NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 10 – KCB Group, Equity Group, Co-operative Bank of Kenya and Stanbic Holdings have been ranked among the world’s top-performing banks by Forbes.
The four Kenyan lenders were evaluated using financial data, desk research and information submitted by banks.
To qualify for the ranking, Kenyan banks had to be licensed deposit-taking institutions whose core business includes lending to retail or corporate clients.
They were also required to report under reconcilable national accounting standards, publish audited financial statements for the most recent fully available fiscal year, provide at least three consecutive years of financial data and have more than $3 billion in assets.
Forbes evaluated the banks across four key areas: profitability, which accounted for 30 percent of the score; growth and earnings quality, 20 percent; capital and funding resilience, 25 percent; and asset quality and efficiency, 25 percent.
“The profitability score was calculated by combining return and efficacy metrics, such as return on average assets, cost-to-income ratio and net interest margin,” Forbes said.
The growth and earnings quality score considered earnings growth and stability as well as customer deposit growth over three-year periods.
Capital and funding resilience was assessed using indicators including the equity ratio and loan-to-deposit ratio, while asset quality and efficiency considered credit quality, risk management and balance sheet resilience.
The Forbes ranking covered 500 banks from 89 countries and classified lenders into six tiers based on total assets.
Tier 1, or global banks, comprised lenders with more than $500 billion in assets, while Tier 2 included large banks with $100 billion to $500 billion.
Tier 3 covered upper mid-size banks with $50 billion to $100 billion, Tier 4 mid-size banks with $20 billion to $50 billion, Tier 5 lower mid-size banks with $10 billion to $20 billion, and Tier 6 small banks with $3 billion to $10 billion in assets.
The ranking comes as Kenyan banks continue to report strong financial performance, supported by growth in interest and non-interest income.
Equity Group reported a 32 percent increase in profit after tax to Sh45.5 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2026.
Co-operative Bank of Kenya posted a 28 percent increase in profit after tax to Sh18 billion during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
