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Kenyan banks advanced KSh 424.67 billion in new loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the first nine months of 2026, a 30% rise from the KSh 326.5 billion recorded over the same period in 2025, according to the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA).
The figure puts the industry within striking distance of its KSh 500 billion annual MSME lending target and on track for the highest full-year disbursements to small businesses ever recorded in Kenya.
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Equity Bank stood apart from every other lender in the ranking, disbursing KSh 127.95 billion to small and medium enterprises by the end of September 2026.
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That single figure represents more than 30% of all new MSME credit issued across the entire Kenyan banking sector during the period, more than double the volume recorded by second-placed Co-operative Bank, and more than three times the amount advanced by third-placed KCB Bank.
The full top ten, in order, comprises Equity Bank, Co-operative Bank, KCB Bank, Family Bank, NCBA, Stanbic Bank, Absa Bank Kenya, I&M Bank, Kingdom Bank, and Diamond Trust Bank.
