EquityBCDC has launched the Libanga account, a new banking service tailored to informal sector workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including motorcycle taxi drivers, farmers, small traders, domestic workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The product was unveiled on October 23, 2025.

Account opening conditions have been simplified: applicants must reside in the DRC, present valid identification (such as a voter card, passport, driver’s license, refugee card, or loss declaration), have a monthly income below $300, make an initial deposit of 2,300 Congolese francs (FC), and maintain a minimum monthly deposit of 700 FC.

To attract this largely unbanked segment, the bank made several services free of charge, including local debit cards and internal transfers and withdrawals.

The Libanga account also features a social protection component. In partnership with Activa Assurance RDC, account holders can access a health and funeral insurance plan for a $1 monthly contribution, covering primary medical care at Afia Health Center and a $100 funeral benefit. The bank describes the initiative as a response to the essential protection and income security needs of its new clientele.

EquityBCDC said the product aligns with its goal of bringing formal banking to nearly 30 million Congolese by 2030, reflecting its broader strategy to expand financial inclusion and support the gradual formalization of the national economy.

As of October 2024, EquityBCDC — 85.67% owned by Kenya’s Equity Holdings Group — had over 1.8 million clients and total assets of $4.4 billion.

Shelter Afrique plans to open a $10 million credit facility for CRDB Bank to support affordable housing projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The pan-African housing finance institution formalized the plan by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Tanzanian commercial bank on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF annual meetings held in Washington, D.C., from October 13 to 17, 2025.

The preliminary agreement also includes advisory support from Shelter Afrique to help CRDB Bank’s housing finance team better address the full housing value chain.

According to Shelter Afrique CEO Thierno-Habib Hann, the initiative reflects both institutions’ shared commitment to expanding access to affordable housing while promoting regional trade in building materials. It also aligns with a 2023 memorandum signed between Shelter Afrique and the DRC’s Ministry of Urban Planning and Housing, which aimed to co-finance housing projects, arrange additional funding, provide technical assistance, and help the government assess the national real estate market.

Initially, the collaboration will focus on CRDB Bank’s operations in the DRC, with potential future expansion to Tanzania and Burundi. The timeline for the final agreement and implementation of the facility has not yet been disclosed.

In 2023, UN-Habitat estimated the DRC’s housing deficit at 4 million units. With over 15 million residents, Kinshasa alone accounts for 54.4% of the housing need. Meeting this demand would require building 143,092 homes annually in the capital and 265,000 nationwide.

Funding for the housing sector remains scarce. A 2022 IFC study found that total mortgage credit in the DRC stood at only $30 million, representing less than 1% of all loans in the country. Through its partnership with Shelter Afrique, CRDB Bank aims to expand into this market.

Operating in the DRC since 2023, CRDB Bank is still in its establishment phase, with branches in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. This investment phase has weighed on its results: according to its 2024 annual report, the bank posted a loss of 6.6 billion Tanzanian shillings ($2.5 million) during its second year of operations in the country.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is pushing to ensure that the recent appreciation of the Congolese Franc (FC) translates into concrete benefits for households. Following an economic briefing on Oct. 22, 2025, led by President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Minister of National Economy Daniel Mukoko Samba announced an imminent drop in fuel prices.

The meeting at the Presidency was convened to examine the FC’s recent appreciation against other currencies and ensure that households experience an actual increase in purchasing power. Minister Mukoko stated that concrete measures would be taken to ensure price reductions reflect this monetary shift.

The announcement comes two weeks after a fuel price cut was implemented in the country’s western zone, which includes provinces like Kinshasa and Kongo-Central. Gasoline prices fell from 2,990 FC to 2,690 FC per liter, and diesel dropped from 2,980 FC to 2,680 FC. However, for Congolese whose income or savings are denominated in U.S. dollars, the prices effectively increased in dollar terms: 2,990 FC was equivalent to approximately $1.03, while 2,690 FC now represents at least $1.44.

The National Movement of Injured Consumers (MNCL) noted this trend, illustrating the shift in an Oct. 14 statement: the price of a beer remained at 4,000 FC, effectively rising from $1.37 to $2.10, while a carton of chicken dropped from 108,000 FC to 80,000 FC, which is an increase from $38.57 to $40.

The MNCL also highlighted that the situation is compounded by exchange rate speculation practiced by some currency traders and Mobile Money agents. The movement noted that while the Central Bank of Congo communicates an official rate of 2,300 FC per dollar, many traders are changing one dollar for 1,900 FC, 1,800 FC, or even 1,700 FC. This distortion further erodes the purchasing power of those receiving dollar-denominated income.

In response, the government intends to fight exchange rate speculation and compel merchants to lower prices to offset the dollar-denominated purchasing power loss caused by the FC's appreciation. For fuel, the Minister announced a meeting with oil companies on Oct. 31, 2025. The day before the presidential meeting, he had launched economic control missions aimed at stabilizing the domestic market, verifying regulatory compliance, ensuring price transparency, and assessing the actual impact of the franc's appreciation on basic necessities.

However, this push is generating concern among several economic operators who fear being forced to sell at a loss, citing the inventory effect. This mainly affects importers and producers who rely on dollar-denominated inputs and imported machinery.

Supermarkets, importers, and distributors do not replenish their stock daily. They often import large quantities financed in dollars. If they procured goods at an exchange rate of 2,800 FC per dollar, their costs and sales prices were set accordingly. If the rate then drops to 2,600 FC per dollar a few weeks later, their existing inventory remains valued at the old rate. Consequently, they cannot immediately pass on the appreciation of the Congolese Franc without reducing profit margins or selling at a loss.

Oil marketers are an exception to this dynamic, as the government compensates them for foreign exchange losses.

Timothée Manoke 

The planned China-Congo Industrial City is now estimated to cost $12 billion, up from previous projections. The new figure was announced on Oct. 23, 2025, during a ceremony in Kinshasa chaired by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, which also saw the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Sino-Congo Special Economic Development Zone (SCSZ) consortium.

The industrial city is part of the broader Kinshasa Urban Expansion Project, a major $50 billion development plan to build a new city spanning 43,000 hectares in Maluku, about 60 kilometers east of central Kinshasa.

Originally expected to cover 7,500 hectares, the Industrial City—which could generate over 150,000 direct and indirect jobs—will now see that area apply only to phase one, according to the Prime Minister’s office and the Strategic Oversight Committee for the Kinshasa Urban Expansion Project (CSSPEVK). Details on a second phase have not yet been released.

Official information indicates that the first phase will include eight industrial parks covering the construction materials, agri-food, textiles, chemical and metallurgical, forest products, electronics and high-tech, mechanical and electrical manufacturing, and recycling sectors.

The parks will host about 1,200 factories over 5,000 hectares, along with a 2,000-hectare commercial district and a 500-hectare residential zone for workers. The cost of this first phase was initially estimated at $8 billion, according to the Belgian daily L’Écho. The terms of the agreement with SCSZ has not been made public, but officials describe it as “the second of its kind after the Sicomines deal.”

Signed in 2008, the Sicomines agreement linked the DRC with a Chinese consortium comprising Crec, Sinohydro, and Zhejiang Huayou in a minerals-for-infrastructure exchange, often dubbed the “contract of the century.” The new agreement involves a different Chinese consortium, led by China State Construction Engineering.

If the SCSZ deal follows the same model as Sicomines, analysts warn it could face similar governance and transparency issues. In July 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the DRC to strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms in managing the Sicomines convention.

Whether the DRC has learned from that experience may become clearer in the coming weeks. The signing of the SCSZ convention nonetheless marks a decisive step toward implementing the China–Congo Industrial City project.

Pierre Mukoko