Fear as Zim set to print more bond notes

ZIMBABWE’S central bank has printed half of the “bond notes” quasi-currency it intends to issue under a $200 million (R2.5 billion) scheme, a state newspaper reported on Friday. Long bank queues have persisted since the bank introduced bond notes last November. RBZ governor John Mangudya told the Herald newspaper that the central bank had issued $102m in bond notes, which he said was trading at par with the dollar. In Harare, street traders were selling R100 for $8.50 when buying with bond notes and $8 when using US dollars, suggesting they are not on par. Some businesses were offering up to 30 percent discounts on dollar sales, while importers struggled to trade bond notes for dollars. – Reuters