Africa’s Top 20 Banks 2025: East Africa emerges as the continent’s fastest-growing financial region

East African banks are driving Africa’s financial expansion in 2025, outpacing their continental peers in both profitability and balance-sheet growth. According to the latest ranking of Africa’s Top 100 Banks, institutions from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda have recorded the highest combined asset growth, marking a clear shift in the continent’s banking power map.

East Africa’s financial ascent
The report highlights that East African lenders posted an average 17 per cent increase in total assets year-on-year, compared with 9 per cent in West Africa and 6 per cent in Southern Africa. Kenya’s Equity Bank and KCB Group remain regional leaders, expanding aggressively through digital lending and cross-border integration.
Rwanda’s Bank of Kigali and Tanzania’s CRDB Bank also climbed in the rankings, fuelled by rising deposits, SME lending and fintech partnerships. Analysts say the region’s growth reflects strong regulatory frameworks, youthful demographics and the accelerating adoption of mobile-based financial services.

Digital transformation reshapes competition
Mobile money platforms continue to underpin much of East Africa’s banking momentum. Kenya’s M-Pesa ecosystem has evolved beyond peer-to-peer transfers into a full-scale digital-banking infrastructure. Banks in Uganda and Tanzania have followed suit, integrating mobile wallets with traditional accounts and expanding financial inclusion to millions of new customers.
These innovations have helped banks maintain double-digit returns even amid tightening global liquidity and modest GDP growth. The trend underscores Africa’s capacity to leapfrog conventional banking models through technology.

North and West Africa maintain resilience
Despite East Africa’s surge, several North and West African banks retain their dominance in scale. Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank and Banque Populaire remain among the continent’s largest institutions, while Nigeria’s Zenith Bank and Access Bank continue to lead in profitability.
However, growth in these regions has been tempered by inflation pressures, currency volatility and regulatory tightening. Many lenders are now turning to regional diversification and digital restructuring to sustain margins.

Pan-African integration gains momentum
Cross-border expansion remains a key theme across the Top 100 ranking. Pan-African players such as Ecobank, Standard Bank and Absa Group are investing heavily in East Africa, seeking to capture rising consumer demand and SME activity. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is also expected to accelerate financial harmonisation and cross-border capital flows.

Outlook: a rebalanced continent
The 2025 list reflects a continent in transition — one where innovation and inclusion are reshaping competitive dynamics. East Africa’s rapid ascent signals not just economic progress but a broader transformation of African finance into a digital-first ecosystem.
As one Nairobi-based analyst observed, “This is Africa’s fintech decade — and East Africa is writing the playbook.”

Top 20 East African Banks — Africa’s Top 100 Banks 2025

Newshub Editorial in Africa – 20 October 2025