- Tsaone Segaetsho
Absa Botswana Managing Director, Keabetswe Pheko-Moshagane, has revealed that the bank’s Business Banking segment disbursed P195 million to SMEs in the first half of 2025. Presenting Absa’s 2025 interim results, she noted that this brought the total SME disbursement to over P1.1 billion over the past three years.
“This has empowered SMEs to grow their businesses, creating employment and contributing meaningfully to national economic growth while enhancing livelihoods across communities,” said Pheko-Moshagane on Tuesday.
She added that these efforts had earned Absa the 2025 Best SME Bank Botswana award from Global Finance Review, underscoring the bank’s leadership in advancing inclusive growth and sustainable impact.
Highlighting “some of our key wins” during the presentation of half-year results, Pheko-Moshagane said the Retail and Business Banking segment led performance in the first half of 2025, contributing 75% of the overall topline results.
Retail Banking underpinned this growth, with revenue increasing 9% year-on-year, supported by both interest and non-interest income. “Our product portfolio expanded with the successful market penetration of the Absa Mobi Tap solution, enabling the onboarding of additional Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises,” she noted.
According to Pheko-Moshagane, Absa Mobi Tap not only facilitates seamless payment acceptance for goods and services but also mitigates risks associated with cash transactions.
She further explained that by aligning the bank’s strategy with government priorities for the SME sector, Absa had delivered critical financing support to its SME clients. This helped them manage liquidity pressures and invest in future growth, driving a 13% expansion in the Business Banking loan book.
“In facilitating a digitally powered business, Absa, through digital innovation, has been unlocking efficiencies, deepening client engagement, and shaping a resilient business model,” she said.
A key enabler, she added, has been the automation of SME account opening in Business Banking, which has introduced straight-through processing, faster onboarding and turnaround times, and an overall more seamless customer experience.
“Our ongoing investments in digitisation and automation are central to enhancing customer experience and driving greater customer-centricity. These efforts are also accelerating digital adoption, which is expected to gradually reduce reliance on traditional physical channels. These efforts have already started bearing fruit, evidenced by RBB digitally active customers growing 22% year-on-year, while CIB adoption is now over 90%,” said Pheko-Moshagane.
