Economics and statistics

Eswatini is a small open economy closely linked to South Africa through trade and finance.

Supporting industries - sugar and agribusiness, light industry/export zones, services and the public sector; the budget is sensitive to fluctuations in transfers under SACU and external fuel/food prices.

The currency is pegged to the South African rand, which translates external inflation and exchange rate cycles.

Unemployment and informal employment are high, tourism is spot-on (resorts/events).

The payment environment is mixed: cash dominates everyday life, but cards and mobile wallets (operator solutions) are gaining a share; gambling merchants under strict KYC/AML requirements.

The gambling sector is compact and concentrated offline (casinos and bets from licensed operators), the contribution to GDP and employment is moderate; revenue is sensitive to seasonality of tourist flow and calendar of events.

The online vertical is formally unlicensed, so market statistics come from offline and regulatory reporting.

• Macro: GDP (nominal/per capita), inflation, unemployment, the share of SACU transfers in budget revenues, exports/imports, tourist flow and hotel occupancy.
• Payments: cash vs cards vs mobile money, share of cashless transactions in entertainment
• Gambling: GGR/NGR by verticals (casino/betting/lottery), tax burden, number of licenses and jobs, average check, seasonality (months/events), RG indicators (self-exclusion, limits), compliance incidents.