Afreximbank lends $190M to Zimbabwe's CBZ Bank across three facilities
What's the deal? African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has concluded financing facilities totalling $190 million for CBZ Bank Limited of Zimbabwe. The debt package, signed in El Alamein, Egypt, spans three separate agreements aimed at strengthening CBZ's capacity to finance companies across the country.
The breakdown: The largest facility is a $150-million revolving trade finance line, letting CBZ provide funding and letters of credit to Zimbabwean companies. A second $20-million dual-tranche facility targets small and medium enterprises engaged in trade.
The final $20-million dual-tranche on-lending facility aims to reduce power deficits in Zimbabwe and the wider SADC region. It positions CBZ to join an approved $210-million syndicated facility for the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution CompanyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Afreximbank frames the package as support for export-oriented businesses, generating foreign exchange and easing pressure on foreign currency. It ties the trade finance line to Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 target of becoming an "empowered upper-middle-income society."
Why now? The deal comes as African trade finance faces a persistent gap that lenders like Afreximbank are trying to bridge. The Pan-African institution reported total assets and contingencies of over $48.5 billion at the end of December 2025.
What they're saying: "From exporters to small businesses, we are committed to enabling growth while contributing to key national priorities, including energy development," said Valeta Mthimkhulu, managing director of CBZ Bank Limited.
The signal: At $190 million, the package sits in the upper tier of disclosed African bank financing deals, ranking around the 72nd percentile by size. It underscores how multilateral lenders are channelling capital through local banks to reach exporters, SMEs, and infrastructure at once.
Read more: afreximbank.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
