UBA Kenya reported a KES 217 million profit for the six months to June 30, 2026, reversing a KES 0.3 million loss in H1 2025, as net loans and advances to customers rose 762 percent from a year earlier, according to the bank’s unaudited half year results.
Net lending rose from KES 791.7 million in H1 2025 to KES 6.83 billion in H1 2026. Operating income rose 64 percent to KES 785 million. Interest income rose 76 percent to KES 840 million. Customer deposits rose 35 percent to KES 15.6 billion, and total assets rose 34 percent to KES 21.09 billion. The bank’s core capital to total deposit liabilities ratio rose to 19.9 percent, above the minimum set by the Central Bank of Kenya.
H1 2026 Results at a Glance
| Metric | H1 2025 | H1 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profit after tax | KES 0.3 million loss | KES 217 million | Return to profit |
| Operating income | Not disclosed | KES 785 million | Up 64% |
| Interest income | Not disclosed | KES 840 million | Up 76% |
| Net loans and advances | KES 791.7 million | KES 6.83 billion | Up 762% |
| Customer deposits | Not disclosed | KES 15.6 billion | Up 35% |
| Total assets | Not disclosed | KES 21.09 billion | Up 34% |
| Core capital to deposits ratio | Not disclosed | 19.9% | Up 55% |
Source: UBA Kenya unaudited H1 2026 financial statements
Lending Trend Traced Through Q1
UBA Kenya’s first quarter results, released in June, showed the same trend. Net loans and advances stood at KES 7.24 billion at the end of March 2026, up 762 percent from KES 839.8 million a year earlier, alongside a swing to a KES 120.9 million pretax profit from a KES 12.3 million loss in Q1 2025.
For SME borrowers, working capital determines whether an order is fulfilled or turned away. Suppliers require payment before goods move. Payroll falls due before invoices clear. Stock has to be bought ahead of peak season. A bank that extends credit at scale addresses that gap.
UBA operates in 20 African countries plus the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the United Arab Emirates, and is the only sub Saharan African bank licensed to take deposits in the US. A Kenyan exporter banking with UBA can draw on financing for shipping, warehousing and documentation to move goods into other African markets, a route trade frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area are opening.
Deposits and Capital Fund the Lending
Customer deposits, up 35 percent to KES 15.6 billion, gave the bank a funding base to lend against. UBA Kenya has previously drawn on external funding lines for SME lending, including a $282 million facility the bank secured in 2024from a consortium of development finance institutions.
Capital has also grown. UBA’s parent, United Bank for Africa Plc, increased its stake in the Kenyan subsidiary to 94 percent in 2024, putting KES 11.52 billion into the local business as part of a wider capital injection across its African units.
Comparison With Other Kenyan Lenders
UBA Kenya’s results follow a run of Kenyan bank and insurer half year reports in 2026. Family Bank’s H1 2026 profit rose 62 percent following its listing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. KCB Group’s profit before tax rose 21 percent to KES 49.3 billion over the same period.
Old Mutual Holdings reported an H1 2026 profit of KES 882 million, reversing a loss reported a year earlier. UBA Kenya’s growth starts from a smaller base than these lenders, with net loans of KES 6.83 billion against loan books in the tens or hundreds of billions of shillings at the larger banks.
