Moza Banco Renews Support to Fernando Leite Couto Prize

Sérgio Ribeiro, Executive Committee Member, of Moza Banco, recently reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to continue sponsoring the Fernando Leite Couto literary prize, believing that the competition has “great potential to keep alive the hopes of young dreamers dedicated to the arts and letters.”

Speaking during the awards ceremony for the seventh edition of the Fernando Leite Couto Prize, Sérgio Ribeiro acknowledged the role of the Foundation that sponsors the initiative for its ability to scrutinize and identify literary talents capable of representing the country across all global geographies.

“The Fernando Leite Couto Foundation (FFLC) is one of the arts and letters organizations that has most contributed to bringing Mozambican voices, especially young voices, to the world stage, demonstrating that in Mozambique the word is also crafted with quality and excellence, helping Mozambican narratives become lenses through which to decipher the world,” emphasized Sérgio Ribeiro.

In addition to recognizing the merit of the partnership between Moza and the Foundation, Sérgio Ribeiro took the opportunity to speak about the new phase of the Bank, in which both employees and clients become the center of the entire strategy.

“We have begun a new chapter in our history with the launch of the ‘Make It Happen 2025’ campaign, where we present a renewed vision born from the colours of our flag, carrying with it the dream of a bolder, more united, and more promising Mozambique. We launched not just an image, but a purpose: to be the trusted partner that drives ambitions and delivers solutions. And to guide this path, we have designed a new vision for the future. We want to lead with purpose, connecting people, ideas, and opportunities for the country’s progress,” revealed the ECM.

Also on the occasion, Sérgio Ribeiro and Mia Couto – President of the FFLC – posed for a photograph with the winner of the seventh edition of the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize, writer, teacher, and poet Zacarias Nguenha, who won the competition with the poetic work entitled “Costurar a Linguagem” (“Sewing the Language”).

Later, the laureate also had the opportunity to meet with Moza´s Executive Committee President, Manuel Soares, who, on behalf of the Bank, congratulated the young author and encouraged him to continue to “Make It Happen

Moza Banco has just launched “Faz Acontecer 2025”, the new institutional campaign that marks the start of a renewed strategic positioning phase for the brand. This move is based on a customer-centric relational model, placing the customer at the heart of all the Bank’s transformation, innovation and strategy.

The campaign represents a new cycle for Moza, clearly and visibly introducing its new Vision, Mission and Values, and reaffirming its commitment to serve better, with closeness, simplicity and quality — both internally and externally.

Alongside increased investment in digital transformation and the modernisation of channels, products and services, Moza is fostering a more human and collaborative organisational culture, promoting wellbeing, development and active engagement of employees, within a framework of joint growth.

“We have assumed the Mission to make a difference every day, contributing to the success of Mozambique, and a clear Vision: to be the best Mozambican banking experience, one that everyone feels proud to belong to,” explains the Chief Executive Officer, Manuel Soares.

More than intentions, the “Faz Acontecer 2025” campaign is grounded in concrete actions. The Bank has been implementing structural reforms, ensuring transversal alignment of the entire team — “from Rovuma to Maputo, from Zumbo to the Indian Ocean” — with the strategic objectives in place.

“We want every employee to embody our four values: Ambition, Integrity, Resilience and Winning Together — not as slogans, but as practices lived daily,” states Manuel Soares.

Moza’s four values have been translated into internal and external communication actions, with the selection of employees who symbolically represent each of them. They are now the face of the bank that positions itself as a Mozambican brand, close, human and determined.

More than a financial institution, Moza Banco thus positions itself as a movement that believes in the power of unity, trust and shared action to make Mozambique’s future happen.

The social responsibility arm of Moza Banco, Clube Moza, and Save University (UniSave) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic partnership to enhance actions in support of youth inclusion, gender equity, and the promotion of menstrual dignity.

Under the terms of the agreement, UniSave students will benefit from training through the Accelerated Skills Development Programme, which aims to strengthen English language proficiency and other key transversal skills essential for employability and entrepreneurship.

Additionally, the memorandum includes the integration of the topic of menstrual dignity into UniSave's teacher training curriculum, ensuring that future educators are sensitive to the needs of female students and promote an inclusive, gender-aware educational approach both within and beyond the university setting.

During the MoU signing ceremony, there was also an opportunity to present commercial proposals, allowing university staff to learn about and potentially subscribe to Moza Banco's services. This initiative concluded with the official opening of UniSave’s institutional account at Moza Banco.

According to Professor Dr Catarina Nhapossa, Rector of Save University, the signed memorandum reflects the shared commitment of both institutions to driving meaningful change for the wellbeing of young people, particularly women and girls.

“By signing this Memorandum with Clube Moza, we are bridging the gap between academia and community engagement. English language training and the focus on menstrual dignity are powerful tools for social empowerment. We want our students—especially future teachers—to leave university prepared to transform the communities they will serve. This collaboration is an example of how the university can go beyond classrooms to make a positive impact on the nation,” the Rector affirmed.

Inácio Fernando, President of Clube Moza, also highlighted the strategic relevance of the initiative:

“Today we celebrate a strategic alliance that places girls at the heart of development. Clube Moza's mission is to open pathways, create opportunities, and transform realities through education and volunteerism. By joining forces with us, Save University is showing that Mozambican higher education is aligned with the contemporary challenges of inclusion, sustainability, and social justice. The integration of menstrual dignity into the university curriculum is a milestone. This partnership is more than a protocol—it is a commitment to the country’s future,” he emphasised.

Manuel Soares, Chief Executive Officer of Moza Banco, reinforced that such initiatives aim primarily to improve the lives of Mozambicans:

“They reflect our core values, especially ‘winning together,’ which is about practicing love for others, unity, and solidarity.”

These and other initiatives reaffirm Moza Banco’s continued commitment—through all its affiliates—to supporting sustainable human development and creating positive social impact, via strategic alliances with key institutions in the education, health, environment, and other sectors. 

Moza Banco strengthened its position among the country's most resilient and dynamic financial institutions by achieving an operating profit of 1.178 billion meticais in 2024, demonstrating the consistency of the bank's operating performance, which has been consolidating an average annual growth rate of 20.4 per cent over the last five years.

This performance reflects the Bank's resilience in a year marked by cyclical challenges, including maintaining mandatory reserves and a prolonged period of economic and social instability.

The bank stood out for its 16 per cent growth, corresponding to 6.8 billion meticais in deposits, and for the expansion of its customer base to 261,864, an increase of around 8 per cent. Moza Banco's financial strength was also reinforced by the granting of 3.8 billion meticais in loans to families and companies, reaffirming its commitment to financing the Mozambican economy.

The commitment to digital transformation also made significant progress, with a 33.3 per cent increase in the volume of digital transactions and the entry of 182,000 new users, an increase of 7.6 per cent.

Total assets grew by 9 per cent to 5.8 billion meticais, while the NPL ratio (an indicator in line with the European Banking Authority) improved to 11.79 per cent, a reduction of 1.76 percentage points. The overall cost-to-income ratio stood at 45.4 per cent, an improvement of 9.5 percentage points, reflecting efficient management in line with international best practices.

Moza Banco reaffirmed its position as the country's 5th largest bank in 2024, with a market share of 6.39% in assets and credit and 6.69% in deposits, and was recognised for the third year running as one of the best institutions to work for in Mozambique. Its strategy is based on digital modernisation, sustainability and consolidating stakeholder trust, guided by the values of Ambition, Resilience, Integrity and Collaboration.

Despite the significant growth in operating results over the year, the Bank adopted a prudent and responsible approach, substantially reinforcing impairments. As a result, the 2024 financial year ended with a net loss of -103.8 million meticais, very close to breakeven, were it not for the extraordinary and exogenous impacts that marked the period. Nevertheless, the solvency and liquidity indicators remain robust, with a solvency ratio of 15.81 per cent and a liquidity ratio of 37.14 per cent, both above the regulatory minimums.

In 2025 Moza Banco showed a significant improvement compared to last year's performance. In the first three months of the year, the Bank recorded a positive net profit of 4 million meticais, an improvement of 51.6 million meticais compared to the same period in 2024. The Bank also improved its liquidity indicators (43.23 per cent) and kept its solvency ratio above the regulatory limits. It also continued to provide credit during the first quarter of this year, providing Mozambican families and above all investors with a total of 463.8 million meticais in credit to boost the national economy.

According to the Chairperson of Moza's Executive Committee, Manuel Soares, "we are building a path of sustainable growth, with a focus on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. The positive results demonstrate our ability to adapt and the strength of our business model, even in complex scenarios," he highlighted.

Moza Banco continues to establish itself as a strategic partner for the country's economic development, with a majority national shareholder structure and a diversified range of financial solutions for all segments. The trust of customers and partners, combined with disciplined management and strategic vision, continues to drive Moza Banco towards a new phase of sustainable growth, consolidating its place among the most important financial institutions in Mozambique.

 Between 2023 and 2024, Moza Banco reinforced its commitment to financial inclusion by expanding the "Conta com o Moza" (“Count on Moza”) radio programme, an initiative that aims to promote financial education among people in rural and remote regions of the country, using local languages.

It is estimated that around one million people have benefited in 10 districts in the centre and north of the country, namely in Chimbunila and Majune (Niassa), Memba and Murrupula (Nampula), Derre (Zambézia); Gondola, Machaze and Vanduzi (Manica) and Tsangano and Zumbu (Tete).

The programme was carried out through 10 community radio stations, in seven local languages, in particular Ndau, Sena, Emakwa and Yao.  

The majority of the population covered is engaged in subsistence farming, and who until the time the project was implemented had little knowledge of savings and investment, so it was necessary to use accessible and detailed terms and language to build a new mentality about money within the communities.

According to the population, "Conta com o Moza not only raised their level of financial literacy, but also encouraged the responsible and conscious use of financial services and products, fostering conscious decisions about the use of money for individual and collective development". 

 However, the usefulness and innovation of 'Conta com o Moza' has not only been recognised in the communities it covers. In 2023, for example, the programme earned international recognition by winning Bronze in the Branded Content on Radio category at the prestigious Lusophone Creativity Awards 2022-2023.

It was a recognition that reinforced the relevance of the project, especially in the communities already taking part.

By promoting concepts, best practices and tips on financial security in local languages, Moza Banco's ambition is to contribute to improving the quality of life and well-being of rural populations, ensuring that they know how to save and invest their resources, generating wealth for themselves and the community.

The Director of Information Management at Moza Banco, Camilo Amarcy, has argued for the need to take a contextualised look at the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the country, as a way of ensuring greater assertiveness when drawing up support strategies for national Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

Amarcy was presenting this Tuesday in Maputo at the conference on the "Finance Code for Women Entrepreneurs (We Finance Code)", a World Bank initiative that is intended to be implemented in around 30 countries, including Mozambique. Through this mechanism, it is hoped to considerably increase access to financing lines and services for MSMEs which are mainly owned by women.

Asked at the time about the need to disaggregate customer data in order to expand access to finance for MSMEs, Camilo Amarcy emphasised that "disaggregated data can help financial institutions and support entities identify which entrepreneurs need more support and which mechanisms can be most effective for each profile. However, before using only disaggregated data, it is important to understand the context of each entrepreneur. An entrepreneur in Niassa may have very different challenges from an entrepreneur in Maputo," he explained.

Still according to Amarcy, one of the solutions for segmenting data that is of particular interest to financial institutions could be to consult population studies and censuses.

"We could first exploit existing public data, such as population censuses and analyses from the National Institute of Statistics, the World Bank and other sources, to build a more accurate segmentation model," Camilo Amarcy added.

In Mozambique, the meeting was organised in partnership with FSDMoç, under the theme: "Challenges and Opportunities for Data Disaggregation for MSMEs in the Financial Sector". At the conference, various entities operating in the financial sector signed an agreement formalising their commitment to supporting female Entrepreneurs.

Moza, for its part, has been implementing various initiatives to support women since last year, through its Moza Women project, in which the bank promotes businesses run mostly by women and works with partners to provide financing lines that respond to the needs of female entrepreneurs. This year, the bank has the ambition to create specific products that meet the needs of women, in the light of the same project.

The Bank recognises the role of women in Mozambique's economic development at all levels and is therefore committed to creating diverse solutions that help ensure that women remain at the forefront of Mozambique's economic growth.

In a country where agriculture is often seen as a sector of high financial risk, Moza Banco continues to strengthen its belief in the country's agricultural potential, especially in terms of export capacity. Last Thursday, 20/02, in Maputo, the Bank took part in a workshop on International Trade and Access to Financing for Exports, organised by ExportaMoz, an entity dedicated to promoting exports of national products to major global markets.

The event, which brought together dozens of representatives from small and medium-sized Mozambican companies, most of them linked to the agribusiness sector, was also attended by international institutions, including the British High Commission in Mozambique, which presented some solutions for accessing the UK market.

On behalf of the Bank, Edson Pandze and Higino Machango presented various funding lines specifically designed to boost the export capacity of national agricultural companies, all with competitive, attractive and differentiated interest rates.

Of the seven funding lines presented, three were created by the Bank itself: the Portuguese Cooperation Business Fund (FECOP), the Food Security Fund (FSA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The remaining four are the result of inter-institutional partnerships, especially with the Mozambican government.     

"As a bank run by Mozambicans for Mozambicans, we understand the complexity of agribusiness and always seek to Win Together, creating alternatives to minimise risks and establishing attractive interest rates, often with the possibility of sharing the risk with potential funders," Edson Pandze said.

In response, the businesspersons welcomed Moza's readiness, while emphasising the need for greater delivery of information about these and more funding lines among the agricultural business community.

By investing in agribusiness, Moza is not only living the ambition of contributing to the country's economic growth, but also helping to reduce its trade deficit.

For Moza Banco, in a country with over 36 million hectares of land suitable for agriculture, investing in the sector is unavoidable and necessary for holistic and sustainable development, boosting the well-being of all Mozambicans.

Moza Banco´s Chairman, João Figueiredo, wants Mozambican entrepreneurs and leaders to be agents of change towards a more sustainable and environmentally efficient world. During the recent CEO Business Lunch held in Maputo, João Figueiredo argued that sustainability should no longer be seen merely as corporate social responsibility, but should be regarded as one of the key guiding principles in companies' operations within the market.

"Sustainability is not just a choice; it is the commitment of today to ensure tomorrow," stated Figueiredo, emphasising that the financial sector, in particular, plays a crucial role in the transition to a more sustainable economy. "As a financial institution, we have the responsibility to lead by example and be catalysts for change in the Mozambican market."

For Figueiredo, the Mozambican financial sector is facing a unique opportunity to lead the sustainable transformation of the economy. "As business leaders, we have the power to turn global challenges into opportunities for our institutions and for the country. This is not just a moral imperative, but a strategic necessity to maintain relevance and competitiveness in the modern market," he concluded.

For Moza, the issue of sustainability has always been a priority, especially since the bank is led by a group of committed Mozambicans engaged in environmental causes, promoting the implementation of various actions aimed at protecting the ecosystem.

Among the many ongoing initiatives, the project "Let’s Plant Trees", created by the bank’s social arm, Clube Moza, stands out. The goal of this initiative is to plant at least one million trees along the Mozambican coast.

To date, the Xefina Islands in Maputo and the coastal area of the city of Maxixe, in Inhambane, have been included in the project, with hundreds of casuarina seedlings already planted by the bank's employees.

Moza reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development goals, positioning itself as an institution determined to make the necessary transformation in the financial sector. The bank lives the ambition to be a catalyst for positive change, from the design of sustainable financial products to the implementation of internal practices that promote eco-efficiency, demonstrating that it is possible to combine economic development with environmental responsibility.