Private Sector Credit

Uganda’s banking sector has never been stronger on paper. And the Bank of Uganda’s latest Financial Soundness Indicators show why. Banks, the indicators show, are heavily capitalized, flush with liquidity, profitable, and increasingly resilient. Regulatory capital sits above 25% of risk-weighted assets, double the global standards. Non-performing loans have fallen from 5.2% to 4.1% in a year, while liquidity coverage ratios have surged to an extraordinary 580%. Returns on equity remain a solid 16 to 17%. In short, Uganda’s banks are safe, liquid, and among the most profitable in the region. Yet behind this impressive stability lies a nagging paradox:…