The African Banker Awards 2025: Equity Bank Named Best Regional Bank In East Africa
Zemedeneh Negatu, Chairman of the Washington, DC-based capital investment fund, Fairfax Africa Fund, LLC (Left) hands over an award for Best Regional Bank - East Africa to Equity Bank Kenya Head of Women and Youth Banking, Dr. Silpah Owich (Right) at the 2025 African Banker Awards held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Equity Bank has been named Best Regional Bank in East Africa at the 2025 African Banker Awards held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This prestigious award highlights the Bank’s significant role in deepening financial inclusion, empowering communities, and promoting sustainable economic development across East Africa.
Equity Bank’s recognition is a reflection of its impactful presence across the region, driven by a purpose-led approach, customer-centric innovation, and strong support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The award affirms the growing influence of regional financial institutions in shaping the continent’s economic future.
Equity Group Managing Director and CEO, Dr. James Mwangi said “We are deeply honoured by this recognition. This award is a testament to our commitment to delivering transformative financial services that empower individuals, businesses, and communities across East and Central Africa. It validates our regional expansion model and is aligned with our Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, which seeks to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient economies across the continent by supporting sectors that drive growth particularly agriculture, manufacturing, mining and natural resources, MSMEs, health, education, and clean energy.”
The African Banker Awards, now in their 19th year, celebrate excellence and innovation in African banking. Supported by the African Development Bank and partners such as the African Guarantee Fund, the awards recognize institutions and leaders that have significantly contributed to the continent’s financial sector over the past year.
Speaking during the ceremony, Omar Ben Yedder, Chair of the Awards Committee, emphasized the pivotal role of African financial institutions: “Thomas Sankara once said, ‘The ones who feed you, rule you.’ In today’s context, we might say, ‘The ones who finance you, empower you.’ Strong African-owned banks are critical to scaling development and banks like Equity are at the forefront of that mission.”
“Equity created its reputation by disrupting and democratizing banking to achieve financial inclusion. Under the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Group has pivoted to drive development financing for Africa’s socio-economic transformation through trade and investments by the private sector, with national governments providing the enabling environment and stable macroeconomic climate necessary for wealth creation,” added Dr. Mwangi.
Equity Group operates in six African markets Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a representative office in Ethiopia, serving over 22 million customers. Through its integrated financial services and commitment to shared prosperity, Equity continues to lead as a catalyst for regional transformation.
Equity Group Holdings Plc. is a Pan-African financial services holding company listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange, and Rwanda Stock Exchange. The Group has banking subsidiaries in Kenya, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and a Commercial Representative Office in Ethiopia. It has other subsidiaries in investment banking, insurance, telecom, fintech and social impact investments. Equity Group is the largest integrated financial services firm in the region with a market capitalization of USD1.37 Billion.
The Group has an asset base of USD 13.5 Billion, a customer base of 22.4 million supported by a footprint of 402 branches, 85,827 Agents, over 1.1 million Pay with Equity (PWE) merchants, 37,825 Point-of-Sale (POS) Merchants, 896 ATMs and an extensive adoption of digital banking channel. The Bank’s strong brand recognition, solid liquidity buffers and resilient funding profile, established domestic franchise and extensive adoption of digital and alternative distribution channels have earned it the honor of being the Second Strongest Financial Brand on Earth in 2024 by Brand Finance. It was also ranked the strongest bank in Africa and 10th most valuable banking brand in Africa, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) of 92.5 out of 100 and a brand ranking score of AAA+, the highest rating that a brand can attain.
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