• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy & Policy
Thursday, July 10, 2025
SUBSCRIBE
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
26 °c
Windhoek
22 ° Wed
25 ° Thu
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • e-edition
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • e-edition
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
TB image banner 750x140
Home Companies Finance

DBN disburses N$750 million to SMEs amid sharp decline in approvals

by editor
April 28, 2025
in Finance
8
A A
0
SHARES
7.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) has disbursed nearly N$750 million to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) between 2020 and 2024, according to financial data reviewed by Foster Digital Education.

You might also like

NamRA collects N$12.78 billion in first two months of financial year

BoN orders banks to cut gap between repo and lending rates

DBN secures Green Climate Fund accreditation

However, SME loan approvals have declined sharply over the five-year period. In 2020, DBN approved N$279 million in SME loans, but by 2024, approvals had fallen to N$96 million, marking a 66% decrease.

“DBN has disbursed nearly N$750 million to SMEs from 2020 to 2024. But I was equally disappointed to see that this figure has declined every year, dropping by 66% over the past five years. This raises important questions about access to finance for small businesses and whether this trend will reverse,” said financial and business analyst Fimanekeni Mbodo.

According to DBN’s financial dashboard, approvals to SMEs declined consistently, from N$156 million in 2021, to N$115 million in 2022, N$104 million in 2023, and N$96 million in 2024.

“While the sharpest drop occurred between 2020 and 2021 — a 44% decline — the continued fall, even at a slower pace, remains worrying for SME growth and economic development,” Mbodo noted.

DBN’s financial data also show that the bank’s net profit declined from N$229 million in 2020 to a loss of N$270 million in 2023, before recovering to a N$62 million profit in 2024.

Mbodo attributed the turnaround to the sale of part of DBN’s equity stake in Ohorongo Cement, a government grant under the Special Development Fund, and bad debt recoveries.

Meanwhile, DBN’s total assets shrank from N$9.5 billion in 2020 to N$7.3 billion in 2024, with Mbodo stating that this was partly due to accelerated repayments from the National Energy Fund, which represents nearly 40% of the bank’s portfolio.

Operational expenses also rose sharply, increasing from N$132 million in 2022 to N$181 million in 2024. According to Mbodo, employee costs accounted for 66% of total operational expenses in 2024.

“Professional service costs increased by 58% over the past year, driven by higher audit, consultancy, and legal fees,” he added.

Furthermore, DBN data show that the non-performing loans (NPL) ratio surged from 13.5% in 2020 to 36.0% in 2024, while the impairment ratio rose from 9.5% to 26.4%, indicating growing credit risk in the bank’s loan book.

author avatar
editor
See Full Bio
Tags: Development Bank of NamibiaFimanekeni Mbodoloanloan approvalSME loans
Share173Tweet108Share30
Previous Post

Standard Bank calls for national credit guarantee scheme to drive infrastructure growth

Next Post

Namibia’s economy to grow by 3.8% in 2025 and 4% in 2026

Recommended For You

NamRA collects N$12.78 billion in first two months of financial year

by reporter
July 9, 2025
0
NamRA sees drop in illegal vehicle imports following moratorium

The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) has collected N$12.78 billion in revenue between 1 April and 31 May 2025, as part of the current financial year. Of this total,...

Read moreDetails

BoN orders banks to cut gap between repo and lending rates

by reporter
July 2, 2025
0
BoN orders banks to cut gap between repo and lending rates

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has directed all commercial banks to narrow the gap between the repo rate and lending rates by 25 basis points in two stages...

Read moreDetails

DBN secures Green Climate Fund accreditation

by reporter
July 2, 2025
0
DBN secures Green Climate Fund accreditation

The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) has been officially accredited by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a move expected to improve Namibia’s ability to access international climate finance....

Read moreDetails

Bank of Namibia meets incoming Bank Windhoek MD

by reporter
July 2, 2025
0
Bank of Namibia meets incoming Bank Windhoek MD

The Bank of Namibia has officially met with James Chapman, who will take over as Managing Director of Bank Windhoek in July 2025. Chapman was introduced to BoN...

Read moreDetails

Standard Bank invests N$35 million in CSI initiatives over five years

by reporter
June 30, 2025
0
Standard Bank invests N$35 million in CSI initiatives over five years

Standard Bank Namibia says it has invested more than N$35 million in Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives over the past five years. The bank’s wide-ranging support spans health,...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Namibia’s economy to grow by 3.8% in 2025 and 4% in 2026

Namibia’s economy to grow by 3.8% in 2025 and 4% in 2026

Related News

NamRA pays N$10.4bn in tax refunds, collects N$86.9bn

NamRA pays N$10.4bn in tax refunds, collects N$86.9bn

May 16, 2024
NAMFISA CEO secures IAIS appointment

NAMFISA CEO secures IAIS appointment

November 21, 2022
Google announces R15.3m grant funding for women entrepreneurs

Google announces R15.3m grant funding for women entrepreneurs

March 9, 2022

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Agriculture
  • Analysis
  • Business & Economy
  • Columnists
  • Companies
  • Finance
  • Finance
  • Fisheries
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Health
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • Namibia
  • namibia
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Property
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Trade
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News

The Brief is Namibia's leading daily business, finance and economic news publication.

CATEGORIES

  • Business & Economy
  • Companies
    • Agriculture
    • Finance
    • Fisheries
    • Health
    • Property
    • Retail
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Trade
  • Finance
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • namibia
  • News
    • Africa
    • Namibia
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists

CONTACT US

Cell: +264814612969

Email: newsdesk@thebrief.com.na

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Companies
  • Mining & Energy
  • Business & Economy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.