Cash in Angola: Casa do Kwanza opens in Luanda

Angola is a growing economy on Africa’s Atlantic coast, and its bustling capital is Luanda. The country has a growing population of almost 37 million.¹ Demographically, it is trending younger, and the population is projected to double by 2050.² Luanda itself has seen stratospheric growth, and is estimated to be home to more than 10 million people – representing a significant percentage of the national total.³ It is the largest Portuguese-speaking city outside Brazil.

The payments landscape is still dominated by cash, with the Kwanza being the local currency. Accordingly, the cash cycle has to be rock-solid. The National Bank of Angola (BNA) also saw a need for enhanced security and efficiency across the cycle. Accordingly, it set about identifying solutions that would encourage economic growth, while keeping the needs of its population in mind. 

Aside from securing the cash cycle, future-proofing was in the frame, in terms of both technical specifications and providing training to a new generation of Angolans. A state-of-the-art cash center in Luanda was mooted as part of a strategy that answered all these questions.

The importance of cash

The advantages of cash are obvious. It is easy to understand and is familiar, even to those who struggle with financial literacy. It is final, with no lag for settlement. Its use carries no fees, is anonymous, is backed by the central bank, and is available offline – important in areas that may lack infrastructure for electronic payments. Thus, it is inclusive. For all these reasons, it remains a critical part of what keeps a nation stable.

Of course, people need access to this most important of resources, and it’s no different for Angola. Providing a healthy cash cycle is intrinsic to the BNA’s role in safeguarding the economic well-being of the country, and making cash available where Angola’s citizens require it is at the heart of the central bank’s mission.

Angola today

Angola seeks diversification away from its traditional strength, oil production, to ensure sustainable growth and resilience against global market fluctuations. The role of a robust financial infrastructure is crucial for the development of a diversified economy.

The mooted cash center was part of this strategic plan. Understanding the right scope for such a large-scale development project – among other things, gauging current cash cycle conditions, forecasting future needs, and integrating the right solution – was essential. If it was going to succeed, it would have to support the pressing logistical needs of safeguarding the kwanza and its distribution, thereby promoting economic stability and growth.

A strategic imperative

The new cash center, the Casa do Kwanza, was built from the ground up. As a greenfield project, it required a great deal of input from whomever the BNA chose to be its partner.

The building had to be conceived of and designed, along with the IT and security architecture that secured the cash-handling process. The same partner was tasked with leading the overall implementation, and also integrating any remaining processes with the other partners the BNA had identified. Among other things, this included installing automated systems for secure and efficient banknote processing, along with a multi-level, high-security vault that could be used to store banknotes and coins, as well as gold, precious gems, and works of art.

This became an example of a new strategic imperative adopted by the BNA, which was to take best-in-class global expertise and adapt it to the local realities on the ground. The Casa do Kwanza safeguards Angola’s currency, ensuring it is prepared and distributed in a timely manner so that people have access to cash whenever and wherever it is needed. The BNA is committed to modernizing the Angolan economy, and a large-scale cash center development project like Casa do Kwanza is proof of this commitment.

G+D was the partner the BNA chose to bring the cash center to fruition. Our technical expertise and our history of best practices in scalable and holistic turnkey solutions in fields as varied as architectural planning, automation, security, and banknote processing services provided a critical foundation for Casa do Kwanza. At the local level, G+D also managed economic and regulatory policies, cultural conditions, and stakeholder alignment.

The Casa do Kwanza, Angola’s new flagship cash center, promises to redefine the country’s economic landscape, and is a bold step toward securing and stabilizing the nation’s economic future.

Published: 24/07/2025