| {"doc_id": "042f76e512d4d68d378285c1e9870deb", "text": "Vol. 28 No. 13 \n \nWeek Ending \n27th March 2026 \n \nWeekly Economic \nHighlights \nTABLE OF CONTENTS \n \n1. \nOVERVIEW ............................................................................ 1 \n2. \nINTEREST RATES ................................................................ 2 \n3. \nEQUITY MARKETS .............................................................. 3 \n4. \nCLEARING AND SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY .................. 5 \n5. \nENERGY PRICES .................................................................. 5 \n6. \nGOLD PM FIX, MOSI-OA-TUNYA GOLD COINS AND \nGOLD BACKED DIGITAL TOKENS (GBDT) .................. 5 \n7. \nEXTERNAL SECTOR ........................................................... 6 \n \n \n \n \n1 \n1. OVERVIEW \nThis report presents an overview of key developments in the monetary and financial sectors of the economy \nfor the week ending 27th March 2026. It highlights trends in domestic money and capital markets, national \npayment systems, exchange rates, and global commodity prices. \nLocal and foreign currency time deposit rates increased across most tenors except for savings rates which \nremained the same during the week under review. On the lending side, both the local and foreign currency \nlending rates decreased across most maturities except for maximum corporate rates which increased. \nCapital markets had a positive momentum during the week ending 27th March 2026. The Zimbabwe Stock \nExchange (ZSE) and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) both traded positively for the second \nconsecutive week adding 2.38% and 5.16% to close the week at 362.34 points and 251.68 points, respectively. \nThe total value of transactions processed through the National Payment Systems platforms increased by 4.44% \nfrom ZiG44.02 billion recorded in the previous week to ZiG45.97 billion. The volume of transactions \nprocessed increased by 18.70% from 17 million to 20 million during the same period. The largest share of \ntransactional values was processed through the Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, accounting for \n78.49%, while mobile money accounted for 84.77% of the transaction volumes. \nOn the interbank market, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency depreciated by 0.01%, to an average of ZiG25.32 \nper US$1 during the week ending 27th March 2026. \nThe weekly international average prices for most selected commodities declined except for nickel prices which \nremained unchanged during the same week. Average weekly precious metals prices, particularly gold, \nplatinum and palladium decreased due to strengthening of the US dollar, heightened expectations of tighter \nmonetary policy and persistent geopolitical tensions. \nAverage weekly lithium prices weakened on the back of low electric vehicle sales, particularly in China. Brent \ncrude oil prices fell as tensions in the Middle East eased. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n2 \n2. INTEREST RATES \n \nAverage commercial bank deposit rates (Local Currency (ZiG) (%) \n Deposit rates \n06-Mar-2026 \n13-Mar-2026 \n20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nSavings \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n3.81 \n3.83 \n3.81 \n3.83 \nMaximum \n4.14 \n4.17 \n4.17 \n4.17 \n1-month deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n6.87 \n6.69 \n6.66 \n6.69 \nMaximum \n10.76 \n11.22 \n10.41 \n11.22 \n3-months deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n6.93 \n6.87 \n6.73 \n6.87 \nMaximum \n10.82 \n10.76 \n9.95 \n10.76 \n6-months deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n6.99 \n6.93 \n6.79 \n6.93 \nMaximum \n11.58 \n10.82 \n10.02 \n10.82 \n12-months deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n6.99 \n6.99 \n6.86 \n6.99 \nMaximum \n11.58 \n11.58 \n10.77 \n11.58 \nOver 1 year \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n7.00 \n7.00 \n6.86 \n7.00 \nMaximum \n11.58 \n11.58 \n10.78 \n11.58 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \nAverage commercial bank deposit rates (Foreign Currency (US$) (%) \nUS$ Deposit rates \n06-Mar-2026 \n 13-Mar-2026 \n 20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nSavings \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n1.75 \n1.89 \n1.89 \n1.89 \nMaximum \n2.08 \n2.22 \n2.22 \n2.22 \n1-month deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n3.92 \n3.92 \n3.69 \n3.92 \nMaximum \n6.76 \n6.76 \n6.32 \n6.76 \n3-month deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n4.40 \n4.40 \n4.09 \n4.40 \nMaximum \n7.66 \n7.66 \n7.15 \n7.66 \n6-month deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n4.54 \n4.54 \n4.24 \n4.54 \nMaximum \n7.96 \n7.96 \n7.47 \n7.96 \n12-Month deposit \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n4.83 \n4.83 \n4.56 \n4.83 \nMaximum \n8.36 \n8.36 \n7.89 \n8.36 \nOver 1 year \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n4.92 \n4.92 \n4.64 \n4.92 \nMaximum \n8.50 \n8.50 \n8.03 \n8.50 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n3 \nCommercial bank weighted lending rates (Local Currency (ZiG) (%) \nZiG Lending rates \n06-Mar-2026 \n13-Mar-2026 \n20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nIndividuals \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n43.67 \n43.67 \n44.65 \n43.75 \nMaximum \n49.59 \n49.59 \n50.69 \n49.54 \nCorporates \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n40.36 \n40.35 \n40.45 \n40.33 \nMaximum \n46.56 \n46.23 \n44.27 \n46.20 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \nCommercial bank weighted lending rates (Foreign Currency (US$) (%) \nUS$ Lending rates \n06-Mar-2026 \n13-Mar-2026 \n20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nIndividuals \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n13.52 \n14.34 \n14.37 \n13.59 \nMaximum \n18.59 \n16.64 \n18.83 \n18.62 \nCorporates \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n10.32 \n9.96 \n10.56 \n10.27 \nMaximum \n15.81 \n16.43 \n15.10 \n15.82 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \nCommercial banks and building societies mortgage lending rates (%) \nMortgage Lending \nrates \n06-Mar-2026 \n13-Mar-2026 \n20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nZiG Lending rates \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n25.00 \n25.00 \n25.00 \n25.00 \nMaximum \n50.00 \n50.00 \n50.00 \n50.00 \nUS$ Lending rates \n \n \n \n \nMinimum \n10.00 \n10.00 \n10.00 \n10.00 \nMaximum \n18.00 \n18.00 \n18.00 \n18.00 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \nEQUITY MARKETS \n \nZSE Indicators \n \n \nAll \nShare \nIndex \n(points) \nTop 10 \nIndex \n(points) \nTop 15 \nIndex \n(points) \nMedium \nCap \n(points) \nSmall Cap \n(points) \nMining \nIndex \n(points) \nGrand \nMarket \nCap (ZiG \nbillion) \nMarket \nTurnover \n(ZiG \nmillion) \nVolume \nof Shares \n(million) \n06-Mar 26 \n361.36 \n369.29 \n384.20 \n354.00 \n100.11 \n122.53 \n113.41 \n165.88 \n14.65 \n13-Mar 26 \n351.69 \n359.79 \n371.40 \n342.49 \n100.11 \n129.43 \n109.97 \n190.79 \n146.41 \n20-Mar 26 \n353.90 \n361.19 \n373.60 \n349.23 \n100.11 \n129.42 \n110.71 \n625.13 \n95.00 \n27-Mar-26 \n362.34 \n370.62 \n383.58 \n353.27 \n100.11 \n129.42 \n113.59 \n868.01 \n95.84 \nWeekly \nChange \n(%) \n2.38 \n2.61 \n2.67 \n1.16 \n0.00 \n0.00 \n2.60 \n38.85 \n0.88 \nSource: Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, 2026 \n \nVFEX Indicators \nDate \n \n \nAll Share Index \nPoints \nGrand Market \nCapitalisation \n(US$ billion) \nMarket Turnover \n(US$ million) \nVolume of Shares \n(million) \n06- Mar 26 \n228.22 \n2.72 \n3.89 \n4.43 \n13-Mar 26 \n237.96 \n2.84 \n4.91 \n6.52 \n20-Mar 26 \n239.32 \n2.85 \n4.07 \n4.42 \n27-Mar-26\n 251.68 \n3.00 \n1.29 \n3.98 \nWeekly Change (%) \n5.16 \n5.29 \n(68.30) \n(9.95) \nSource: Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, 2026 \n \n \n \n4 \n \nFigure 1: ZSE and VFEX Indicators \n \n \n \n \n \n \nSource: Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, 2026 \n \n \n0\n500\n1000\n1500\n2000\n2500\n3000\n3500\n4000\n4500\n5000\n17-Oct-25\n24-Oct-25\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nUS$ Thousand\nVFEX Market Turnover \n90\n140\n190\n240\n290\n340\n390\n17-Oct-25\n24-Oct-25\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nIndices\nZSE Indices \nAll Share Index (ZSE)\nTop 10 Index\nMining Index\n0\n100,000\n200,000\n300,000\n400,000\n500,000\n600,000\n700,000\n800,000\n900,000\n17-Oct-25\n24-Oct-25\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nZiG Thousands\nZSE Market Turnover \n55\n60\n65\n70\n75\n80\n85\n90\n95\n100\n105\n110\n115\n120\n125\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nZiG Billion\nZSE Market Capitalisation \n150\n155\n160\n165\n170\n175\n180\n185\n190\n195\n200\n205\n210\n215\n220\n225\n230\n235\n240\n245\n250\n255\n17-Oct-25\n24-Oct-25\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nIndex\nVFEX All Share Index \n1.8\n2\n2.2\n2.4\n2.6\n2.8\n3\n17-Oct-25\n24-Oct-25\n31-Oct-25\n07-Nov-25\n14-Nov-25\n21-Nov-25\n28-Nov-25\n05-Dec-25\n12-Dec-25\n19-Dec-25\n26-Dec-25\n02-Jan-26\n09-Jan-26\n16-Jan-26\n23-Jan-26\n30-Jan-26\n06-Feb-26\n13-Feb-26\n20-Feb-26\n27-Feb-26\n06-Mar-26\n13-Mar-26\n20-Mar-26\n27-Mar-26\nUS$ Billion\nVFEX Market Capitalisation \n \n \n5 \n3. CLEARING AND SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY \n Source: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n4. ENERGY PRICES \n \nEnergy Prices \n \n06-Mar-2026 \n13-Mar-2026 \n20-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \nDomestic Energy Prices \nUS$ \nUS$ \nUS$ \nUS$ \nDiesel 50/ litre \n1.77 \n1.77 \n2.05 \n2.05 \nPetrol Blend E5/ litre \n1.71 \n1.71 \n2.17 \n2.17 \nLP Gas / kg \n1.55 \n1.56 \n1.56 \n1.56 \n \n \n \n \n \nInternational Energy Prices \n(Weekly average) \nUS$/barrel \nUS$/barrel \nUS$/barrel \nUS$/barrel \nCrude Oil Prices \n(US$/barrel) \n 86.65 \n94.38 \n101.74 \n94.34 \n Source: Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority and BBC 2026 \n \n5. GOLD PM FIX, MOSI-OA-TUNYA GOLD COINS AND GOLD BACKED DIGITAL \nTOKENS (GBDT) \n \nGold PM Fix and Gold Backed Digital Token Prices \nDate \nGold PM Fix \nGBDT ZiG Price per Mg \nGBDT US$ Price per Mg \nUS$/oz \nBuy \nSell \nBuy \nSell \n23-Mar-26 \n4,562.55 \n3.53 \n3.90 \n0.1394 \n0.1540 \n24-Mar-26 \n4,466.25 \n3.45 \n3.82 \n0.1364 \n0.1508 \n25-Mar-26 \n4,413.55 \n3.41 \n3.76 \n0.1348 \n0.1490 \n26-Mar-26 \n4,564.55 \n3.54 \n3.91 \n0.1394 \n0.1541 \n27-Mar-26 \n4,456.45 \n3.45 \n3.82 \n0.1361 \n0.1504 \nSource: London Bullion Market Association and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \n \nPAYMENT STREAM \nWEEK ENDING \n20 March 2026 \nWEEK ENDING \n27 March 2026 \nWEEKLY \nCHANGE (%) \n \nVALUES \n \nRTGS \n36,609,719,328.55 \n36,080,779,367.93 \n(1.44) \nOf which ZiG \n12,982,285,734.62 \n13,539,692,198.27 \n4.29 \nOf which US$ transactions \n(ZiG Equivalent) \n23,627,433,593.93 \n22,541,087,169.66 \n(4.60) \nPOS \n1,370,891,552.93 \n2,359,118,337.41 \n72.09 \nATM \n1,172,408,796.43 \n1,989,095,423.25 \n69.66 \nMOBILE BANKING \n193,151,539.00 \n133,720,654.69 \n(30.77) \nMOBILE MONEY \n4,472,447,047.79 \n5,067,981,852.37 \n13.32 \nZIPIT MOBILE \n196,597,609.95 \n340,284,297.26 \n73.09 \nTOTAL \n44,015,215,874.65 \n45,970,979,932.91 \n4.44 \n \nVOLUMES \n \nRTGS \n185,138 \n314,819 \n70.05 \nOf which ZiG \n69,417 \n112,563 \n62.15 \nOf which US$ \n115,721 \n202,256 \n74.78 \nPOS \n1,227,680 \n1,800,063 \n46.62 \nATM \n147,551 \n255,406 \n73.10 \nMOBILE BANKING \n227,695 \n396,799 \n74.27 \nMOBILE MONEY \n15,076,952 \n17,180,010 \n13.95 \nZIPIT MOBILE \n209,130 \n320,676 \n53.34 \nTOTAL \n17,074,146 \n20,267,773 \n18.70 \n \n \n6 \nMosi-oa-Tunya Gold Coin Prices \nGold Coin \nPrice \n23-Mar-2026 \n24-Mar-2026 \n25-Mar-2026 \n26-Mar-2026 \n27-Mar-2026 \n1.00Oz \n \n \n \n \n \nUS$ \n4,790.68 \n 4,689.56 \n4,634.23 \n4,792.78 \n4,679.27 \nZiG \n121,216.12 \n 118,705.49 \n117,061.98 \n121,579.35 \n118,734.20 \n0.50Oz \n \n \n \n \n \nUS$ \n2,395.34 \n2,344.78 \n2,317.11 \n2,396.39 \n2,339.64 \nZiG \n60,608.06 \n59,352.74 \n58,530.99 \n60,789.67 \n59,367.10 \n0.25Oz \n \n \n \n \n \nUS$ \n1,197.67 \n1,172.39 \n1,158.56 \n1,198.19 \n1,169.82 \nZiG \n30,304.03 \n29,676.37 \n29,265.49 \n30,394.84 \n29,683.55 \n0.10Oz \n \n \n \n \n \nUS$ \n479.07 \n468.96 \n463.42 \n479.28 \n467.93 \nZiG \n12,121.61 \n11,870.55 \n11,706.20 \n12,157.93 \n11,873.42 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \n6. EXTERNAL SECTOR \n \n \nExchange Rate Developments (ZiG per Unit of Foreign Currency) \n \n \nUSD \nZAR \nGBP \nBWP \nEURO \nWeekly Average \n(16 Mar – 20 Mar) \n25.3219 \n1.5080 \n33.7320 \n1.8060 \n29.1218 \n23-Mar-26 \n25.3025 \n1.4743 \n33.6841 \n1.8572 \n29.2029 \n24-Mar-26 \n25.3127 \n1.4932 \n33.9090 \n1.7761 \n29.3210 \n25-Mar-26 \n25.2603 \n1.4892 \n33.8110 \n1.7838 \n29.2932 \n26-Mar-26 \n25.3672 \n1.4899 \n33.8920 \n1.8594 \n29.3360 \n27-Mar-26 \n25.3745 \n1.4868 \n33.8484 \n1.7728 \n29.2810 \nWeekly Average \n(23 Mar – 27 Mar) \n25.3234 \n1.4867 \n33.8289 \n1.8099 \n29.2868 \nAppr (-)/Depr (+) (%) of the \nZiG \n+0.01 \n-1.42 \n+0.29 \n+0.21 \n+0.57 \nSource: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 2026 \n \n \nInternational Commodity Prices \n \nGold \nPlatinum \nPalladium \nNickel \nLithium \n \nUS$/oz \nUS$/ounce \nUS$/ounce \nUS$/tonne \nUS$/tonne \nWeekly Average \n(16 Mar –20 Mar) \n4,791.90 \n2,038.20 \n1,518.20 \n17,162.60 \n19,810.00 \n23-Mar-26 \n4,344.70 \n1,839.00 \n1,406.00 \n17,082.00 \n19,450.00 \n24-Mar-26 \n4,569.50 \n1,970.50 \n1,462.00 \n16,950.00 \n19,250.00 \n25-Mar-26 \n4,494.50 \n1,913.00 \n1,415.00 \n17,344.00 \n19,200.00 \n26-Mar-26 \n4,453.40 \n1,899.00 \n1,413.00 \n17,253.00 \n19,150.00 \n27-Mar-26 \n4,513.10 \n1,922.00 \n1,425.00 \n17,186.00 \n19,400.00 \nWeekly Average \n(23 Mar – 27 Mar) \n4,475.04 \n1,908.70 \n1,424.20 \n17,163.00 \n19,290.00 \nWeekly change (%) \n(6.61) \n(6.35) \n(6.19) \n0.00 \n(2.62) \nSource: BBC, KITCO and Bloomberg, 2026 \n \n \n \n \n7 \nFigure 3: Average Weekly International Commodity Price Developments (31st October 2025– 27th March 2026) \n \n \n \n \n \nSource: BBC, KITCO and Bloomberg, 2026 \n \nRESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE \nAPRIL 2026 \n3,700\n3,900\n4,100\n4,300\n4,500\n4,700\n4,900\n5,100\n5,300\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nGold\n60\n65\n70\n75\n80\n85\n90\n95\n100\n105\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nCrude Oil \n1300\n1500\n1700\n1900\n2100\n2300\n2500\n2700\n2900\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nPlatinum\n1100\n1300\n1500\n1700\n1900\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nPalladium\n14,300\n14,800\n15,300\n15,800\n16,300\n16,800\n17,300\n17,800\n18,300\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nNickel \n9,000\n11,000\n13,000\n15,000\n17,000\n19,000\n21,000\n31-Oct\n7-Nov\n14-Nov\n21-Nov\n28-Nov\n5-Dec\n12-Dec\n19-Dec\n26-Dec\n2-Jan\n9-Jan\n16-Jan\n23-Jan\n30-Jan\n6-Feb\n13-Feb\n20-Feb\n27-Feb\n6-Mar\n13-Mar\n20-Mar\n27-Mar\nUS$/oz\nLithium", "source": "SARB", "stratum": "cb_requests", "fetch_date": "2026-05-11", "url": "file:///SARB/Weekly_Economic_Highlights/WEEKLY_ECONOMIC_HIGHLIGHTS_27_MARCH_2026_VOLUME_28_NUMBER_13_1.pdf"} |