of Agricultural Extension Services (Agritex) of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation & Irrigation Development personnel who
are stationed in the districts where there are irrigation schemes will provide required
technical support. Encouraged by the support of the various actors along the value
chain, banking and microfinance institutions have begun to identify irrigation
schemes, which are considered quick-win projects and have the support of various
actors along the value chain.

Banking institutions are in the process of partnering relevant actors along the value
chain to provide the required funding and capacitation. In addition development
partners such as Zimbabwe Agricultural Development Trust (ZADT) are availing
funds earmarked for supporting small-holder agricultural value chain actors while,
some banking institutions have partnered with microfinance institutions with better
capacity to manage such projects.

Going forward, the program will be expanded to include other productive sector
value chains in the economy. It is envisaged that the value chain model will enable
increased SMEs participation and contribution in the implementation of national
projects such as road construction through provision of required products and
services, thus creating new market opportunities.

Women Financial Inclusion and Gender-Disaggregated Data
It has been noted that, lack of gender-disaggregated data is generally a major
constraint in designing policies that respond to the challenges faced by women in

accessing financial services and products. As indicated in the last Monetary Policy
Statement, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe collaborated with New Faces New
Voices- Zimbabwe Chapter and GIZ to commission an in-depth gender deep dive
analysis using FinScope Survey data of 2011 to 2014. The study was concluded and
results are now available.

The deep dive sought to determine uptake and usage of financial services between
women and men in terms of (i) the type of services they have or use, and (ii) the
drivers of uptake and usage, and their respective trends, as well as identify
opportunities to improve women access to financial services in Zimbabwe.

The deep dive study established that the level of access to formal financial services
for women increased from 35% in 2011 to 68% in 2014. The gap between women
and men declined from 5% to 2%. The study also established that there was a
marginal increase in the level of banked adult women from 23% in 2011 to 27% in
2014. Increased inclusion has largely been driven by access to other formal, nonbank financial services mainly mobile financial services, which more than tripled
from 12% in 2011 to 41%, for women in 2014.

In line with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion Denarau Action Plan, which requires
that countries set specific financial inclusion targets for women, the National
Financial Inclusion Strategy will target to increase the level of access to formal
financial services of women in Zimbabwe from 68% in 2014 to 90% in 2020 and
the level of banked adult women from 27% in 2014 to 60% in 2020.

The study established a number of issues that affect uptake of formal financial
services by women, which if addressed will contribute toward improving the level
of financial inclusion for women. The deep dive study indicated that the women
population in Zimbabwe is generally young (about 36% of women are 30 years or

younger) and therefore, financial inclusion strategies for youth are expected to
increase access to finance by women.

Further, the deep-dive noted that the majority of women reside in rural areas (67%),
and increasing women’s access to finance will of necessity require effective
financial inclusion strategies that target the rural population. Financial literacy
among women was found to be very low and over 80% of women did not know
where to find financial advice. This provides a business case for the establishment
of information centres, and well-structured financial literacy and consumer
education programs in order to engender the financial inclusion cause.

In addition to informing the development of customer-centric products specifically
targeted at women, the gender-disaggregated data will facilitate further fine-tuning
of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, and the development of financial
inclusion indicators for monitoring progress in the implementation of the financial
inclusion strategy. In this regard, with effect from the quarter ending 31 March 2017,
all banking institutions and microfinance institutions are required to incorporate in
their quarterly submissions to the Reserve Bank, gender-disaggregated data for all
types of financial services and products.

Zimbabwe Asset Management Corporation (ZAMCO)
As at 31 December 2016, ZAMCO had a portfolio of acquired NPLs amounting to
$812.52 million which comprised of proprietary portfolio ($548.66 million and
managed portfolio $263.86 million). ZAMCO will be commencing a third and final
acquisition phase that will focus on the remaining NPLs secured by mortgage bonds.
Some of the accounts that were declined in phase I and II because of non-viability
of their businesses could be eligible for phase III acquisitions if they are secured by
mortgage bonds.

ZAMCO will be using other resolutions methods (other than loan restructuring) to
resolve loans acquired in the third phase. This third phase should clear all eligible
NPLs that would be offered by the affected banking institutions and is expected to
be complete by 31 March 2017. These acquisitions are expected to further reduce
the levels of NPLs in the banking sector. After these acquisitions, ZAMCO will stop
further acquisitions and focus on resolution and resuscitation. This will curb moral
hazard in the banking sector and is a standard practice internationally for all asset
management companies formed to resolve NPLs. Going forward, the
operationalisation of the credit registry would help the economy to contain NPLs

Amendments to the Banking Act
In my last Monetary Policy Statement, I highlighted that the Banking Act
Amendment No.12 of 2015 had been gazetted. As part of the Reserve Bank efforts
to promote awareness and ensure a clear understanding of the changes, there has
been continuous engagements with the banking institutions on the amendments. In
a number of instances, the amendments provide for a period within which banks are
expected to comply and in this regard, banking institutions have submitted plans of
compliance which are in line with the amendments. The Reserve Bank is pleased to
note that banking institutions have already taken steps in this direction.

In line with the Banking Act Amendment No.12 of 2015, new changes were ushered
including the composition of boards to include two executive directors as opposed
to the requirement of one director. There are new disqualifications for appointment
to the board of a bank in that no person who has served as a director of a banking
institution for a continuous period of 10 years shall be eligible for re-appointment to
the same board unless he or she has completed a cooling off period of at least five
years. These restrictions are aimed at ensuring rotation of directors and maintenance
of independence of the board members.

It is noteworthy that whilst a few banks had no internal maximum limits, most banks
had already incorporated a maximum limit of tenure for their directors in order to
maintain independence and allow for injection of fresh minds.

Further, the new law revised the limits with respect to holding of other directorships
by directors by providing that in the case of a non-executive, he or she should not be
a director of more than four other companies in Zimbabwe and in the case of an
executive, he or she should not be a director of more than three other companies in
Zimbabwe. The transitional provisions allow for the directors affected to hold other
directorships in excess of the limits until expiry of their respective tenures.

The objective behind the limits on other directorships is to ensure that directors of
banks devote sufficient time to overseeing the business and management of the bank.
The Reserve Bank has noted that some banks are already compliant while others
have submitted compliance plans. Following the gazetting of the Banking
Amendment No. 12 of 2015, amendments shall also be effected through the Banking
Regulations S.I. 205 of 2000 in order to align the Banking Act to the Regulations.

Operationalising of the Credit Registry System
The Reserve Bank is pleased to advise that the Credit Registry system is now
operational after it went live with effect from January 2017. In line with the phased
implementation approach which the Reserve Bank adopted, banking institutions are
already providing their loan records to the registry and updating the records regularly
with payment patterns of clients when repayments are effected.

The Reserve Bank is already on course to capture all the 414,262 loans which are in
the banking sector by 30 March 2017. As at 31 January 2017 a total of 104 000
loans or 25% had been uploaded to the system. The Credit Registry is expected to
enhance the credit culture among borrowers in various sectors of the economy

spurred by banking institutions, microfinance institutions and other credit providers
which are required to undertake credit background checks with the registry and the
private credit bureaus when considering loan applications.

The credit registry will significantly add value to banks’ and microfinance
institutions’ credit risk management and governance systems as well as bring down
the level of non-performing loans across the sector going forward. The credit registry
is also a readily accessible repository for credit data which is expected to facilitate a
reduction in lending rates as financial institutions can easily access and assess
information and price their risks accordingly. Concomitantly, the credit registry is
expected to significantly reduce the loan processing turnaround time.

With effect from January 2017, the Reserve Bank commenced the process of
registering various credit providers such as banking institutions, microfinance
institutions, deposit-taking MFIs and credit shops as subscribers in the credit registry
system to enable them to access the credit registry database.

During the 1st quarter ending 31 March 2017, the Reserve Bank will commence the
second phase of the Credit registry system implementation which entails the
incorporation of other data providers such as deposit-taking microfinance
institutions, microfinances, credit granting departmental stores and utility bodies.
This will effectively broaden the scope of credit data warehoused by the credit
registry for the benefit of all subscribers. The Reserve Bank will also embark on the
process of licensing the private credit bureaus during the 1st quarter of 2017. The
institutions are therefore expected to prime their operations in preparation for the
rigorous licensing process and in readiness to serve the economy more effectively
and efficiently.

The Reserve Bank further expects the Zimbabwe Association of Microfinance
Institutions (ZAMFI) to coordinate its wide membership to ensure that they are ready
for implementation and promote smooth deployment of the credit registry system to
the sector. Meanwhile the Reserve Bank shall be conducting consultative regional
workshops and seminars for MFIs as part of the implementation process. The
Reserve Bank shall also engage with the Credit Providers Association of Zimbabwe
(CPAZ) and all the other stakeholders to discuss the modalities of their participation
in the credit registry.

Collateral Registry
The Bank is also pleased to advise that the Moveable Property Security Interest Bill
which provides for the registration and administration of qualifying movable
security for lending purposes was gazetted on 28 November 2016. The Bill provides
for the following aspects among others:

a) Establishment of the Collateral Registry at the Reserve Bank;
b) Purpose and functions of the Collateral Registry;
c) Registration of notices of security interests in movable property;
d) Legal regime pertaining to registered notices of security interests;
e) Creation of security agreement;
f) Rights and obligations of parties and third – party obligors; and
g) Enforcement of security interests perfected by registration.

It is expected that the Bill will undergo the relevant parliamentary processes during
the quarter ending 31 March 2017 following which the Reserve Bank in

collaboration with the World Bank will identify and procure a suitable information
system for running the collateral registry.

The Reserve Bank is convinced that both the credit registry and the collateral registry
financial infrastructural improvements, which are also part of the Getting Credit
pillar under the Ease of Doing Business Reforms, will promote access to credit by
both households and productive sectors of the economy, particularly the SMEs.

Compliance Risk Management
In terms of supervisory expectations and benchmarks for 2017, banking institutions
are required to adopt a more stringent risk based approach towards compliance risk
management. Banks should enhance their compliance monitoring tools through the
adoption of technology and appropriate compliance risk management software.

As provided for in the Banking Act, the Reserve Bank expects the compliance
function to develop itself to become strategic advisors to the board and therefore
should have an appropriate standing in the institution.

Basel II Implementation
In line with international best practice in capital standards, the Reserve Bank
undertook on-site reviews in the last quarter of 2016 to assess banks’ preparedness
for Basel II/III implementation. The assessment determined that the majority of
banks are now compliant with minimum requirements with Basel II requirements.
These include inter-alia, credit rating systems aligned to the supervisory rating
systems, operational risk, market risk, capital management, model governance and
validation thereof. The Reserve Bank is monitoring progress at the few banking
institutions that are still to fully comply. In light of this, all banks will migrate to
the Basel II/III compliant statutory returns effective 1 July 2017.

During 2016, the Reserve Bank issued guidance on Minimum Supervisory
Expectation on the Structure of ICAAP Reports for comments to the market. The
guidance shall be finalised and released to the market by 31 March 2017.

Preparations for Adoption of New and Revised Auditing and Financial
Reporting Standards
In the previous Monetary Policy Statement, it was highlighted that the Reserve Bank
would be working with the Public Accountants & Auditors Board (PAAB) in coming
up with the implementation road map for the new and revised financial reporting
standards. Accordingly, significant progress has been made to date and the Reserve
Bank will release the final guidance on Implementation of IFRS 9 in Zimbabwe to
the market by 31 March 2017.

In preparation for the implementation, banking institutions are required to ensure
that they have put in place robust appropriate credit risk management processes,
including an effective system of internal control and model risk governance to
consistently determine adequate loan loss provisions. Banking institutions are also
required to put in place comprehensive procedures and information systems to
monitor the quality of their lending exposures for effective implementation of
IFRS9.

SECTION 5: NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENTS

The payment, clearing and settlement systems in the country remained resilient and
continued to operate reliably. Coupled with the widespread growth in the
infrastructure, the country has also witnessed, during the period under review,
significant growth in volumes and values of transactions. Notably, aggregated
electronic transactions (or e-payments) reached US$ 61.7 billion in 2016 from US$
56.9 billion in 2015, representing a high velocity of circulation of more than 4 times
of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.

Table 12: Electronic Payment Transactions 2009 to 2016

PAYMENT
STREAMS

Proportion
of Total

VALUES IN BILLIONS
RTGS

CHEQUE

POS

ATMS

MOBILE

INTERNET

TOTAL
VALUE


VOLUMES IN MILLIONS
RTGS

CHEQUE

POS

ATMs

MOBILE

INTERNET

TOTAL

Source :RBZ

A key development was realized during 2016 when POS transaction values became
greater than ATM transactions for the first time under the multicurrency system.
This is in line with the Bank’s policy thrust towards plastic money as the country

moves to a cash-lite society. During the same period POS volumes also grew by
260%.

The introduction of RTGS multi-currency system in June 2016, has seen a gradual
increase in usage of the Rand and Euro currencies mainly by corporates. For the six
months ending December 2016, a total value of R656 million and EUR15,7 million
payments were processed through the RTGS system whilst the United States Dollar
remained dominant at US$30.3 billion over the six months period, as shown in the
table below.

Table 13: RTGS System Multi-Currency Values and Volumes - June to
December 2016


Values
Volumes
MONTH
USD
ZAR
EURO
USD
ZAR
EUR
O
Jun-16


Jul-16


Aug-16


Sep-16


Oct-16


Nov-16


Dec-16


TOTAL


Source: RBZ

Whilst the Bank is encouraged by the increase in the volume and value of epayments, it is imperative for the market and key stakeholders to continue promoting
the spread of multicurrency payments through usage of electronic systems that are
cost effective and efficient for the benefit of the economy.

Straight Through Processing (STP)
Straight-through processing (STP) enables the entire payment process for RTGS
transactions to be handled electronically without manual intervention and provide

tremendous benefits, including reduction in the payment processing cycles,
settlement risk and operating costs. This functionality is already in place for majority
of the Banks but not fully utilized to realize the benefits.

In view of that, all banks are discouraged from performing manual
interventions and are therefore urged to fully ensure STP for their clients for
both inward and outbound transactions. This is critical for the country to fully
realize the benefits of a well-developed payment system.

Access Points and Devices
It is encouraging to note that, in keeping with the thrust of promoting electronic
payments (plastic money), a number of payment service providers and banks have
enhanced deployment of devices and access points. As at end of year, 32,540 Point
of Sale (POS) and 40,590 agents were deployed across the country in all sectors of
the economy. This momentum to grow devices and access points dovetails with the
national financial inclusion policy thrust where the planned deployment is expected
to reach 100,000 POS and 90,000 mobile payment agents by year 2020.

To this end, the Central Bank will remain resolute in driving the growth of access
devices and points through collaborative efforts and address any challenges that may
be faced on an on-going basis, as we move towards a cash-lite society. The
transacting public is encouraged to embrace the use of electronic payment
methods, so as to reduce the reliance on physical cash as a mode of payment.

Table 14: Payment Systems Access Points and Devices
ACCESS POINTS
Description
September

December

March

June

September

December

Mobile Banking
Agents

ATMs

POS

ACCESS DEVICES


Debit Cards

Credit Cards

Prepaid Cards

Active Mobile
Financial
services
Subscribers

Internet
Banking
Subscribers


Source :RBZ

Mobile Financial Services
Mobile financial services have been extended to both under-banked and banked
through various forms including agents thereby servicing the last mile. Currently
there are over 8.9 million registered subscribers across the country while 3.3 million
are substantively active. Banks and mobile payment providers are urged to
continuously provide effective education and awareness to encourage optimal usage
of the services available. In the same vein, providers are urged to innovate and move
towards less cash based models of payment.

Affordable Financial Services
The Bank and key stakeholders continue to take cognizant of the need to strike an
intricate balance between the overall fee and building a sustainable confidence level
in the services offered. In view of that, the banking institutions and payment service

providers are required to adequately disclose and communicate the tariffs in place to
the consumers in order to enhance awareness and promote usage. Banks and
payment systems providers are encouraged to continuously explore avenues to
provide affordable financial services to the transacting public.

Enhancing Digital Payments and Embracing E-Payroll
Whilst the Bank is pleased by the strides made by the banks and payment systems
providers in the payments digitalization journey, the Bank continues to call upon all
stakeholders to double their efforts for the country to reach an optimum level of a
cash-lite society. The following key areas require increased momentum and
attention:
a) Spread and usage of payment channels such as POS and Mobile Banking
agents to all areas of the economy especially rural areas
b) Sensitization, education and awareness designed to help bridge the gap among
key stakeholders highlighting opportunities and benefits offered by electronic
payments.
c) Improved mechanisms to manage risks associated with electronic transactions
including cybercrime
d) Empower stakeholders especially consumers to make informed decisions with
regard to uptake and usage of electronic payments
e) Enhanced efficiencies of payment mechanisms and issues related to
connectivity are key in this area.
f) Collaboration among key stakeholders as the culture of not sharing
infrastructure will not allow a win-win situation to optimize on opportunities

Going forward, the Bank shall also be strongly advocating for e-payroll
developments to transform the salary and pension payment systems in order to
reduce the cash culture in Zimbabwe.

Cross Border Payment Systems
Zimbabwe is already participating on the SADC Integrated Regional Settlement
Systems (SIRESS) platform while efforts to operationalize participation on the
COMESA Regional Electronic Payment Settlement Systems (REPSS) are under
way.

The Bank remained focused to proactively encourage the enhanced usage of
electronic payment systems for cross border payments as this reduces the use of cash.
The usage of SIRESS as shown in table below.
Table 15: SIRESS Transactions
Source: SIRESS

The businesses and individuals conducting cross border payments within the
SADC Region are therefore encouraged to use SIRESS which currently uses
the Rand as the settlement currency.


SIRESS VALUES (RANDS)
Year
ZIMBABWE
TOTAL FOR SADC
Percentage

2,296,059,752.52
482,189,207,261.57
0%

8,919,060,873.54
984,234,568,059.67
1%

11,878,294,604.05
1,095,923,729,950.87
1%
SIRESS VOLUMES

80783
8%

15971
264601
6%

16848
275883
6%

SECTION 6: POLICY MEASURES TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY & BOLSTER CONFIDENCE

The purpose of the following measures is to promote monetary and financial sector
stability, bolster confidence within the economy and to stimulate production and
productivity across various sectors of the national economy. These measures are
necessary as the country needs to pursue a new economic development model that
is anchored on an export- led growth strategy to balance exports and imports
whilst simultaneously addressing the structural rigidities besetting the economy
in order to expand output. It is against this productivity mantra or conviction that
these measures are being put in place to sustain the national economy under the New
Normal.

1. Extension of the US$200 million African Export-Import Bank
(Afreximbank) Trade Debt-Backed Securities (Aftrades) facility by a
further two years to expire in February 2019. This facility which operates
and functions as a window of last resort at the Reserve Bank for local banks
has been of great assistance in the Bank’s mandate of maintaining financial
sector stability and inclusive growth. It has been a game changer that
revitalised the banking sector in Zimbabwe. Total trades under this facility
amounted to US$641 million over a two-year period from the effective date
of the facility in February 2015.

Together with a well-capitalised Reserve Bank at US$100 million, the
Aftrades facility was a great innovation to bolster confidence within the
financial sector without putting pressure on the balance of payments and fiscal
position of the country.

These two measures, a well-capitalised Bank and Aftrades, combined
with the amended Banking Act, ZAMCO and a functional credit
reference system, make the banking sector stronger and safer.

2. Reduction in Lending Rates. Affordable credit is very important to enhance
output and productivity. Therefore, for the national economy to flourish,
affordable credit must be provided to both large and small scale businesses
and individuals to enable them to invest in productive activities that increase
jobs, exports and reduce poverty. However, cost, accessibility and
entrepreneurship remain as the most critical barriers to expanding financial
reach and depth in Zimbabwe.

The Bank has continued to engage with banking and microfinance institutions
to ensure provision of affordable credit in order to boost credit to the
productive sectors of the economy. Whilst the Bank is pleased to note that
banking institutions have been working towards reduction in lending rates, the
rates are still relatively higher when other ancillary charges and default
interest rates are applied.

In order to ensure that the banking sector continues to support the
productive sectors of the economy, with effect from 1st April 2017, all
banking institutions are required to ensure that lending interest rates
should not exceed 12% per annum and that bank charges that include
application fees, facility fees and administration fee, should not exceed
3%.

3. Bank Charges. As part of the on-going efforts to promote financial inclusion
and to ensure that banking products and services are affordable to the banking

public, the Bank reviewed cash withdrawal charges downwards, with effect
from 12 December 2016. In this regard, a proportional pricing model was
adopted to replace the fixed charges in order to align cash withdrawal charges
to amount withdrawn. The applicable charges for cash withdrawal were set at
a maximum of 1% and 1.25% of amount withdrawn for ATM and over-thecounter, respectively as shown below.

Service
New charges inclusive of $0.05 tax
ZETSS (RTGS)
Maximum $5
ZIPIT (Electronic Funds Transfer)
$0.33 to a Maximum of $2.10
POS transactions up to $10
$0.10
POS transactions above $10
$0.45
POS own bank customer
Maximum of $0.20
POS issuer charges
Removed
ATM withdrawal
1 % of transaction value
Over the Counter withdrawal
1.25 % of transaction value
Merchant Service Commission
Maximum 1% for local transactions
Monthly administration or service fee
Maximum $5 for individuals

The above charges should, with immediate effect, also apply to small scale
enterprises in order to embrace financial inclusion.

Banks are further directed to submit to the Bank, by 28 February 2017, a
detailed report indicating their current level of charges for account
maintenance and ledger fees as at 31 December 2016. The Bank shall continue
to monitor bank charges to ensure access to affordable banking services and
at the same time promote the use of plastic money.

4. Interest on Savings Accounts. The Reserve Bank is cognisant of the fact that
low interest rates make it less attractive to hold savings resulting in the
emergence of a consumptive driven culture. Healthy savings rates are
therefore important to the economy as they make an important contribution to
long-term household wealth.

The Bank is committed to promoting greater household savings in the
Zimbabwean economy. Against this background and to ensure that the
banking system continues to serve as a vehicle for building savings, all banks
are required, by 31 March 2017, to review interest paid on deposits and
to submit a report to the Bank detailing their deposit profiles and
proposed interest rates on deposits.

5. Preservation of foreign exchange in nostro accounts by enforcing market
and institutional discipline and domesticating the settlement of local card
transactions on international card switches. This measure has been
necessitated by the need to ensure that nostro accounts are used for foreign
payments and that domestic transactions are settled locally through platforms
such as RTGS, ZimSwitch, VISA, Mastercard, local mobile banking and/or
cash and bond notes. Utilising nostro accounts to settle domestic transactions
put unnecessary pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves that
should ideally be used for international or offshore payments.

A substantial amount of the US$206.7 million shown in Figure 15, for
example, for card and DSTV transactions paid through the nostro accounts
between July-December 2016 should have been settled locally and thus
preserving foreign exchange for raw materials and other foreign payments that
include education. In fact, card transactions – which require prefunding of

nostro accounts - were the second largest user (after fuel) of foreign exchange
during the second half of the year. Use of hard earned foreign currency in this
manner is not sustainable for the economy.

Figure 15 also calls for market players, especially banks, to exercise discipline
and rationality in the distribution of foreign exchange amongst the competing
needs of the economy. Spending more foreign exchange on DSTV
subscriptions than on raw materials to produce cooking oil, for example,
is not only counterproductive but also illogical.

Similarly, Zimbabweans’ appetite to externalise foreign exchange to
foreign banks puts unnecessary pressure on the country’s balance of
payments. As reported by banks that report to the Bank of International
Settlement (BIS) - bank for central banks - deposits held by
Zimbabweans at these offshore banks have been on-going and currently
stand at above US$600 million as shown in Figure 16. Statistics of
deposits held by Zimbabweans at other banks that do not report to BIS
are unknown and are therefore not included in Figure 16.

Externalisation or capital flight of this nature which may be attributable to the
use of mobile capital (foreign currency) as a medium of exchange and the
lack of confidence within the domestic economy has a net effect of
robbing the country of its hard-earned foreign exchange and deprives the
country of jobs and growth in output. This calls for greater introspection
among those involved in this practice in order to bring jobs and cash back to
Zimbabwe.
Figure 15: Nostro Utilisation by Transaction Type for the Period 01 July to 31 December 2016
FUNDING
BANK FUNDING
RBZ FUNDING
GRAND TOTAL
TRANSACTION TYPE
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
TOTAL BANK
FUNDING
SHARE
%
TOTAL RBZ
FUNDING
SHARE
%
TOTAL FUNDING
(BANK+RBZ)
SHARE
%
Fuel

Card Transactions & DSTV
Subscriptions

Loan Repayment

Maize

Machinery and Telecoms
Equipment

Machinery and Equipment Spares

Electricity

Industrial Chemicals

Assorted Groceries

Professional Fees

Animal and Vegetable Oils

Other Chemicals

Packaging Materials

Financial Intermediation/Advisory

Steel

Fertilizer

Vehicles

Wheat

Rice

Agricultural Plant, Machinery and
Equipment

Software Licence Fees

Technical Fees

Passenger Fares_Airfares

Disinvestment Proceeds_Direct


Mining Plant Machinery and
Equipment

Other Agricultural products

Building Materials

Pharmaceuticals

Freight_Combined

SUB TOTAL

Other Categories

TOTAL

Figure 16: Deposits held by Zimbabweans at BIS Reporting Banks (US$
Millions

Source: Bank of International Settlements Locational Banking Statistics


In view of the above, the Bank has directed all banks to ensure that the
international card switches facilitate local settlement of local transactions
in Zimbabwe. This arrangement will allow Zimbabwean banks to carry
out interbank settlements within Zimbabwe. To this end, VISA local
settlement will go live by the end of February 2017 while MasterCard
local settlement will be enabled by the end of this quarter. This
development is critical in saving the much needed foreign currency and
bringing about enhanced efficiencies for local transactions. It is also
envisaged that the domestication of settlement will result in
corresponding reduction of costs for customers in line with prevailing
domestic transactions.

In addition, banks are reminded to strictly adhere to the import priority
guidelines to ensure that scarce foreign exchange resources are

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distributed to deserving cases. The negative impression created in the
market that the Bank is controlling the use of foreign exchange in the
country is misplaced and mischievous of highest order. The truth of the
matter is that the Bank handles around 25% of the foreign exchange
receipts of the country attributable to 50% mining export receipts, 50%
of tobacco value addition and 80% of green leaf tobacco and seed cotton
net purchases. The balance which is the bulk, around 75% is distributed
through the market via banks.

Thus, as indicated in Figure 16, out of a total of US$2.5 billion of foreign
payments paid by banks for various transactions during July-December
2016, US$360.9 million (14.4%) was handled by the Bank and
redistributed to the market for productive imports that include fuel, debt
service payments, grain imports and raw materials especially for items
under Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016.

The fact that the 14.4% of the country’s foreign receipts handled by RBZ
for redistribution into the market seems to have more impact in the
economy is a sign of market failure. The Bank shall quickly move to
redress this market failure through measures that compel banks to
adhere to the import priority list and to mitigate against institutional
indiscipline such as the use of more foreign exchange for personal card
and DSTV transactions ahead of raw materials to produce cooking oil,
for example. Financial institutions should do some soul searching and
rethink on how they add value to the economy under the New Normal.

6. Promotion of efficient circulation of bond notes within the financial
market. The Bank is encouraged by the manner in which the nation embraced
bond notes. The Bank has to date issued $94 million of bond notes into the

market against an aggregate value of the export incentive of $107 million.
Whilst the circulation of the bond notes represented by levels of deposits and
withdrawals is also encouraging, the Bank is putting in place a redistributable
measure that mitigates against skewed concentration of bond notes within the
banking sector by limiting the maximum amount of bond notes that each bank
should hold at any given point in time in relation to its level and type of
transactions. This measure is necessary to ensure that bonds notes are
distributed proportionately according to the customer base or customer profile
of each banking institution.

7. Preservation of the parity of the bond note to the US$. The Bank is
directing financial institutions to strictly observe the policy to deposit bond
notes into the US$ accounts without requesting the banking public to
differentiate between bond notes and US$ cash. This measure is essential to
ensure that bond notes continue to trade at parity with the US$ and to reflect
the fact that bond notes are supported by the US$200 million offshore facility
to support the demand for foreign exchange attributable to bond notes. The
foreign exchange under this facility is made available to banks in line with the
import priority requirements on request from the Bank.

8. Facility for bonafide cross border traders through the provision of
foreign exchange and finance facilities to traders registered with any
recognised cross border association. In line with best practice and in order to
mitigate against money laundering and to inculcate market discipline, the
facilities would be made available through normal banking channels and
Easylink to bona fide traders. Modalities of this facility are being finalised by
the Bank and the relevant stakeholders that include banks and the cross border
associations, and shall come into effect from 1st March 2017.

9. Comprehensive review of the farmers stop order system is being
undertaken by the Bank in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The
review is in line with the pronouncement by the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development in the Budget Statement. The review is critical to
curb side marketing and attract funding for agriculture which is expected to
rise in 2017 on account of the fact that the 99 year land leases are now an
acceptable form of security at some banks.

10. Enhancing the gold support facility for small to medium scale producers
from US$20 million to US$40 million. This facility is being enhanced on
account of the importance of the gold sector to the Zimbabwean economy and
the fact that the Bank is pleased by the current utilisation of the existing
facility which stands at US$12.5 million. Thus, this measure, together with
the 5% export incentive scheme and the positive effect of compliance
monitoring by the Gold Monitoring Committee, is designed to increase gold
production from the 21.4 tonnes delivered to Fidelity Printers and Refiners
in 2016 as shown in Table 16 to 25 tonnes (i.e. excluding PMGs) in 2017.
Table 16: Gold Deliveries to Fidelity Printers & Refiners in Kgs

Primary
Small
Scale
Total
Primary
Small
Scale
Total
%
change

Jan


Feb


March


April


May


June


July


August


Primary
Small
Scale
Total
Primary
Small
Scale
Total
%
change

September


October


November


December


TOTAL

Source: RBZ

11. Foreign exchange/nostro stabilisation facility of US$70 million to be
disbursed by the end of February 2017 in order to deal with the current delays
in the processing of outgoing payments for the procurement of productive
imports. The measure is necessary to augment the foreign exchange resources
in the banks’ nostro accounts whilst awaiting the opening of the tobacco and
cotton selling season. Whilst the country has US$250 million in the nostro
accounts and US$120 million in physical cash at banks, the Bank, using the
model, estimates that there is around US$600 circulating in the economy. The
main reason behind the substantial amount of cash circulating in the economy
include the treatment of foreign currency as a store of value, low business
sentiment or confidence within the economy, high informalisation and
financial exclusion.

12. Facilities to support financial inclusion. The Bank has sourced funding
from development financial institutions for the establishment of the
following facilities that are designed to support several groups under the

auspices of the National Financial Inclusion Agenda. The facilities will be
disbursed through normal banking channels.

a) US$15 Million Revolving Women Empowerment Fund. The women
empowerment fund would be availed at an all-inclusive interest rate of
10% to support projects owned or managed by women. The Fund, whose
operational modalities are currently being finalized, will be made available
for on-lending through commercial banks, Microfinance Institutions
(MFIs) and People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB).

b) US$10 million Business Linkages Facility. This value chain/business
linkages finance facility will be availed at concessional interest rate of 10%
to support agricultural production under the value chain financing model.

c) Revamping the US$10 million Horticultural Facility. Only two firms
have accessed this facility since its inception in July 2016. In order to
promote its use, the Bank and the Agricultural Marketing Authority
(AMA) have come up with revamped modalities that include the use of the
facility to support horticultural production for local consumption over and
above exports.

d) Educational Support Facility for students pursing studies at the
Higher Education and Tertiary Institutions. Resuscitation of this
facility which used to be granted through banks is necessary to ensure that
educational institutional are sustainable and that students are capacitated
to pursue their studies. Modalities of this facility are still under discussion
with the relevant stakeholders. The facility is expected to become
operational in August 2017.

e) Scaling up operations of Microfinance Institutions by developing
sustainable partnership with banking institutions. This strategic
collaboration will enable Microfinance Institutions to offer a wide range
of financial products to their clients.

13. Enhancing financial stability through macro-prudential supervision. This
will be done through early identification of vulnerabilities, proactive
implementation of mitigants and timely resolution of disruptions to the
smooth operation of the financial system. In this respect, the Bank is
enhancing its macro-prudential assessment tools such as countercyclical
capital requirements, macro-stress testing, bank contagion analysis as well as
the early warning tool kit. The macro-prudential framework shall be
developed by 30 September 2017. The framework will outline sound
principles, tools and instruments to strengthen the resilience of the financial
system and to prevent the build-up of systemic risk.

14. Extension of the Export Incentive Scheme to Tourism and Cotton
Growers. The RBZ remains fully committed to incentivise all earners of
foreign exchange with a view to pursue an export-led growth strategy that is
necessary to sustain the multi-currency system. In view of the above, the Bank
is extending the export incentive scheme to the tourism industry to reward the
industry’s contribution to foreign exchange generation. This policy stance is
taken in view of the loss of competitiveness of the industry manly due to price
differential between Zimbabwe and the region.

The depreciation South African rand and other regional currencies affects the
price competitiveness of the country’s tourism industry considering that the

bulk of inbound tourists come from Africa, particularly South Africa. In view
of this, Zimbabwe becomes more expensive as a tourist destination as the US$
strengthens against the regional currencies. The export incentive scheme is
therefore expected to provide some cushion to allow the tourism sector to
adjust prices to remain competitive.

Similarly, the export incentive scheme of 5% is also being extended to cotton
growers given the fact that seed cotton, like green leaf tobacco, is purchased
from growers by cotton merchants using offshore lines of credit drawn in
advance before shipment. Around 80% of cotton lint is exported.

15. Export Incentive Facility for value added exports. The Reserve Bank is
encouraged by the impact of the 5% export incentive scheme in stimulating
export growth and in the process boosting output, productivity and
competitiveness which are essential elements for internal devaluation and for
transforming Zimbabwe’s growth model to a value based economy. The
schematic diagram below shows the envisaged transmission mechanisms of the
productivity incentive scheme to the national economy.

Figure 17: Transmission of Productive Incentive to National Economy

Source: RBZ

In order to ensure that the country realise desirable outcomes from the export
incentive scheme, the Bank will be carrying out an economy-wide and sector
based assessment of the incentive’s impact on capacity utilisation, employment
creation and export receipts. The exercise is geared at promoting an export-led
growth strategy for value added products. This measure which is critical for
export diversification i.e for the country to transform itself from a major exporter
of commodities to value added products shall be dependent on the possibility of
raising the requisite funding to ensure sustainability of the incentive.

16. Fostering surveillance on combating money-laundering, tax evasion and
transfer pricing by enhancing the scope of monitoring suspicious
transactions and working closely with relevant stakeholders and/or agents to
make it more difficult for those engaged in such crime to profit from their
Increased
Production and
Productivity
Productivity
Incentives
Increased
Capacity
Utilisation &
competitiveness
Increased Export
Receipts
Improved Liquidity
and Foreign
Currency
Improved
Economic Activity,
Employment and
Fiscal Space

illicit activities. The ultimate goal of this effort is to protect the integrity and
stability of the financial system.

SECTION 7: POLICY ADVICE

1. Paying farmers for their produce on time. The expected good agricultural
season that is anticipated to produce around 1 500 000 – 1 800 00 tonnes of
maize and other cereals from 1 595 000 hectares and seed cotton of around
100 000 tonnes requires Government to mobilise funding for the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) and Cottco to purchase grains and seed cotton from
farmers upon delivery to ensure that agricultural productivity is enhanced for
food security and to minimize finance costs to the farmers.

Paying farmers on time is also a good incentive to enable them to prepare for
the winter cropping programme and to increase disposable income. The other
upside of this policy recommendation is the savings on foreign exchange that
is expected to accrue to the country this year given that last year the country
had to import grain in an amount of around US$200 million due to the adverse
effects of the El Nino induced drought.

Furthermore, agricultural produce contributes a significant proportion of
around 50% of raw materials for the manufacturing sector. The take-off of
agriculture is therefore critical to jumpstart the economy towards achieving
the vision of regaining the status of being the Bread Basket of Africa.
Zimbabwe has the soils, climate and the human asset to achieve this vision.

2. Completing the implementation of policy measures to address structural
reforms that relate to the ease and cost of doing business, fiscal
consolidation, state owned enterprises and incentives to expand output
and productivity.

These structural reforms are quite fundamental as they are the bedrock of
achieving the supply-side development goal that is anchored on the need to
balance exports and imports whilst simultaneously boosting domestic demand
or output. This model requires significant levels of investment financed
mainly through equity as opposed to debt to mitigate against over gearing or
leveraging the country. Addressing the structural reforms would therefore
enhance business confidence and attract investment, both domestic and
foreign investment.

It is also the Bank’s assertion that addressing these structural reforms will lead
to a significant increase in output which is necessary to provide the impetus
for economic recovery and achieve the goals under ZimAsset. Growing
income is also the sine qua non for enhancing the much needed fiscal space
on a sustainable basis. Addressing the structural reforms would therefore lead
to a reduction in the proportion of government expenditure to Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and also to a reduction of government wages and salaries as a
proportion of tax revenue.

3. Establishment of the Zimbabwe Export Council (ZIMEC) as a nonincorporated body to co-ordinate and spearhead Zimbabwe’s national export
drive in close liaison with export promotion associations and bodies that
include Zimtrade. Establishment of an Export Council is not a new concept
in Zimbabwe. It was first muted in 1991 by Government through the Ministry
of Industry and Commerce at the inception of Zimtrade but was never
established.

Given the current thrust of an export led growth strategy formation of ZIMEC
is critical for coordinating and championing export growth and diversification
for the survival of the national economy. Its objectives will be to lay down

policy guidelines for developing and promoting exports and to advise
Government on matters concerned with the exporting environment.

SECTION 8: CONCLUSION

Implementation of policies presented in this Policy Statement anchored on a bedrock
of an expected good agricultural season coupled with gains already being realized
from the recent policy measures are expected to steer the economy towards a
sustainable growth path. In particular, exports which are a major source of foreign
currency, are expected to significantly rebound from the current initiative to reward
exporters with an export bonus scheme of up to 5%.

The Bank is convinced that addressing structural reforms that include the ease and
cost of doing business, fiscal consolidation, public finance management and
reorganization of state-owned enterprises is the remaining hurdle for transforming
the Zimbabwean economy. This, together with the completion of the re-engagement
and arrears clearance programme on the basis of the undertakings made in Lima,
Peru, in October 2015 will go a long way to improve Zimbabwe’s investment climate
and its access to foreign finance.

Improved investment climate and access to foreign capital are essential elements to
buttress the multi-currency exchange system, which has served the country very well
since its adoption in 2009. It is therefore critical to note that currencies throughout
the world are strengthened by productivity which is a function of investment and
business sentiment. It is precisely for this reason that the Bank’s assertion is that the
challenges facing the country are a production phenomenon as opposed to a currency
circumstance. The Bank believes in the provision of incentives, in their broader
context, to expand output and productivity. Paying farmers on time for their
produce, for example, is an appropriate incentive for sustainable agriculture.

Going forward, the mutually beneficial three pronged policy approach relying on
monetary, fiscal and structural policies being pursued by Government and the Bank
will go a long way in stimulating the economy and boosting productivity.

The country also needs to diversify its export base in order to benefit from global
developments, as well as to cushion itself from the adverse effects of depressed
world commodity prices.

The fate of transforming Zimbabwe’s economic growth model is in our hands.


I THANK YOU
DR. J.P. MANGUDYA
GOVERNOR