Namibia’s banking system processed 60,022 interbank transactions valued at N$700 billion during the first six months of 2026, representing a 21.93% increase in the value of payments settled compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
According to the October 2026 Namibia Financial Stability Report, published by the Bank of Namibia (BoN) and the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA), transaction volumes also increased by 9.96% year-on-year.
The transactions were processed through the Namibia Interbank Settlement System (NISS), which facilitates the settlement of financial obligations between banking institutions.
“During the first half of 2026, the NISS processed 60,022 transactions with a total value of N$700 billion, supporting the safe and efficient settlement of interbank transactions. Compared to the corresponding period in 2025, the value and volume of transactions settled increased by 21.93 percent and 9.96 percent, respectively,” the report stated.
Real-time gross settlement transactions accounted for 63.3% of the total value processed, amounting to N$443.4 billion, while retail payment bulk settlements contributed the remaining 36.7%, valued at N$256.7 billion.
The report found that operational and settlement risks within the NISS remained moderate during the first half of 2026, with most transactions settled during the earlier processing windows.
A total of N$382.8 billion, representing 54.7% of the value settled, was processed between 08h00 and 12h00.
A further N$184.5 billion, or 26.4%, was settled between 12h00 and 15h00, while N$132.8 billion, representing 19%, was processed between 15h00 and 16h40.
“The predominance of settlements during the earlier windows enhances overall system resilience by reducing the probability of settlement delays and providing participants with sufficient time to address potential liquidity constraints before the end of the business day,” the report stated.
Meanwhile, the NISS recorded a system availability rate of 99.45% during the first half of 2026, falling short of the Bank of Namibia’s operational target of 99.90%.
The central bank attributed the shortfall mainly to system stabilisation activities following the migration to the ISO 20022 financial messaging standard, which governs the exchange of payment information between financial institutions.
Despite the shortfall, the report indicated that the system continued to support interbank settlements, with the Bank conducting business continuity management and disaster recovery exercises to strengthen operational resilience.
“In both cases, the NISS recovery and failover procedures were executed successfully, and the switchback to the primary site was completed without incident. All systems were fully restored and continued to operate as expected,” the report stated.
