Central Bank profits decline for three years in a row
By Delisa Magagula
The Central Bank of Eswatini has reported a decline in profits for the third consecutive year, according to its 2024/25 Annual Integrated Report (AIR) presented last Friday.
Profits stood at E205.7 million for the year ended March 2025, down from E251.5 million recorded in 2024 and E385.8 million in 2023. This marks a steady downward trend in earnings, which has drawn attention despite other milestones achieved during the review period.
Chief Operations Officer, Mfanfikile Dlamini, highlighted seven milestones reached in the past financial year. These included a stakeholder perception survey, modernisation of the Bank’s technology infrastructure, intake of the largest group of graduate trainees and interns, a new culture transformation programme, and strong staff participation in a pulse survey.
While these achievements point to progress in areas such as capacity building and internal culture, the profits reveal the financial headwinds the Bank continues to face.
The E205.7 million reported this year represents a 46 percent drop from the E385.8 million achieved just two years earlier.
Financial analysts point out that the decline may reflect a combination of rising operational costs, weaker revenue streams, and economic pressures in the domestic and regional market. However, the Bank has not yet detailed the specific factors behind the drop.
Despite the fall in profits, the Bank remains focused on strengthening its internal systems and human capital. The addition of 27 graduate trainees and 20 interns under the Eswatini Youth Empowerment Programme is seen as a long-term investment in skills development.
Similarly, the launch of the Culture Transformation Programme aims to foster behaviours such as excellence, teamwork, intentionality, speed, and big-picture thinking.
Dlamini said the Bank is also aligning its technology upgrades with its governance framework to ensure operational efficiency and modernisation. A 95 percent staff participation rate in the internal pulse survey, with an average satisfaction score of 77 percent, was cited as evidence of a committed workforce.
“Still, the headline figure from the AIR remains the profit decline. The institution now faces the task of reassuring stakeholders that its long-term strategy will restore earnings growth while maintaining operational resilience,” said Dlamini.
The Bank’s leadership has expressed confidence that its investments in people, culture, and technology will eventually translate into improved financial performance. For now, the challenge lies in reversing a three-year downward trend in profitability.
