PRIME How stable shilling has cooled banks’ forex trading fortunes The contraction in forex income across all top banks reflects subdued activity in currency markets after the shilling’s recovery
PRIME Global analysts see shilling weakening to Sh134 against dollar The shilling has been relatively stable since mid-2024, exchanging between 129 and 130 levels on increased dollar inflows from diaspora remittances, dollar-denominated borrowing, agricultural...
PRIME CBK under pressure to hold more dollars on rising imports CBK’s foreign exchange reserves stood at Sh1.59 trillion as of November 13, 2025, representing about 5.4 months of imports into the country.
PRIME Shilling weakens against dollar after being static for 5 months The shilling’s prolonged run at the 129 range, while good for businesses due to predictability of costs and earnings, has raised concerns recently from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that...
PRIME Remittances from Saudi fall on new permit rules Enforcement of the new policy for existing workers, including thousands of Kenyans, kicked in on July 5, while new recruits were put on the new regime from August 3.
PRIME IMF raises alarm over static Kenya shilling versus dollar The shilling has traded on a narrow range between Sh129.22 and Sh129.24 since the start of 2025, despite weakening against other major world currencies, including the euro and British pound at 12...
PRIME Why CBK is eyeing gold amid global buying binge CBK data shows the value of gold holdings surged by 40.8 percent to Sh238 million in the financial year ended June 2025 from Sh169 million the previous year, marking one of the largest percentage...
PRIME Forex reserves hit record Sh1.6trn on surplus Eurobond cash A $1.5 billion Eurobond sale has lifted Kenya’s foreign reserves to an all-time high, strengthening the shilling and easing debt-refinancing pressures.
PRIME Diaspora remittances increase by Sh15bn in nine months The 3.2 percent growth witnessed in the current review period is, however, slower compared to the 17.2 percent jump recorded in a corresponding period 2024.
PRIME CBK scouts vaults for gold as it moves to diversify reserves In April, the CBK Governor said the bank was “actively considering” adding gold to its reserves beyond the dollar and other currencies.
PRIME Stablecoins and why they are gaining popularity The appeal of stablecoins has been attributed largely to their ability to bypass traditional payment networks such as banks. This has ensured speed and cost efficiencies.
PRIME How the diaspora fortunes are getting hazy for some Kenyans President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, which the US Senate passed in July, imposed a one percent tax on remittances, effective January 1, 2026.
PRIME Australia races ahead of Saudi Arabia, Germany in job offers for Kenyans Kenyans in Australia sent home $112.83 million (Sh14.58 billion) in the first half of 2025, a 48 percent jump.
PRIME Why Kenya is keen on Yuan for SGR loan payment The risk of foreign exchange exposure will remain high because Kenya largely transacts with the international community in US dollars.
PRIME Eight big banks suffer 40pc earnings fall on forex trade hits The effect of the lower forex trading revenue was seen on eight banks’ non-interest income, which collectively declined by 8.8 percent to Sh118.54 billion.
PRIME Current account deficit thins on high dollar inflows By the end of the year, the CBK expects the current account deficit to climb slightly to 1.5 percent of GDP, or $2.07 billion (Sh267.5 billion), from 1.3 percent or $1.55 billion (Sh200.3...
PRIME Mixed fortunes from shilling stuck at 129 for a year The shilling’s movement versus other global and regional currencies has been more pronounced, making the dollar an outlier in terms of stability in the market.
PRIME Forex reserves fall by Sh65bn on external debt repayments Overall, the current 2025/26 national budget has an estimated Sh1.901 trillion earmarked for debt service, both in principal and interest payments.
PRIME Shilling seen weakening to Sh132 per dollar on US policy actions The shilling has remained largely been stable since mid-2024, fluctuating between 129 and 130 against the dollar.
PRIME Why Moody’s sees erosion risks on Kenya forex reserves A spot check on the country’s US Dollar reserves trend shows the reserves of the greenback have remained stable since January 2025.
PRIME Kenya’s diaspora remittances jump to Sh325bn in six months Since 2015, remittances have remained the largest source of foreign cash inflows into Kenya, ahead of tourism, foreign direct investment (FDI), and the export of agricultural products such as tea...
PRIME CBK mops up Sh3.8trn liquidity from banks CBK injected a cumulative Sh5.6 trillion into banks through reverse repos last year, while mop-ups stood at zero.
PRIME UK, US top recipients of hard cash from Kenya CBK survey on cross-border movement of cash found the repatriation is mainly through air cash couriers.
PRIME Weaker shilling, stockpile lift foreign currency deposits Economic analysts had earlier opined that the long-standing stability of the local currency had extinguished the motivation to continue holding foreign reserves in banks.
PRIME Mobile money: Agents handle 12pc less cash but transactions surge The value dipped from Sh2.32 trillion a year earlier, while the volume of transactions grew from 632.7 million to 873.9 million.
