Record Capital: Africa's Top 100 Banks Hold KSh 20.10T as Kenyan Lenders Enter TableRecord Capital: Africa's Top 100 Banks Hold KSh 20.10T as Kenyan Lenders Enter Table

The 2026 ranking by African Business puts the figure 23% above the KSh 16.36T ($126.1B) recorded a year earlier and above the 2022 high of KSh 17.55T ($135.3B). Combined assets rose 16% to KSh 233.46T ($1.8T). More capital gives banks room to absorb losses and to lend, although the ranking does not show how much of it is reaching borrowers.

Capital growth led by South African and North African lenders

Standard Bank leads the table with Tier 1 capital of KSh 2.04T ($15.7B), up 19% from KSh 1.71T ($13.2B), and assets of KSh 28.24T ($217.7B). Operations outside its home market generated 40% of group headline earnings, and first-half 2026 headline earnings rose 10% to R26.1B (KSh 207.52B, or $1.6B), with a return on equity of 22%.

National Bank of Egypt ranks second with KSh 1.36T ($10.5B), up from KSh 0.95T ($7.3B), followed by Attijariwafa Bank of Morocco at KSh 1.00T ($7.68B) and South Africa's FirstRand at KSh 848.24B ($6.54B). The top 14 banks come from just four countries: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria.

By region, North Africa holds KSh 9.14T ($70.5B), up 21%, and Southern Africa KSh 6.20T ($47.8B), up 17%. West and Central Africa grew fastest, up 32% to KSh 2.54T ($19.6B), while East Africa reached KSh 2.19T ($16.9B) on what the ranking calls modest growth.

Kenyan lenders enter the table as Nigerian banks recapitalise

National Bank of Kenya makes its debut at 38th place, and I&M Bank enters at 41st. National Bank of Kenya changed hands in May 2025, when Access Bank completed its purchase of the lender from KCB Group, according to the ranking.

As Mwenendo earlier reported on the Absa markets index, African financial markets scored at a ten-year high, a backdrop that fits the capital gains in the bank table.

Nigerian banks in the top 100 lifted combined Tier 1 capital to KSh 1.97T ($15.2B) from KSh 1.34T ($10.3B). The Central Bank of Nigeria set minimum capital of ₦500B (about KSh 48.64B, or $375M) for banks with an international licence, and 30 banks met the thresholds before the 31 March deadline.

UBA climbed five places to 15th with capital of KSh 350.19B ($2.7B), while Access Bank slipped from 14th to 17th. Zenith fell four places to 20th despite adding KSh 77.82B ($600M) of capital. Stanbic IBTC jumped from 80th to 45th as its capital rose from KSh 37.61B ($290M) to KSh 95.33B ($735M).

What the entry threshold and the Kenyan reading show

The bar for a place in the top 100 rose to KSh 35.93B ($277M) from KSh 28.79B ($222M), set by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Egypt. Capitec Bank rose eight places to 14th with capital of KSh 347.60B ($2.68B) and more than 25.8 million active clients, a sign that retail-led lenders are gaining ground.

For Kenyan readers, the ranking is a measure of balance-sheet strength rather than lending. Mwenendo reported earlier on how the Central Bank of Kenya held its benchmark rate at 8.75% on 7 October, and borrowing costs will decide whether bigger capital buffers turn into cheaper credit.

The ranking uses Tier 1 capital converted to US dollars, so currency moves affect each bank's position as well as its profits.