Markets & Key Numbers

Malawi · Africa · Global Live

Commodities & static indicators updated: 23 June 2026 · MSE prices, currencies and BTC update live on page load

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Currencies

USD / MWK

—

US Dollar to Malawian Kwacha. Affects fuel prices, imports, and foreign debt repayments.

ZAR / MWK

—

South African Rand to Kwacha. SA is Malawi's largest trade partner — most imported goods pass through SA.

GBP / MWK

—

British Pound to Kwacha. Relevant for remittances from the UK diaspora and bilateral aid flows.

BTC / USD

—

Bitcoin in US Dollars. Tracked as a USD hedge by African investors managing currency risk.

Commodities

BRENT CRUDE

$77.12

+26.6% YTD

Global oil benchmark. Directly drives Malawi's fuel import costs and inflation. Up 50%+ since January 2026.

GOLD

$4,152/oz

-4.6% YTD

Safe-haven asset. Rising gold signals global investor anxiety. World Bank projects +42% average for 2026.

COPPER

$13,571/t

+8.9% YTD

Industrial metal. Tracks global manufacturing activity. Critical export for Zambia — Malawi's neighbour.

TOBACCO AVG

$2.13/kg

▼ vs $2.30

Malawi's #1 export — 50% of foreign exchange. Price down from $2.30/kg. 96–100% rejection rates in early 2026 season.

African Markets

MASI (last close)

513,588

-11.8% YTD

Malawi All Share Index — last recorded close. Live intraday data shown in MSE Daily Brief above.

JSE TOP 40

108,814

Live

Johannesburg Stock Exchange Top 40. Africa's largest and most liquid market. Benchmark for regional investor sentiment.

Malawi Economic Indicators

MWK INFLATION

24.1%

Feb 2026 — lowest since July 2022

RBM POLICY RATE

24.0%

Held — May 2026 MPC

FOREX RESERVES

<1 month

Import cover — critically low

PUBLIC DEBT

86.9%

of GDP — 43% of domestic revenue goes to debt interest alone

Global Indicators

US FED RATE

3.5–3.75%

Held — FOMC May 2026. Markets pricing one cut max in 2026.. Drives global borrowing costs. When the Fed holds high, capital stays in the US and away from emerging markets like Malawi.

ENERGY PRICES

+24%

World Bank 2026 projection — largest shock since 2022. World Bank's largest projected energy price increase since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine shock.

About this data. MSE stock prices and MASI index load live on page visit via the AFX data feed (afx.kwayisi.org) — cached hourly. Malawi business news aggregated from Nyasa Times and Business Times Malawi RSS feeds. Currency rates (USD/MWK, ZAR/MWK, GBP/MWK) and Bitcoin update live via ExchangeRate-API and CoinGecko. Commodity prices and static indices are updated manually with each newsletter edition. Tobacco prices sourced from TAMA auction data. Malawi economic indicators are updated when new data is released by the Reserve Bank of Malawi or National Statistical Office. All figures are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice.