Reserve Bank cuts repo rate by 25 basis points.

Loading player...
GUEST - Thabani Ndwandwe, Chief Risk Officer at Standard Bank

The latest interest rate cut could mark a turning point for South Africa’s residential property market. The South African Reserve Bank has reduced the repo rate by another 25 basis points, bringing the prime lending rate down to 11%. This is the third rate cut since September 2024, and the first time the prime lending rate has been at this level since May 2023.

The two rate cuts introduced at the end of 2024 appear to have already sparked some recovery in residential property activity. Standard Bank observed a notable increase in home loan applications between Q3 and Q4 2024, reflecting improving buyer sentiment. This, combined with better economic outlooks, has encouraged sellers to price properties more competitively and motivated buyers to take action in select regions.
30 Jan 2025 12PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Your Retirement, Your Rules: ETFSA’s Starter Pack Explained

Retirement planning doesn’t need to be intimidating. Suzan Ramotshabi breaks down the biggest barriers stopping South Africans from investing, including Black Tax and fear of making mistakes. She explains how the Starter Pack works, additional ETFSA solutions, and the one step listeners can take today to begin their retirement journey…
23 Sep 1PM 22 min

SARB Tightens: What the 25bps Hike Means for You

The SARB surprised markets with a unanimous vote to hike rates by 25bps, landing against rising inflation expectations and global volatility. Johann Els unpacks the policy mood shift, the 4.4% inflation print, rand vulnerability, and how this decision affects credit conditions, household budgets, and South Africa’s growth outlook heading into…
23 Sep 12PM 14 min

The State of SA Insurance: Climate, Claims & Consumer Strain

South Africa’s insurers are navigating a perfect storm: higher catastrophe losses, rising claims inflation, affordability strain, and a shifting risk landscape shaped by climate volatility and crime. Santam’s Partner Solutions CEO, Gugu Mtetwa, unpacks the sector’s resilience, the worsening underinsurance problem, consumer behaviour shifts, and how insurers are adapting to…
22 Sep 1PM 24 min

Measured Momentum in SA Banking: Earnings Up, Risks Rising

South Africa’s major banks delivered headline earnings growth of 9.3% to R82.3 billion, stronger ROE at 20.5%, and improved cost‑to‑income ratios — but beneath the numbers lies a fragile domestic recovery and renewed inflation pressure. PwC’s Rivaan Roopnarain breaks down the competitive dynamics across retail, business, corporate and payments ecosystems,…
22 Sep 1PM 14 min

Crypto’s Turning Point: Sound Money Capital says Bear Market Dead

After eight months of grinding weakness, crypto snapped sharply higher in August — and Sound Money Capital was fully allocated ahead of the turn. CIO Rob Price explains why seller exhaustion, ETF capitulation, and policy intervention signal the end of the bear market. With Bitcoin reclaiming key resistance and market…
22 Sep 1PM 15 min