Equity Bank is Making a Play for Ethiopia

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Kenyan Wall Street
September 15, 2025

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Equity Bank Eyes Addis

By Harry Njuguna

Equity Bank Group has taken a major step toward expanding into Ethiopia after its chief executive Dr. James Mwangi held talks with Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) Commissioner Dr. Zeleke Temesgen on Friday.

Dr. Temesgen said the commission was ready to provide the necessary cooperation and support to facilitate the bank’s entry into the country’s financial sector.
Dr. Mwangi said the bank had long planned to enter Ethiopia and the government’s decision to open the financial sector to foreign investors created a favourable opportunity.
Equity, headquartered in Nairobi, is among the largest banks in East and Central Africa by customer base and assets, with operations in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

Equity is not the only regional banking giant making a play for Ethiopia’s newly liberalised financial sector. KCB Group has operated a representative office in Addis Ababa since 2015 and is now preparing a formal application for a licence under Ethiopia’s new foreign entry framework. Recent reports have indicated it is exploring the option of acquiring a minority stake in one of Ethiopia’s local lenders. Read more here >>>>>

Sumac’s Quiet Gamble in a Risk-Averse Market

By Chelsy Maina

In a country where credit for small businesses is both desperately needed and perilously scarce, Sumac Microfinance Bank has secured another US$2 million lifeline, arranged by Noblestride Capital. The infusion pushes its total capital raised to US$7.5 million, a modest but pointed assertion of faith in microfinance at a time when the wider sector is bleeding losses. Read more here »»»»»

PARTNERSHIP : Capital Club East Africa, The Kenyan Wall Street Sign Deal to Drive Conversations on Economics and Finance

L-R: Mebs Tejpar, Managing Director Capital Club East Africa; Andrew W. Barden, CEO, The Kenyan Wall Street

The Capital Club East Africa (CCEA), East Africa’s premier private Member’s club, and The Kenyan Wall Street (TKWS), Kenya’s fastest-growing news media brand for business and finance, have signed a strategic partnership to table the conversations that inform the decisions necessary to enhance Kenya’s economy. Read about it here »»»»»

This partnership with The Kenyan Wall Street underscores our role as a trusted convening hub for decision-makers—creating curated platforms where leaders engage, ideas take root, and translate into the policies, investments, and innovations that will define Kenya’s economic future and sustained prosperity.

~ Mebs Tejpar, Managing Director - Capital Club East Africa

NSE Gainers & Losers Last Week

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Real Estate

Find Property Faster and Safer with Verified Agents

By Lulu Kiritu

House-hunting in Kenya often feels more like drudgery than discovery, with endless listings, fake contacts, and unanswered calls. BuyRentKenya’s updated Seeker Profiles aim to flip the process, letting buyers set their preferences upfront while verified agents bring the right options directly to them. Profiles are time-bound, phone-verified, and visible only to vetted professionals, cutting down on wasted effort and security risks. Agents, in turn, gain clearer insight into what clients actually want, making matches more efficient. The result is a leaner, safer property marketplace where quality matters more than quantity. Read more here »»»»»

Insights

Access Expanded, Quality Compromised? The Future of Kenya’s Higher Education

By Chelsy Maina

Kenya is at a crossroads. Expanding access to higher education is a vital part of the country’s development agenda and aligns with its long-term goals of inclusivity and equity. Yet access alone is not enough. Unless investments in staffing, infrastructure, and research match the pace of enrollment, the higher education system risks undermining its own achievements. Read more here »»»»»

Also Read

Financing Africa’s Future Means Fixing Risk Misperception

With fair pricing, smarter investment, and the AfCFTA’s financing, Africa can finance its own future, Mercy Randa writes.

kenyanwallstreet.com/financing-africas-future-means-fixing-risk-misperception

East Africa Pushes to Cut Mobile Roaming Costs but Key Hurdles Remain

EAC is stepping up efforts to make cross-border mobile roaming cheaper, but regulators say persistent gaps could undermine progress

kenyanwallstreet.com/east-africa-pushes-to-cut-mobile-roaming-costs-but-key-hurdles-remain

Kenya’s Mid-Year Harvests Have Slowed Hunger, Yet 2.1 Million Kenyans Could Face Crisis by January

1.8 million Kenyans faced acute food insecurity between July and September 2025, and a below-average October–December rain forecast could exacerbate the figure to 2.1 million by January next year, an […]

kenyanwallstreet.com/kenyas-mid-year-harvests-slow-hunger

On your watchlist

The Kenyan Wall Street’s Erick Asuma in conversation with Wayne Hennessy, founder and executive chairman of 4G Capital, which has issued US$ 620mn in loans.

Keep up with what’s happening on our X and LinkedIn pages. Stay updated with the latest financial news on our website The Kenyan Wall Street.