Kenya’s Economy Looks Great, on Paper.
the real question is whether this stabilisation is a genuine recovery runway capable of sustaining 5.5%+ growth, or a fragile equilibrium on a narrowing fiscal base, broken monetary transmission, and a labour market decoupled from GDP.
Africa is Building on Its Trade Momentum But Structural Frictions Remain, Standard Bank's Trade Barometer Shows
The disconnect between macroeconomic performance and the day-to-day realities facing businesses is still a defining feature of the landscape, the latest Standard Bank Africa Trade Barometer (ATB) shows.
KCB Posts Record KSh 68.35Bn 2025 Profit as Dividend Hits KSh 7 Per Share
KCB Group posted record profit after tax of 68.35 Bn in FY2025, up 10.6% from 61.77 Bn, driven by an 18.9% collapse in interest expense that lifted net interest income 7.8% to 148.02 Bn. The bank declared a full-year dividend of KSh 7.00 per share, up 133.3% and the largest total payout of 22.50 Bn in its history. Net loans crossed 1 trillion for the first time. The gross NPL ratio improved to 16.9% from 19.2%. KCB guides for loan growth of 10% to 11% and NIMs of 7.2% to 7.8% in FY2026.
Stanbic Weathers Interest Rate Storm With Flat Profit, Record Dividend
Stanbic Holdings Plc reported profit after tax of KShs 13.72 Bn for the full year ended 31 December 2025, virtually unchanged from 2024, as nine CBK rate cuts totalling 400 basis points since August 2024 compressed total operating income 3.1% to KShs 38.51 Bn. A 47.5% drop in credit impairment charges to KShs 1.63 Bn cushioned the bottom line. The balance sheet expanded 19% to KShs 541.25 Bn, with loans up 24.4% and deposits up 23.5%. The group declared a record dividend of KShs 22.35 per share for FY2025.KPC Lists 6th on NSE With Only 2.6% in Retail Hands
Kenya Pipeline Company lists on the Nairobi Securities Exchange as the sixth most valuable stock on the exchange at KSh163.6Bn, the only infrastructure company in a top ten dominated by banks. Despite a 65% headline free float, institutions and sovereign funds control 97% of the shares sold, leaving just 2.6% of the company in retail hands. Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya's NSSF anchored the offer as 70,000 retail investors, against a government target of two million, will effectively set the opening price for a KSh163.6Bn company.Gen Alpha are Already the Architects of Africa’s Digital Economy
By 2030, Africa will be home to one in every three Gen Alphas on the planet. Are you building something they actually want to live in, or are you just a FaceTime call they are about to decline?
When It Rains in Nairobi, It Pours on the Economy
Nairobi's deadly and destructive flooding is not a failure of weather. It is a failure of fiscal priorities made years ago, now arriving as water in people’s living rooms.NSE Raises Futures Margins as Derivatives Trading Hits Record KSh 140.9Mn
Trading on the Nairobi Securities Exchange derivatives market surged to a record KSh 140.9Mn in February 2026 from 40,250 contracts, the highest monthly activity since the NSE NEXT platform launched in 2019. The exchange has also revised initial margin requirements across several equity and index futures, raising collateral levels for major banking and large-cap contracts as participation in the derivatives market increases.NSE Logs KSh418 Bn Bond Record, Equity Trading Surges to 15-Month High
The Nairobi Securities Exchange posted record secondary bond turnover of KSh418 Bn in February 2026, up 40.7% MoM and 54.0% YoY, as ten consecutive CBK rate cuts drove investors to trade legacy high-coupon infrastructure bonds at premiums of up to 28.6% above face value. Equity turnover reached a 15-month high of KSh24.97 Bn, lifting NSE market capitalization to a record KSh3.41 trillion. The full-year 2025 bond turnover of KSh2.71 trillion was nearly double 2024's KSh1.54 trillion.NSE Retreats After February Rally, Market Value Falls KSh 121 Bn
The Nairobi Securities Exchange declined in Week 10 of 2026, with market capitalisation falling KSh 121 Bn to KSh 3.29 Trillion, marking the 15th largest weekly drop since 2008. All major indices fell as 44 stocks declined, only 9 gained and 14 remained unchanged. Equity turnover dropped 22% to KSh 5.49 Bn, while trading volumes fell sharply. The pullback followed February’s strong rally, with profit-taking and continued foreign selling weighing on the market.Kenya’s Financial System Liquidity Surpasses KSh6 Trillion for the First Time
Kenya’s financial system liquidity surpassed KSh6 trillion for the first time after broad money (M3) reached KSh6.03 trillion in December 2025, according to Central Bank data. The milestone caps five years of rapid expansion from about KSh4 trillion in 2020, driven by growth in bank deposits, domestic credit and foreign currency balances. Transaction deposits, savings and external assets have all expanded as Kenya’s banking system deepened.Treasury Bill Auction Hits Record KSh 100Bn Demand
Kenya’s domestic debt market is seeing strong investor demand as liquidity flows into government securities. The latest Treasury bill auction drew KSh100.43 billion in bids against a KSh24 billion offer, the highest demand in recent records. Interest in government paper has also remained strong in the bond market, where FY2025/26 auctions to mid-February attracted KSh1.38 trillion in bids against KSh540 billion offered, highlighting sustained institutional appetite for Treasury securities.
