MONEY MARKET STATISTICS
This week marks the start of a new phase in Kenya’s interbank market, driven by efforts to enhance transparency, reliability, and market confidence, while strengthening monetary policy transmission—a long-standing concern, particularly around private sector lending rates.
That said, activity in the interbank market signaled liquidity strains for some players, with traded volumes, agreed rates, and activity in the discount window pointing to tightness, likely linked to settlements of the recently oversubscribed tap sale. The transaction count quadrupled while the volumes traded jumped significantly as shown below;
The average unsecured interbank lending rate rose to 9.55%, up from 9.45% the previous week, even as the Central Bank maintained open market operations.
Notably, the rate has now been officially renamed the Kenya Shilling Overnight Interbank Average (KESONIA), establishing it as Kenya’s risk-free reference rate. The rebranding is aimed at providing a clearer identity and aligning with global standards, as the CBK works toward a common benchmark for commercial bank lending rates.
There are no methodological changes in the computation of KESONIA, and as such, rates are expected to remain within the existing interbank corridor. As of 28th August 2025, interbank rates continued to trade closely in line with the Central Bank Rate (CBR), as illustrated below:
We view this as a welcome and timely move, complementing other initiatives by the CBK to deepen and modernize Kenya’s financial markets. The official risk-free rate is expected to strengthen market integrity, enhance policy transmission, and build investor confidence, while providing both borrowers and lenders with a fair and predictable benchmark.
