In a weird turn of events, commercial banks in Zimbabwe under a proposed financial regulation will collect domestic
animals as collateral security.
Commercial banks in Zimbabwe will soon be compelled to accept livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep as collateral for cash loans
to informal businesses under a new law presented to parliament Tuesday.
Under the Movable Property Security Interests Bill tabled for debate by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick
Chinamasa in the House of Assembly, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will compile and
administer a collateral-security register in which small-business operators and individuals can register their movable assets
as security for credit.
Vehicles, television sets, refrigerators, computers and other household appliances
will become acceptable as collateral once they are evaluated and registered in the central bank’s register, according to
Chinamasa.
“As minister in charge of financial
institutions, I feel there is need for a change of attitude by our banks to reflect of our economic realities,” he said.
Banks are “stuck in the old ways of doing things and failing to respond to the needs of our highly informalized economy.”
