Daily Archives - March 25, 2021

Don’t pass 5% levy to customers – Banks urged

Players in the banking sector have been called upon not to pass on the additional five per cent tax imposed on their gross profits to their customers, particularly to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Executive Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic,...

Gross International Reserves Hit $8,719.7m

GHANA’s GROSS International Reserves at the end of February 2021 was US$8,719.7 million, providing cover for 4.2 months of imports of goods and services. The reserve level compares with the end-December 2020 position of US$8,624.4 million, equivalent to 4.1 months of import cover. Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of the central bank, who made this known, also said, cumulatively the Cedi appreciated...

Assets of banks hit GH¢152bn while deposits rise to GH¢104bn-BoG

Banks in Ghana have reported impressive growth numbers in total assets, deposits and investments for 2020, defying the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to figures from the Bank of Ghana (BoG), total assets increased by 18.5 % on a year-on-year basis to GH¢152 billion, reflecting strong growth in investments in government securities by 45.9% to GH¢67.9 billion.The data,...

SEC extends moratorium on issuance of new Fund Management licenses

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has extended the moratorium on the issuing of new Fund Management licences for a further period of six months. This is pursuant to section 3(i)(m) and 208 of the Securities Industry Act, 2016 (Act 929). In a statement, it said “market operators, the investing, and the general public are hereby advised to visit the SEC’s...

Value of MoMo transactions shoots up by over 120% in a year – BoG

The value of mobile money transactions has more than doubled in the last twelve months, according to the Bank of Ghana. The total value shot up by over 120 percent from February 2020 to February 2021. On a monthly basis, the value of transactions from January to February saw a minimal increase of about 1 percent. This was contained in the...

Bank of Africa MD demands review of 5% financial sector clean-up levy

Managing Director for the Bank of Africa, Kofi Andah has asked for a review of the newly introduced financial sector clean-up levy of 5 percent. The levy was proposed in the recently read budget. According to the government, it is meant to help defray outstanding commitments in the sector following the clean-up which cost the government over GHS21 billion. Although the government...