Which Kenyan Bank Made the Biggest Half-Year Profit? KCB, Equity, Co-op & Others Compared [Full List]

Kenya’s largest banks have reported billions of shillings in profits for the first half of 2026, with Equity Group, KCB Group and Co-operative Bank posting strong earnings growth despite changes in interest income, credit costs and operating expenses.

Equity Group recorded the highest profit before tax among the lenders whose results have been released, reporting KSh57.8 billion for the six months ended June 2026, a 39 per cent increase from KSh41.5 billion recorded during the same period last year.

KCB Group followed with a KSh49.32 billion profit before tax, representing a 20.8 per cent increase from the previous year.

Co-operative Bank reported KSh23.1 billion in profit before tax, while Diamond Trust Bank recorded KSh9.84 billion. Stanbic Bank Kenya posted KSh9.09 billion, while Sidian Bank reported KSh2.15 billion.

The results show continued growth across the banking sector, with lenders benefiting from increased lending, non-interest income, lower credit impairment in some cases and improved cost management.

Equity Group

Equity Group’s profit before tax increased by 39 per cent to KSh57.8 billion, up from KSh41.5 billion in the first half of 2025.

Profit after tax rose by 32 per cent to KSh45.5 billion, compared with KSh34.6 billion a year earlier.

The group attributed the increase to improved balance sheet quality and growth, stronger contributions from its regional subsidiaries and higher non-funded income.

Equity’s net interest income increased by 17 per cent to KSh69.3 billion, from KSh59.3 billion.

Loan-loss provisions stood at KSh6.5 billion, down from KSh6.9 billion in the first half of 2025.

The group operates across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

KCB Group

KCB Group became the second Kenyan banking group to cross KSh100 billion in half-year operating income, with income rising 9.5 per cent to a record KSh108.09 billion.

Profit before tax increased by 20.8 per cent to KSh49.32 billion, supported by higher funded and non-funded income, lower credit impairment and improved cost efficiency.

Profit after tax rose by 14 per cent to KSh36.87 billion, from KSh32.33 billion in the first half of 2025.

Profit attributable to shareholders increased by 14.5 per cent to KSh36.07 billion.

KCB’s balance sheet expanded by 16.8 per cent to KSh2.30 trillion, compared with KSh746.52 billion in the first half of 2019.

Net interest income rose 7 percent to KSh74 billion.

The bank said interest expenses declined by 2.9 per cent to KSh30.46 billion as it repriced high-cost deposits, helping reduce its cost of funds to 3.4 per cent from 3.9 per cent.

The slower growth in net profit compared with pre-tax earnings was partly attributed to a 46 per cent increase in the tax charge to KSh12.46 billion.

KCB’s board raised the interim dividend by 50 per cent to KSh3 per share, translating to a payout of KSh9.64 billion.

Co-operative Bank

Co-operative Bank recorded its best-ever half-year performance, with profit before tax rising 17.3 per cent to KSh23.1 billion, from KSh19.7 billion in the first half of 2025.

Profit after tax increased by 28 per cent to KSh18 billion, compared with KSh14.1 billion a year earlier.

Operating income rose 12.5 per cent to KSh48.9 billion, supported by growth in interest income and non-funded income.

Net interest income increased by 13 per cent to KSh33.2 billion.

The bank’s total assets grew by 7.1 per cent to KSh869.5 billion, from KSh811.9 billion in the same period last year.

Customer deposits increased by 11.2 per cent to KSh623.2 billion, while net loans and advances rose 18.1 per cent to KSh462.2 billion.

Absa Bank Kenya

Absa Bank Kenya recorded KSh10.5 billion in profit after tax for the six months ended June 30, 2026.

Profit before tax dropped 15.8 per cent to KSh14.15 billion, from KSh16.80 billion a year earlier, while net interest income declined 5.4 per cent to KSh21.14 billion.

The lender reported growth in both customer assets and deposits during the period.

Customer assets increased by eight per cent to KSh329.9 billion, while customer deposits grew by five per cent to KSh380.7 billion.

Total assets rose to KSh558.1 billion, while return on equity stood at 21.7 per cent.

The bank reported capital adequacy of 19.4 per cent and liquidity reserves of 42.7 per cent.

Total revenue increased to KSh29.3 billion, comprising KSh21.1 billion in net interest income and KSh8.2 billion in non-interest income.

Income from subsidiaries, including asset management, custody services and bancassurance, increased by 20 per cent.

Also Read: Equity Group Profit Jumps 32% to KSh45.5 Billion

Diamond Trust Bank

Diamond Trust Bank Group recorded a 37 per cent increase in profit before tax to KSh9.84 billion in the first half of 2026.

Gross operating income increased by 20.9 per cent to KSh26.51 billion, while operating expenses rose by 5.9 per cent to KSh12.24 billion.

The stronger revenue growth helped lift operating profit before provisions by 36.8 per cent to KSh14.27 billion.

DTB’s cost-to-income ratio improved to 46 per cent from 52.4 per cent a year earlier.

Net interest income increased by 26.4 per cent to KSh20.04 billion, driven by lower funding costs and growth in lending.

The lender said net interest margin widened to 6.8 per cent from 6.6 per cent.

DTB also plans to expand its branch network, targeting 100 branches in Kenya and 163 across East Africa by December.

The bank plans to increase lending to retail, business banking and mid-corporate customers while expanding its presence in agriculture, education and public-sector ecosystems.

Stanbic Bank Kenya

Stanbic Bank Kenya reported a profit before tax of KSh9.09 billion, an 8.2 per cent increase from the first half of 2025.

Profit after tax rose by 1.3 per cent to KSh6.48 billion, while total operating income increased by 1.6 per cent to KSh19.38 billion.

The lender benefited from a 45.6 per cent decline in loan-loss provisions to KSh880 million.

Net loans and advances expanded by 24.7 per cent to KSh290.63 billion, while gross non-performing loans declined by 5.1 per cent to KSh22.73 billion.

Customer deposits increased by 23 per cent to KSh426.66 billion, while total assets rose by 27.5 per cent to KSh592.40 billion.

Stanbic’s proposed dividend declined by 56.7 per cent to KSh3.82 per share, from KSh8.82 previously.

Also Read: KCB Secures KSh12.9 Billion to Support Kenyan Businesses and Create Jobs

Standard Chartered Bank Kenya

Standard Chartered Bank Kenya reported a 12.1 per cent decline in profit before tax to KSh9.59 billion in the first half of 2026, down from KSh10.90 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Profit after tax fell 16.8 per cent to KSh6.73 billion, compared with KSh8.09 billion in the first half of 2025.

The decline came as total operating income fell 8.8 per cent to KSh20.14 billion, despite a 15.9 per cent increase in non-interest income to KSh7.87 billion.

Net interest income declined 19.8 per cent to KSh12.27 billion, from KSh15.30 billion a year earlier. Total interest income also fell 17.5 per cent to KSh14.20 billion.

Total operating expenses declined by 5.7 per cent to KSh10.55 billion, although staff costs increased by 9.7 per cent to KSh4.85 billion.

Sidian Bank

Sidian Bank recorded one of the fastest profit growth rates among the lenders, with profit before tax increasing by 57.7 per cent to KSh2.15 billion.

Profit for the half year rose by 82.4 per cent to KSh1.72 billion, while operating income increased by 48.8 per cent to KSh8.11 billion.

The strong earnings growth came alongside a sharp increase in credit costs.

Loan-loss provisions rose nearly fivefold to KSh2.44 billion, making credit quality a key issue as the lender expands its balance sheet.

Net interest income increased by 21.6 per cent to KSh4.43 billion, although interest expenses rose by 88.7 per cent to KSh4.80 billion.

Non-interest income more than doubled to KSh3.67 billion, from KSh1.80 billion, accounting for about 45 per cent of operating income.

Sidian’s core capital nearly doubled to KSh12.01 billion, while total capital increased to KSh13.59 billion.

Half-Year Banking Results at a Glance

The half-year results point to continued expansion among Kenya’s major lenders, although the performance has not been uniform.

Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.