Here's a great list of the most important and the biggest banks in Kenya. You can find out all the necessary information about any Kenyan bank.

1. TOP-10 Biggest
Banks in Kenya

2. In the last decade, the Kenyan banking sector
has achieved monumental growth and even
expanded into the East African region. One of
the things that led to this growth was the shift
from typical traditional banking systems to
automation and local adaptation. Another push
was the emergence of foreign banks in the
banking sector.
The Central bank of Kenya oversees the entire banking
sector. In a brief overview, there are 44 main banking
institutions in Kenya, 31 are locally-owned banks while 13
of them are foreign-owned. The locally-owned institutions
include 3 banks that the government has shares in, 1
mortgage financial institution, and the remainder are 27
commercial banks.
The biggest banks in Kenya are:

3. The government-owned National Bank of Kenya was established in 1968
and is one of the largest banks in Kenya. It was initially formed to
empower Kenyans after independence and enable them to access credit
and control their economy. In 2019, it became a subsidiary of the Kenya
Commercial Bank Grop. The bank has the largest assets in Kenya which
amount to over $7 billion.
1. National Bank of Kenya

4. Kenya Commercial Bank was established in 2015 with its headquarters in
Nairobi. It is better known as KCB Bank and it promises to bring banking
to many Kenyans who might remain unbanked. It grew rapidly and now it
has the largest banking network in Kenya with a total of 168 branches.
This bank has assets that amount to more than $3.5 billion.
2. Kenya Commerical Bank

5. Equity Bank Kenya Limited was established in 2014, it has 38 branches
and several offices in Nairobi. It has expanded its subsidiaries to countries
such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda, and Uganda. Therefore has
a huge customer base in East Africa which is estimated to be 9.2 million.
The bank has an immense network of 173 branches in Kenya alone.
3. Equity Bank

6. Co-operative Bank of Kenya was established in 1965. It is one of the
banks that use the unique Agency banking model. It was once awarded
Best Bank of Kenya by the London Financial Times. The bank is
estimated to have over 7.5 million accounts. It has the second-largest
customer base in the country. Like many banks, it has its headquarters in
Nairobi. The bank is also listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
4. Cooperative Bank

7. Diamond Trust Bank Kenya is a key subsidiary of the Diamond Trust Bank
Group which has a number of businesses in Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi,
and Rwanda. In 2018, it was the fifth-largest commercial bank and it
serves as the flagship bank of the Diamond Trust Bank Group. The mega
banking group is estimated to have over 100 branches in East Africa.
5. Diamond Trust Bank of Kenya

8. Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited is the oldest bank in Kenya has been in
the country for over 100 years. It was the first foreign bank in Kenya when it was
founded in 1911. It is officially regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya. It is also a
known subsidiary of Standard Chartered PLC incorporated in England and Wales
which has 75% shares in the bank. It has a banking network of 36 branches. The
bank has won many awards, especially in digital and mobile banking.
6. Standard Chartered Bank

9. Barclays Bank Kenya was established in 1916 not long after Standard
Chartered. It is one of the leading banks and parts of the Absa Group Limited
which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa. The bank
has 121 branches as well as assets of over $2.5 billion. The bank promises to
have a positive impact while providing the best wealth management solutions to
meet local challenges.
7. Barclays Bank

10. Stanbic Bank is a Standard Bank Group Division (based in Johannesburg, South Africa) and currently
Kenya’s sixth-largest bank licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya to contribute banking services to the
growing economy of Kenya.
It has a total number of 24 branches that span across major towns in the country and also trading in other
African countries like Botswana, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Congo, Zambia, South Sudan, and
Uganda. Financial services including corporate and investment banking, mortgages, credit cards,
business, and personal banking offering services to small-to-medium firms and individuals are the day-to-
day services provided by the bank.
8. Stanbic Bank

11. National Industrial Credit Bank is a commercial bank which was founded in 1959 with 42 branches
across the country, contributing loans, investments, savings, credit cards, transaction accounts,
and debit card services to the banking industry in Kenya since it made its shift from a non-bank
financial institution to a regional full-service bank. With an approximate number of 26,000
shareholders, the bank is valued at about $4.88 billion in total asset base in 2019, September.
The bank also maintains 5 other branches in Tanzania and 3 in Uganda and has an establishment
of Strategic Business Units that further the institution’s provision of financial products and services..
9. NIC Bank

12. I&M Bank was founded in 1974 as a community financial company that transitioned to a commercial bank
in 1996 contributing services to small and large businesses and corporations as well as premium
individual customers.
Maintaining a network of 42 branches across Kenya with each branch having an on-site ATM, valued at
$2.52 billion in assets and $424 million in shareholder equity and active international operations in 3 other
countries. It includes Asset finance, Internet banking, Diaspora Banking, Mobile Banking, and Wealth
Management as some of its specialties.
10. I&M Bank

13. Collectively these banks have been stern in contribution to Kenya’s well-developed financial sector which
contributed 7% to GDP in 2016. Making it possible for Kenya to be recognized as a world leader in mobile
money technology through innovations like the Agent Banking Model which functions by allowing commercial
banks and deposit-taking Microfinance institutions contract third party retail networks as Banking Agents
delivering approved financial services on their behalf through the process of application, vetting, and approval.
It has since reported significant growth reaching 96% with Equity Bank recording an average number of
20,000 agents recruited since its introduction.
- Conclusion

14. Kenya’s Commercial banking sector is one of largest in Sub Saharan Africa placing fourth after South Africa,
Nigeria, and Mauritius and is the central catalyst to Kenya’s GDP growth. Records reflect that Between
January 2016 and March 2017, the banking sub-sector has accounted for a 60% asset total in the financial
services sector.
It’s been key in the creation of jobs, taxes, wealth facilitation, and credit access — accounting for 25% of the
total loan portfolio and Government profit from tax revenue from these banks, earning over KSH 143 billion in
tax returns between 2016/17 – 2017/18 financial years. These banks are the countries’ regional leaders that
have a growing influence in the country’s economic diversification.
- Conclusion

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