Moza Banco
Arise became a shareholder of Moza Banco in 2017 and owns a 30.7% shareholding with Kuhanha (The Government Pension Fund Administrator) being the other cornerstone shareholder in the bank, with a shareholding of 64.1%.
Country Overview
Mozambique borders Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Eswatini. It has a population of an estimated 33 million, with approximately two-thirds of its population living and working in rural areas. The country enjoys ample resources in terms of arable land for agricultural production, a plentiful supply of fresh water, and a relatively stable energy supply within the urban centres. Further, it is rich in mineral resources, including the recently discovered natural offshore gas reserves. The country has strong ties to the region’s economic community (SADC), positioning it strategically, as it borders several landlocked countries that depend on Mozambique through its three deep seaports to access global markets.
According to the 2023 World Bank Mozambique Economic Update report, the medium-term economic outlook is positive, with growth expected to accelerate to 6% over 2023-2025, driven by continued recovery in services, increased LNG production, and high commodity prices.
Banking Sector Overview
The Mozambique banking sector comprises 27 credit institutions (15 commercial banks, 11 microfinance banks, and one cooperative bank). The top three systemically important banks are BCI, BIM, and Standard Bank Mozambique, collectively contributing 63.67% of total assets, 68.45% of deposits and 55.53% of credit.
The banking sector has been historically impacted by low levels of asset quality, reflected in an average NPL ratio of 10% as of December 2021. In recent years the profitability in the banking sector has been volatile for smaller banks, but the top three banks, namely BCI, BIM, and Standard Bank, reflected ROEs of 24%, 19%, and 16%, respectively, in 2021. The ROEs of the other banks in the sector have been sub-optimal and volatile, including that of Moza Banco. A recent intervention by the Central Bank saw the introduction of a significant hike in the reserve requirement ratios (from 10.5% to 28% on local deposits) for Mozambican commercial banks in 2023.
According to a recent Mozambique Central Bank report, ‘Mozambique Financial Stability Bulletin Dec 2022’, the country’s banking sector remains solid and resilient, with growth in earnings and adequate levels of capitalisation and liquidity throughout 2022.