Author: Muindi

Equity Group Holdings has obtained regulatory approval to launch an asset management business, the lender’s Group Managing Director Dr James Mwangi said at the bank’s half year investor briefing, adding a new business line to a group that already spans banking, insurance and technology across six African markets. Mwangi confirmed the licence had been secured and that the business is now in its setup phase, responding to a shareholder question on the status of the project. “The market wants high earning assets as opposed to savings,” Mwangi said, describing a shift among the bank’s customer base away from traditional deposit…

Diamond Trust Bank Kenya has reported a pretax profit of KSh 9.8 billion for the six months to June 30, 2026, a 37 percent jump from the same period last year. The regional lender’s turnaround strategy is now delivering results across its three markets, with revenue climbing 21 percent on the back of stronger interest income and a rapidly expanding digital customer base. The results mark one of the strongest half year performances in the bank’s 80 year history and build on a full year 2025 that saw pretax profit rise 26 percent to KSh 13.5 billion, with profit after…

Standard Chartered Bank Kenya posted a profit after tax of KES 6.73 billion for the first half of 2026, down 16.8% from KES 8.09 billion in the same period last year, as falling interest rates squeezed lending margins even as the balance sheet grew. Profit before tax fell 12.1% to KES 9.58 billion. Earnings per share dropped 17% to KES 17.58. The board declared an interim dividend of KES 8.50 per share, up 6.3% from KES 8.00 a year earlier. Interest income keeps sliding as CBK rate cuts bite Net interest income fell 19.8% to KES 12.27 billion, the line…

Sidian Bank expanded its profit after tax by 82.4% to KSh 1.72 billion for the half-year ended 30 June 2026, up from KSh 0.94 billion in the same period last year. Profit before tax rose 57.7% to KSh 2.15 billion, buoyed by non-funded income streams and higher yields on public debt holdings. Non-interest income expanded 103.8% to KSh 3.68 billion, propelling total operating income up 48.8% to KSh 8.11 billion. This shift reflects recent institutional mandates, including primary banking collections for county governments and public revenue agencies, which broadened fee collection and liquidity intake. The bank continued allocation into risk-free…

Family Bank Limited shares climbed 81% between June 23 and July 31, 2026, rising from KES 18.00 to KES 32.50 and lifting the lender’s market capitalisation from KES 29.9 billion to KES 54.0 billion. The rally followed the bank’s debut on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and coincided with unaudited first half results showing group profit after tax up 62% year on year. From OTC to NSE Family Bank listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange on June 23, 2026, by way of introduction, meaning no new shares were issued and no capital was raised. The bank moved 1.66 billion existing shares…

The Central Bank of Kenya has opened a new payment channel for government securities. Investors can now settle successful bids for Treasury bills and bonds through M-Pesa, moving up to Sh250,000 directly from their phones. The update inside DhowCSD, the digital platform CBK built to let ordinary Kenyans buy and manage government securities without going through a broker. Until now, settling a winning bid meant a separate trip to a bank or a manual transfer. M-Pesa closes that gap. How the Payment Works Investors initiate payment from the Transactions tab inside the DhowCSD mobile app or web portal, then complete…