Developing Financial Services and Improving Banking Efficiency in Angola

Prepared by the Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Trade Hub, this paper provides the Banco Nacional de Angola (BNA) with a critical analysis of constraints on improving the efficiency of the banking sector and developing a sound and efficient financial sector in Angola. The report addresses five elements of BNA’s policy matrix for expanding credit access:

1. Improving the supply of term finance;
2. Expanding access to credit for small and medium scale enterprises;
3. Reducing the cost of credit;
4. Establishing benchmark interest rates to guide the pricing of credit products; and
5. Assessing the possibility of introducing deposit insurance in Angola.

Taking into account special conditions prevailing in Angola, and drawing heavily on international experience, the report offers more than 80 recommendations on how to improve Angola’s supply of financial services and the efficiency of the country’s banking sector.