Members of Parliament have directed the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) to address illicit financial flows and foreign exchange leakages, according to Nation Online. During a parliamentary committee meeting, RBM director of foreign inflows Onellie Nkuna announced that the central bank is preparing to prosecute 25 exporters who failed to reconcile their export proceeds. At the same session, Nyasa Times reports that the Export Development Fund (EDF) disclosed a K400 billion allocation for gold purchases this year. EDF Managing Director Frederick Chanza noted that the fund has bought 352 kilograms of gold over the past three months, exceeding the entire volume purchased last year, in an effort to boost national forex reserves and formalise the mining trade.
In the banking sector, National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc announced a 95 percent increase in profit after tax, reaching K197 billion for the year ending December 2025, Nation Online reports. NBM chief executive officer Harold Jiya stated that the bank's earnings demonstrate a diversified business model supported by digital transactions and deposit growth. Nyasa Times notes that Jiya also outlined plans to direct financing toward the mining and commodity production sectors to help improve the supply of foreign currency in the economy.
A new African Development Bank report indicates that Malawi's industrial gains are failing to generate sufficient employment, according to Nation Online. Although the manufacturing sector's contribution to the gross domestic product grew from 9.9 percent in 2010 to 11.5 percent in 2025, its share of total employment dropped from 4.3 percent to 3.9 percent over the same period. To support broader economic participation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) convened a stakeholder workshop in Lilongwe to validate the ECoWYERT project. The UNDP stated that the five-year regional initiative aims to equip women and youth-led enterprises with the capital and capacity needed to engage in cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.