• Equity Group reports 75.5 billion shillings profit, up 55%

• Growth driven by regional subsidiaries and digital banking expansion

• Board raises dividend payout 35.3% after strong performance

Equity Group Holdings, the Kenyan financial services conglomerate, reported an after-tax profit of 75.5 billion shillings (approximately $582.6 million) for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025, up 55% from 2024. The group credited strong performances by its African banking subsidiaries and a deepening shift toward online banking.

Equity Bank Kenya remained the group's primary revenue driver, with profit rising 63% to 39.2 billion shillings.

Regional subsidiaries also contributed significantly to the improvement in profitability during the period. The group's Democratic Republic of Congo unit posted a 58% increase in profit to 24.7 billion shillings, while Equity Bank Uganda saw its profit surge 300% to 3.6 billion shillings. Subsidiaries in Rwanda and Tanzania also recorded solid growth, with profits reaching 5.4 billion shillings and 2.7 billion shillings, respectively.

"The 2025 performance reflects the success of our deliberate transformation into a diversified, regional financial services group. We delivered strong profit growth by expanding and deepening our income streams, improving efficiency across the franchise, and strengthening the quality of our balance sheet," Group Chief Executive James Mwangi said. "Importantly, our regional subsidiaries now contribute about half of our banking profitability, demonstrating the value of our pan-African footprint and the resilience that comes from diversification," he added.

The group's net banking income, which also operates in the Kenyan insurance sector, rose 12% to 217.7 billion shillings. Operational efficiency improved markedly, with the cost-to-income ratio declining from 58.2% to 51%, driven in part by an accelerated digital transition. Approximately 88.4% of customer transactions were conducted digitally. Loan loss provisions fell 28%, while non-performing loan coverage strengthened to 67.7%, supported by a 1.7 percentage-point decline in the cost of risk.

In light of the strong results, Equity Group's board of directors approved a 35.3% increase in dividends to shareholders for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025, bringing the total payout to 21.7 billion shillings compared with 2024.

Walid Kéfi