The electronic crystal ball has shown me two words: "pedicab gout". Ugh! I click "search again". It shows me "Lusaka acquisition". Sounds a little more pleasant. I see an African city...ah, Lusaka is a city. I see money money money! I'm sure glad I clicked "search again"! The future becomes clear...in a round about way.

Our journey begins in India, where it appears that the banking industry is about to see a round of consolidation. The way has been opened for foreign banks to open wholly owned subsidiaries, and to acquire controlling shares of local banks. So, what does banking in India have to do with the price of rice in Zambia? Nothing. But I foresee that it will influence the price of banking in Zambia.

I foresee Indo-Zambia Bank Ltd. in Lusaka will raise it's banking fees to help fund acquisitions in India. I see customers protesting that if the acquisitions make good business sense, they should result in reduced fees. I see them surrounding the bank and chanting "Show me the rupee! Show me the rupee!" A junior bank official will make an ill-advised attempt at humor by emerging from the front door and holding up a rupee for the crowd to see, whereupon the crowd will riot, breaking the windows of the bank before the police arrive and restore order.

Can this future be avoided? Yes, but not by instructing bank officials not to respond to the crowds or by removing all the rupees from the bank. The official in question will bring his own rupee and ignore the instructions of his superiors. I foresee that the only way to avoid riots is to create additional fees with incomprehensible names rather than raising existing fees.