NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – National Bank of Kenya (NBK) posted a 60.5 percent increase in net profit to Sh1.72 billion in the first half of 2026, despite a decline in interest income.
The bank’s profit after tax rose from the Sh1.07 billion recorded in the first half of 2025.
Interest income fell 2.7 percent to Sh7.2 billion during the six months to June, reflecting lower earnings from loans and other interest-earning assets.
Despite the decline in interest income, NBK expanded its lending significantly, with net loans and advances rising 38.4 percent to Sh61.28 billion.
Customer deposits also increased 16.1 percent to Sh116.34 billion, providing the bank with a larger funding base to support lending.
The latest results extend NBK’s recent improvement in profitability. The lender reported a full-year net profit of Sh2.39 billion in 2025, up from Sh1.06 billion in 2024.
NBK is now owned by Nigeria’s Access Bank after its acquisition from KCB Group for about Sh13.2 billion.
The transaction received regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Kenya and was completed in 2025, ending KCB Group’s ownership of NBK after about six years.
KCB had acquired NBK in 2019 as part of a consolidation strategy in Kenya’s banking sector.
