Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The microlending industry, largely driven by cash loans, recorded subdued performance in the third quarter of 2025. The total loan book stood at N$7.8 billion, reflecting a marginal quarter-on-quarter decline of 0.1%, despite a year-on-year increase of 7.2%.  Term lenders accounted for 92% of the total loan book. The Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) released its quarterly statistical bulletin for the third quarter, covering the period from 1 July to 30 September 2025.  The report provides an overview of performance, compliance and consumer protection trends across the non-banking financial institutions sector, which includes insurers, medical aid funds,…

Chamwe Kaira Vehicle sales continued on a steady but slower path in November, extending a trend seen since the March peak this year. Industry data compiled by Simonis Storm shows new vehicle sales reached 1 244 units, down 1.8% from October’s 1 267 units. Despite the monthly dip, sales remained well above last year’s levels.  November sales were 13.8% higher than in November 2024, when 1 093 units were sold. The year 2025 is shaping up as the strongest for the Namibian automotive sector since the pre-pandemic peak of 2015. Year-to-date sales stand at 13 356 units, exceeding the full-year…

Staff Writer The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) has opened applications for its 2026 intake, offering aspiring African filmmakers a fully funded opportunity to enter the film and television industry. The pan-African training institution invites graduates from across the continent who want to become directors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, producers, and visual storytellers. Through its academies, MTF provides professional training focused on building the skills needed to tell African stories for local and international audiences. Following MultiChoice’s integration into the CANAL+ Group, the company has reaffirmed its focus on African content by investing in young creative talent.  The programme aims to equip the…

Staff Writer Old Mutual Namibia has appointed Ingah Ekandjo as managing director of its retail mass business, effective 2 January 2026. Ekandjo has more than 19 years of experience in the financial services sector, covering insurance and banking. She has spent 16 of those years in executive roles. She holds an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in business leadership and has completed leadership programmes in Namibia and abroad. Her career includes senior roles across retail mass, emerging, and affluent markets. She has led turnaround strategies, driven earnings growth, and introduced new business approaches. Her experience spans insurance distribution, channel…

Chamwe Kaira The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has received overwhelming public support for Starlink’s application to operate in Namibia as it continues to assess the satellite internet provider’s licence request. Cran said it received 1 180 written submissions by Friday, 12 December 2025.  Of these, 1 164 supported the application, while 16 opposed it. The regulator said both supportive and opposing submissions raised substantive issues that Starlink will need to address as part of the licensing process. According to Cran, the feedback reflects wide public interest in Starlink’s potential impact on Namibia’s telecommunications sector and the future of…

Staff Writer Anglo American plc and Teck Resources Limited have received regulatory approval from the government of Canada under the Investment Canada Act for their proposed merger, announced on 9 September. The merger will create Anglo Teck, a larger global critical minerals company with operations and projects across several regions, including South Africa. Following the merger, Anglo Teck said its subsidiaries operating in South Africa will continue to comply with all empowerment requirements and mining licence conditions. As part of its support for the junior mining sector, Anglo Teck plans to contribute N$600 million to South Africa’s Junior Mining Exploration…

Chamwe Kaira Simonis Storm has forecast steady but moderate growth for Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) over the next three years, driven by gradual subscriber growth and rising demand for data services. In a research note, analyst Max Rix said MTC’s net income is expected to increase from N$3.71 billion in the 2025 financial year to about N$4.7 billion by the 2028 financial year. This implies a compound annual growth rate of about 6%. The forecast is supported by an expanding active subscriber base, projected to grow from 2.32 million to around 2.55 million by the 2028 financial year.  Following the…

Chamwe Kaira Deep Yellow Limited is advancing a dual-pillar growth strategy aimed at building a globally diversified uranium producer with annual output of more than 10 million pounds. The company’s portfolio includes two advanced projects in Tier-1 mining jurisdictions.  These are the Tumas Project in Namibia and the Mulga Rock Project in Western Australia. Future growth is supported by a wider exploration portfolio. This includes the Alligator River Project in Australia’s Northern Territory and the Omahola Project in Namibia. Deep Yellow said it continues to assess opportunities to acquire additional assets that fit its strategy. The company said it is…

Staff Writer Investor confidence in South Africa has strengthened recently, supported by positive domestic and global developments, the South African Reserve Bank has said. These include South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, a more supportive fiscal outlook outlined in the 2025 medium-term budget policy statement, the formal adoption of a 3% inflation target, and an upgrade of the country’s foreign currency sovereign credit rating by S&P Global Ratings.  The rating upgrade was South Africa’s first in two decades. Easing global trade tensions and higher commodity prices, particularly for gold and platinum group metals, also supported…

Chamwe Kaira The Chamber of Mines of Namibia has released its monthly mining update for October, showing that the mining sector remained stable despite global economic uncertainty, weak industrial activity in key markets, and pressure on diamond and base-metal demand. The update shows that mining continues to play a central role in the national economy, supported by strong performance in gold and uranium. Global conditions in October reflected softer industrial output in China, ongoing trade tensions, and cautious investor sentiment.  Despite this, Namibia’s mining industry held steady, supported by record gold prices and continued growth in uranium production. Gold reached…