Angola's Integration Into Southern African Regional Payment System

Occurred 29 July 2026Date inferred from coverage

The Angolan kwanza has been added to the Southern African Development Community Real-Time Gross Settlement (SADC-RTGS) system, becoming the first additional settlement currency to join the platform since its 2013 launch. The integration, announced by the central bank governors of South Africa and Angola, aims to reduce transaction costs and reliance on foreign currencies for regional trade.

Aggregated from 10 sources · Updated 24 Aug 2026, 03:01 UTC (UTC)

Coverage Balance

10 sources

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This event is primarily covered by one side of the political spectrum. Niche or counter-narrative facts may be underrepresented.

Facts (10)

Established
The Angolan kwanza has officially joined the Southern African Development Community Real-Time Gross Settlement (SADC-RTGS) system as a settlement currency.
Established
The kwanza is the first new settlement currency added to the SADC-RTGS since the platform launched in 2013.
Established
Prior to the kwanza's inclusion, the South African rand was the exclusive settlement currency for the SADC-RTGS platform.
Established
The announcement was made in Pretoria by South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago and Banco Nacional de Angola Governor Manuel Tiago Dias.
Established
The SADC-RTGS system currently includes 15 participating member states and 89 participating banks.
Established
The South African Reserve Bank operates the SADC-RTGS system on behalf of the region's central banks.
Emerging
Trade and interbank transactions between Angola and other SADC states totaled approximately $3.77 billion across nine currencies in 2025.
Emerging
Botswana's pula is identified as the next regional currency planned for integration into the system.
Emerging
The SADC-RTGS system processes approximately R250.7 billion ($13.8 billion) worth of transactions per month.
EmergingNiche Signal
Integration testing for the kwanza is underway as a prerequisite for full production deployment in daily settlement cycles.