(NAIROBI, KENYA) – Four Kenyan lenders, KCB Group, Equity Group, Co-operative Bank of Kenya and Stanbic Holdings, have been included among the world’s best performing banks in the latest Forbes ranking.
The institutions were assessed using financial information, desk research and data provided directly by participating banks.
To qualify, Kenyan lenders had to be licensed deposit taking institutions with lending to retail or corporate customers as part of their core operations. They also needed to use nationally recognised and reconcilable accounting standards, publish audited financial statements for their latest completed financial year, provide at least three consecutive years of financial data and hold assets worth more than $3 billion (KES 388 billion / GBP 2.4 billion).
Forbes assessed the banks across four major categories. Profitability carried the highest weighting at 30%, followed by capital and funding resilience at 25%, asset quality and efficiency at 25%, and growth and earnings quality at 20%.
The profitability assessment included indicators such as return on average assets, cost to income ratio and net interest margin.
Growth and earnings quality were measured through factors including earnings growth, earnings stability and the rate at which customer deposits increased over a three year period.
Capital and funding resilience was assessed using measures such as the equity ratio and loan to deposit ratio, while asset quality and efficiency focused on credit performance, risk management and the strength of banks’ balance sheets.
The global ranking evaluated 500 banks from 89 countries and grouped them into six tiers according to their total assets.
The first tier consisted of global banks with assets exceeding $500 billion (KES 64.7 trillion). Tier 2 covered banks with between $100 billion and $500 billion (KES 12.9 trillion to KES 64.7 trillion), while Tier 3 included institutions holding $50 billion to $100 billion (KES 6.5 trillion to KES 12.9 trillion) in assets.
Tier 4 comprised mid sized banks with assets ranging from $20 billion to $50 billion (KES 2.6 trillion to KES 6.5 trillion). Tier 5 covered lenders with $10 billion to $20 billion (KES 1.3 trillion to KES 2.6 trillion), while Tier 6 included smaller banks with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion (KES 388 billion to KES 1.3 trillion).
The recognition comes as Kenyan banks continue to post strong financial results, helped by rising interest and non interest income.
Equity Group recorded a 32% rise in profit after tax to KES 45.5 billion ($351 million / GBP 276 million) for the six months ending 30th June 2026.
Co-operative Bank also reported strong growth, with its profit after tax increasing by 28% to KES 18 billion ($139 million / GBP 109 million) in the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
KCB Group, which was separately profiled in the inaugural Forbes World’s Top Performing Banks 2026, posted a record KES 68.4 billion ($527 million / GBP 415 million) net profit for the 2025 financial year, an 11% increase. Its total revenue rose to KES 211.8 billion ($1.6 billion / GBP 1.3 billion), while total assets expanded to KES 2.15 trillion ($16.6 billion / GBP 13.1 billion). Net loans stood at KES 1.15 trillion ($8.9 billion / GBP 7 billion) and customer deposits at KES 1.59 trillion ($12.3 billion / GBP 9.7 billion). The bank’s return on equity stood at 22.5%, while net interest margin was 7.7%. Loans grew by 16.3% and deposits by 15.2%.
Stanbic Holdings, the fourth Kenyan lender on the list, has also maintained a strong presence in the regional banking sector, with its parent company Standard Bank Group continuing to invest in digital banking and corporate lending across East Africa.
The Forbes ranking noted the prominence of African lenders, with Zimbabwe’s CBZ topping the $100 to $500 billion large bank tier, while Egypt’s CIB took second place in the $20 to $50 billion mid sized category. KCB’s inclusion adds Kenya to a select group of African institutions demonstrating that scale, profitability and resilience can compete favourably on a global financial benchmark.
The recognition is significant for the four Kenyan banks as they present themselves as regional institutions, with subsidiaries outside Kenya contributing heavily to their profitability. Nearly 30% of KCB’s 2025 net profit came from subsidiaries outside KCB Bank Kenya, while the group continues to expand its digital lending and regional franchise.
Kenyan banks have benefited from a stable macroeconomic environment, with the Central Bank of Kenya holding its benchmark interest rate at 8.75% since February 2026 and commercial bank lending rates easing slightly to 14.39% in July. The sector has also seen rising non interest income from digital banking, mobile money and insurance services.
The Forbes World’s Top Performing Banks 2026 ranking was produced in partnership with market research firm Statista and covered 500 banks from 89 countries. The methodology used audited financial performance, data providers including S&P Capital IQ, desk research and information submitted by banks.