Equity Bank emerged as the best bank in Kenya at this year’s Think Business Banking Awards for the eighth time. Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi also scooped the CEO of the Year Award for the third time.
The Think Business Banking Awards have been held annually since 2006. The awards are won on a combination of merits, including financial soundness, opinion polls, market research and professional assessments. The overall winner, The Best Bank in Kenya, is usually the bank with an all-round appeal.
Equity Bank this time around bagged 18 awards, garnering the top slots in 12 categories – Best Bank in Tier 1, Best Bank with the lowest charges for Individuals, The Most Customer-Centric Bank, Best Bank in Mobile Banking, Best Bank in Internet Banking, Best Bank in Agency Banking, Best Bank in Product Marketing, Best Bank in SME Banking, Best Bank in Agriculture and Livestock Financing, Best Commercial Bank in Micro Finance, Best Bank in CSR, and Best Bank in Digital Banking. The bank also emerged first runners-up in three categories; Best Bank in Trade Financing, Best Bank in Retail Banking, and Best Bank in Mortgage Finance. It was second runners-up in Best Banking in Corporate Banking.
Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi, had this to say, “These awards are a validation of the sustained effort and expertise we have put in towards ensuring that as many of our people are able to access banking through the development of technologically-led solutions that will truly benefit the real economy. “
Other winners at the awards include; Barclays Bank of Kenya which was named the best lender in asset financing. ABC Bank won in the category for lenders with the lowest charges for individuals while Stanbic Bank was named the best in mortgage-financing. Credit Bank emerged as the best bank in its category — Tier III — and the second runners up in the SME banking category. Sumak Micro Finance bank was named the best microfinance bank in livestock and agriculture financing. Maisha MicroFinance Bank, the first micro lender to launch a mobile money savings and loan product backed by Airtel in 2017 also won in the product innovation category for micro-financiers.