The Co-operative Bank of Kenya has been named SME Bank of the Year in Africa, reinforcing its standing as one of the continent’s leading financiers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The lender received the prestigious recognition at the 20th African Banker Awards, held alongside the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, Congo. The awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and resilience across Africa’s banking and financial services industry, recognising institutions and individuals driving economic transformation.
Co-op Bank emerged ahead of a competitive list of continental nominees, earning recognition for its strong commitment to SME financing and economic empowerment in Kenya and the broader East African region. The award underscores the bank’s growing role in promoting financial inclusion and supporting entrepreneurship.
The recognition comes amid strong financial performance for the year ended December 2025, during which the bank expanded support to SMEs. Co-op Bank posted a 16.9 per cent increase in net profit to Sh29.75 billion, while loans and advances rose to Sh421 billion.
Industry data also ranked the lender among Kenya’s leading SME financiers, with billions of shillings disbursed to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in 2025 as banks intensified lending to the sector.
Speaking on the award, Co-op Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Gideon Muriuki said the recognition affirms the lender’s enduring commitment to entrepreneurs.
“We remain committed to supporting entrepreneurs, the true engine of job creation and inclusive economic growth, to unlock prosperity for millions of Kenyans and communities across the region,” said Muriuki.
The latest achievement adds to a growing list of accolades for the bank. In recent months, Co-op Bank also secured the SME Financier of the Year Africa – Gold award and the Product Innovation of the Year (Africa) title at the Global SME Finance Awards 2025.
Other notable winners at the African Banker Awards included Ecobank, named Bank of the Year, Serge Ekué, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), who won African Banker of the Year, CRDB as Best Regional Bank in East Africa, Afreximbank as DFI of the Year, and the Nairobi Securities Exchange’s Ziidi Trader platform, which won Fintech of the Year.
