AethiopeRoot

Malawi’s banking sector is poised for a record-breaking year, with four listed banks projected to rake in a staggering K630 billion in profits in 2025, a whopping 88 percent jump from K335 billion in 2024.

Analysts have attributed this feat to a number of factors, including robust loan growth, sky-high interest rates and lucrative lending to the government.

The four banks have published trading statements, which show that National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc expects profit of up to K211 billion from K98  billion in 2025 while FDH Bank plc projects its profit to rise to K152 billion from K74 billion the previous year.

NBS Bank plc expects profit to range between K145.5 billion and K150.5 billion from K72.9 billion in 2024 while Standard Bank plc projects its 2025 profit to be between K112.3 billion and K120.9 billion from K86.4 billion in 2024.

The expected profit is coming at a time the banks’ balance sheets are showing that the sector remained resilient up to the third quarter of 2025, maintaining adequate capital, satisfactory earnings, sufficient liquidity, improved asset quality and growth.

The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Financial Stability Report for October 2025 indicated that the banks’ capital and liquidity improved and remained above prudential thresholds.

Reads the report in part: “Likewise, asset quality significantly improved with the non-performing loans ratio dropping to 5.1 percent, reducing the sector’s exposure to credit risk. Total industry assets increased by 15.6 percent to K8.5 trillion.

I got badly tilted these last few weeks and lost about 400 points of rating, from 1150 to 750 (chess.com blitz). Although I could see that the lower I got, the more mistakes my opponents made, I still lost almost every game, and it took me a while to get back to playing correctly.

## 700-rated players aren’t complete beginners and can’t be beaten without thinking

That’s one of the main things that kept me tilted: the lower I got, the more I expected to beat my opponents easily and without thinking. That doesn’t work: these players know some opening theory, spot many tactics, know some thematic ideas. It’s clear that they’re invested in chess and have learned material. If you play badly you will lose.

Although I’m low-rated myself, I would say this applies to everyone when playing lower-rated players, whatever the rating difference is. For example, in his speed runs, Daniel Naroditsky sometimes gets in a worse position, has to spend some time thinking, and gets back on track by playing a crazy complicated idea.

700 rated players are terrible at endgames

The previous paragraph is true for everything except endgames: I almost always won badly losing endgames, for example, knight+pawns vs rook+passed pawns, or even pawns vs rook+pawns. Don’t be afraid of a draw and get into the endgame if you’re low on time or don’t see a way forward in the middle game.

700-rated players attack a lot, and sloppily

That’s another thing that kept me tilted: compared to higher-rated opponents, these players attack more, even when it doesn’t work. I often panicked and lost material, or even resigned thinking they were mating attacks. However they’re often unsound, and by not panicking and taking enough time to play precise moves I could get rid of them.

700 rated players blunder unprovoked

The more moves in the game the more likely it is that they blunder. So stay concentrated, and don’t be afraid to play waiting moves or slightly improving moves rather than something more aggressive when low on time: even if you don’t see a way forward a blunder will likely happen.

What I recommend to get better when at this rating

Play solidly, only play fancy stuff when you’re sure it works: Keep your pieces defended, develop before attacking, and don’t be afraid to be a little passive. Put your pieces on good squares, for example, rooks or bishops facing the opponent’s queen, even if there are many pieces in between. When you want to play a tactic, a sacrifice, take a little time calculating, and only play it if you’re sure it works, or at least you’re sure you won’t end up in a worse position or down material.

It’s OK if you don’t attack because your opponent will eventually make a mistake.

Learn practical endgame basics, and practice endgames: At this level, endgame play is so bad that you will be able to win consistently with minimal practice. Not only will practicing endgames help you win games that already get to an endgame, but you’ll also be more confident simplifying and winning games that currently end in the middle game.

What to practice: king + several pawns vs king, using your rook to help pawns promote, basic ideas of rook endgames (get your rook in the opponent’s camp, get your rooks on the 7th rank…), how to get passed pawns. You don’t need to learn things such as Philidor/Lucena or theoretical endgames yet, just simple ideas so you make progress rather than playing random/ineffective moves.

Keep your threats in mind and check for your opponent’s mistakes: you might have a check, see a pawn that is only defended by a piece, your rook on the same column as the opponent’s queen. Don’t do anything yet (unless you see a working tactic!), but play solidly, and your opponent will eventually make a mistake, or a tactic will appear (he will move the defender, or you’ll end up able to fork rather than just check…)

Don’t do one-move threats: Don’t waste time with these. Just get your piece to a better spot. For example, when your rook is attacked by a bishop, don’t move it to attack the bishop back. Move it to a good square. Not only you will get it to a better spot, but also you won’t risk blundering by moving the piece multiple times without thinking much.

Don’t panic: When low on time, play safe moves that don’t require too much thinking. When down material keep calculating and playing solidly. Many times you’ll be able to get back on your feet. And don’t forget your opponent will likely play worse in these situations: when you’re down on time he might play quickly to flag you, when you’re down on material he might think he has already won and concentrate less.

Malawi News:

Illovo Sugar Malawi says floods in Nkhotakota have heavily affected its operations. Managing Director Ronald Ngwira says machinery, sugarcane fields and other property were damaged.

NationOnline:

Damaged sections of the M5 road have also disrupted sugar transportation, despite the company having 73,000MT in stock to last until April. Ngwira warns prolonged rains up to May could affect production.

As it necessary? 👀are people no longer playing for the sake of tactic and strategy? Are they into playing perfect moves only until they win? I'm asking because I have received almost 17 resigns this week from fellow random chess players.

**🎉 JavaScript Turns 30 Years Old

Back in May 1995, a 33 year old Brendan Eich built the first prototype of JavaScript in just ten days, originally codenamed Mocha (and then LiveScript). On December 4, 1995, Netscape and Sun Microsystems officially announced 'JavaScript' in a press release as "an easy-to-use object scripting language designed for creating live online applications that link together objects and resources on both clients and servers."

Over thirty years, JavaScript has cemented its place at the heart of the Web platform, and more broadly in desktop apps, operating systems (e.g. Windows' use of React Native), mobile apps, and even on microcontrollers.**

**🎉 JavaScript Turns 30 Years Old

Back in May 1995, a 33 year old Brendan Eich built the first prototype of JavaScript in just ten days, originally codenamed Mocha (and then LiveScript). On December 4, 1995, Netscape and Sun Microsystems officially announced 'JavaScript' in a press release as "an easy-to-use object scripting language designed for creating live online applications that link together objects and resources on both clients and servers."

Over thirty years, JavaScript has cemented its place at the heart of the Web platform, and more broadly in desktop apps, operating systems (e.g. Windows' use of React Native), mobile apps, and even on microcontrollers.**

Got confused b4 I learned this for the first time LOL

Recommend me any good finance related projects that may try to solve an actual problem being faced in the industry now.

I'm new to Lemmy BTW.

Just want to make some friends