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FX

A running file

The kenya-banks file

Every Receipt on this subject, newest first. Next on the calendar: The MPC meets again in December 2026: private-sector credit growth update.

  • Banking DeskReceipt

    Kenya's banks earn more from the government than from you? Not yet, but the gap is closing

    Our verdict · Opinion

    Kenya's banks still earn more from lending to you than to the government, but in 2025 they grew their government holdings almost three times as fast as their loans: sensible for a bank while the state pays this well, and costly for an economy that needs credit.

    In 2025 Kenya's banks earned KES 287.2 billion in interest from government securities and KES 500.4 billion from loans, according to the CBK. Government income rose while loan income fell, and holdings of government paper grew 18.2% against 6.6% for loans. At Equity Bank's Kenyan bank, 42% of interest income came from the government.