NCBA Group PLC has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2026 posting a profit after tax of Ksh. 6.0 billion. This is a 9% increase compared to the Ksh. 5.5 billion the company recorded during the same period in 2025.
The growth underscores the successful initial rollout of the Group’s new 2026–2030 corporate strategy, built around its purpose-driven Ubuntu culture. Meanwhile, the bank noted that its highly anticipated transaction with Nedbank Group Limited is progressing seamlessly and remains on track.
Key financial performance highlights (Q1 2026)
The table below outlines NCBA Group’s core performance metrics for the first quarter ending March 2026, alongside their respective year-on-year (YoY) growth trajectories:
| Financial Metric | Q1 2026 Performance | Year-on-Year (YoY) Growth |
| Operating Income | Ksh. 20.0 Billion | +15.0% |
| Profit Before Tax (PBT) | Ksh. 8.4 Billion | +9.0% |
| Profit After Tax (PAT) | Ksh. 6.0 Billion | +9.0% |
| Operating Expenses | Ksh. 9.7 Billion | +9.0% |
| Provision for Credit Losses | Ksh. 2.5 Billion | +56.0% |
| Digital Loans Disbursed | Ksh. 391.0 Billion | +27.0% |
| Customer Deposits | Ksh. 544.0 Billion | +10.0% |
| Total Assets | Ksh. 741.0 Billion | +13.0% |
Reflecting on the Q1 results, NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora expressed satisfaction with the quarter’s execution, stating:
“I am pleased to report that the Group has delivered a strong start to our new strategy anchored on four pillars: Fortifying the Core, Scaling High-Growth Segments, Unlocking New Growth Frontiers, and Powered by a Future Ready Ubuntu purpose-driven culture. The Group delivered strong topline momentum… reflecting sustained business growth, improved revenue diversification, and continued resilience across core operating segments.”
Despite the macroeconomic pressures impacting regional credit markets, the bank chose to fortify its balance sheet. Impairment charges (provisions for credit losses) rose by 56% to Ksh. 2.5 billion. Gachora attributed this to a “prudent approach to credit risk assessment given the heightened volatile operating environment.”
NCBA’s capital base remains exceptionally healthy, with a total capital adequacy ratio of 21.8%, comfortably exceeding the central bank’s statutory minimum of 14.5%. The Group’s Return on Average Equity (ROAE) stabilized at 18.4%.
Subsidiary performance
- NCBA Bank Kenya: Reaffirmed its role as the primary engine of profitability, growing its Profit Before Tax (PBT) by 20% year-on-year to hit Ksh. 6.5 billion.
- Regional Subsidiaries: Banking operations across Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda sustained a steady performance, turning in a combined PBT of Ksh. 707 million.
- Non-Banking Operations: NCBA Investment Bank, Insurance, Leasing, and BancAssurance units collectively brought in Ksh. 641 million in PBT. Notably, the Investment Bank grew its Assets Under Management (AUM) to Ksh. 101.5 billion, serving over 60,000 wealth management clients. The insurance verticals amassed a combined Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Ksh. 5.0 billion.
Dominating digital banking
NCBA continues to cement its reputation as the undisputed king of digital lending in East Africa. An astonishing 98% of all Group transactions occurred via digital channels during Q1 2026. Total digital loan disbursements surged 27% to reach Ksh. 391 billion.
On the structural side, infrastructure overhauls, including AI-driven customer onboarding and enhanced cybersecurity metrics, helped the bank hit a service uptime of 99.74%, yielding a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 62. Corporate banking also yielded massive scale, managing Ksh. 181 billion in active lending and holding Ksh. 211 billion in corporate deposits.
In Asset Finance, where NCBA holds a commanding 32% market share, its digital vehicle trading wing, CarDuka, attracted near 7 million users. To push micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) lending past its current Q1 milestone of Ksh. 8.3 billion, the lender rolled out NCBA BOOSTA, a digitally accessible SME credit product capped at Ksh. 35 million.
Sustainability
Under its green finance framework, NCBA made critical interventions during the quarter:
- Acted as the lead arranger for the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) green bond, raising Ksh. 3 billion.
- Served as the Trustee and Receiving Bank for the Ksh. 4.8 billion Two Rivers International Finance and Innovation Centre (TRIFIC) Green REIT.
- Disbursed Ksh. 190 million directly into green financing initiatives and planted over 200,000 trees across Kenya and Uganda.