ABSA Bank Kenya HY2026 Earnings - | Business Redefined - CFO Chat

Absa Bank Kenya believes that engaging the volumes play will be critical in helping the business tide through the tide of margins compression that is piling pressure of banking sector earnings as being revealed by HY2026 numbers. Julians sat down with the Interim Chief Financial Officer, Diana Wangari and asked her just how much the bank can play to the cost of funding advantage (down to 2.8%) visible in HY2026 earnings as it sweats its deposits to keep the volumes momentum going (loan-to-deposit closed HY2026 at 88.0%). She argues that the bank is ahead of target in terms of rejigging its deposit book (CASA now 75.0% of book from 64.0% a year earlier) hence ample room to keep the cost of funds on a tight leash. Julians challenged her about the sag in the bank's top & bottom lines, she argues that it is incomplete to focus on that while ignoring the 21.7% ROE. She says that the bank took advantage of this season to pass on the 150.0bps decline in yields to pass on to borrowers.
« |
Episodes
Trends in East Africa's Investment Banking | Business Redefined Over the last 10 months, at least Kes 52.7 billion (US$407.39 million) has been raised via bond issuances in what makes for a strong resurgence of corporate debt in Kenya's capital markets. The issuances have been significant not just for the oversubscription registered but more importantly the pricing & how much they have pushed the boundaries on corporate debt pricing mechanics. We sit down with Absa Bank Kenya's Director for Investment Banking in East Africa, Daniel Odongo, to dig into this in greater detail & assess the state of play. August 13, 2026
Capital Raising & Deal Structuring | Business Redefined The capital markets have been abuzz with activity lately with transactions spanning corporate debt, divestitures, asset backed issuances & off balance sheet financing. A key architect on the advisory side has been KCB Investment Bank which has been behind the Kes 204 billion partial divestiture in Safaricom Plc, the Kes 45 billion Talanta asset backed issuance & the Kes 24.0 billion acquisition of Bamburi Plc by Amsons Group. We speak to the Investment Bank's MD, Maurice Opiyo, to unpack the latest in East Africa's deals landscape. August 11, 2026
Stanbic Holdings HY2026 Earnings | Business Redefined We have a conversation with Dennis Musau, Chief Financial & Value Officer, Stanbic Bank Kenya & South Sudan to comb through the HY2026 earnings. August 6, 2026
Scaling Digital Classrooms | Business Redefined We have a conversation with Samsung on their ambitions around modern learning frameworks that keep pace with rapidly changing tech capabilities & market demands. We will be digging into the 'Digital Classroom', a software suite integrating both hardware & software solutions including AI. On the agenda:
  • Balancing the need to embed advancing tech in learning amidst concerns around data security & privacy
  • Curating edTech solutions that are fit for the local context & market needs
  • Inclusion in edTech: Designing solutions that are cognisant of the digital divide as well as the reality of differently abled learners
  • Cost barriers in scaling these solutions & the place of public-private partnerships
  August 4, 2026
Evolving Customs & International Trade | Business Redefined The June 30th, 2026 East African Community gazette for duty rates within the Common External Tariffs framework revealed multiple requests for stay of application across the region. The signal here is member states grappling with the trade-off between protecting local industry & aligning with the pursued liberalised markets under the AfCFTA arrangement. We look into the latest developments around customs & regional trade including Kenya's customs collection inching closer to the Kes 1.0 trillion mark (Kes 988.0 billion in 2025/26). July 28, 2026
Unlocking Africa's Next Frontier | Business Redefined Seamless Technologies boasts of having the largest payroll aggregation in Africa & now wants, through Seamless Technologies, to leverage the capabilities enabled by that war chest to get the continent up to speed in deploying AI to accelerate development. We sit down with CEO & Co-founder, Dr. Emmanuel Okeleji, to discuss what's next for the company, its exploits into financial services & what it means for the continent.   July 22, 2026
Scaling Family Owned Businesses | Business Redefined From establishing structures, to capital optimization & navigating succession, family owned business ventures face a raft of challenges as they look to scale their operations. We speak to Florence Wanja, Stanbic bank East Africa Head, Business and Commercial banking & place the spotlight on these businesses & see how we can create an enabling environment for the unique challenges they face.     July 21, 2026
Nairobi International Financial Centre | Business Redefined The Nairobi International Financial Centre pitches itself as a capital magnet that can attract as much as US$10.0 billion worth of investment flows into the country by close of 2028. A conversation with the CEO, Daniel Mainda, to unpack the roadmap to this ambitious target. On the agenda:
  • The plan to get Africa's second Carbon Exchange up & running by close of Q1 2027 & implications for the vast pool of green financing
  • The companies' certification pipeline & what this means for the country as an investment hub
  • The policy/regulatory environment & whether more concessions beyond Corporate Income Tax & Capital Gains Tax can be unlocked
  • What would all this mean for the country's macros & day-to-day life of the citizens
 July 14, 2026
Finance Act 2026: Key Changes & Implications | Business Redefined The first raft of Finance Act 2026 measures kicked in on July 1st as the government seeks Kes 98.6 billion worth of additional tax revenue in the financial year 2026/27. After the brief hiatus via Finance Act 2025, this year will see resumption of the September 1st effective measures. We speak to Wangoi Karuga regarding what has taken effect & the implication for businesses & households. July 7, 2026