KCB Group расширяет цифровые услуги: дешевые переводы PesaLink и онлайн-гарантии

KCB Group Plc is expanding its digital banking offering with cheaper PesaLink transfers and online bid bonds as the East African lender accelerates its push to move more financial services onto digital channels. The bank introduced a flat KSh20 fee for PesaLink transfers in May, while making transactions of up to KSh1,000 free. KCB said the move is part of its broader strategy to promote financial inclusion and encourage customers to adopt low-cost digital payment channels. KCB also rolled out Bid Express, a digital platform that allows customers to request and generate unsecured bid bonds from anywhere in the world without visiting a branch. The service extends the bank’s digital strategy into business banking, allowing customers to complete a previously branch-based process online. The digital push comes as KCB Group reports strong growth across its core banking business. Profit before tax increased 20.8% to KSh49.3 billion, or about $382 million, in the first half of 2026, while total assets expanded 16.8% to KSh2.3 trillion, equivalent to about $17.8 billion. Customer deposits rose 15.1% to KSh1.7 trillion, or about $13.2 billion, while gross loans increased 14.2% to KSh1.3 trillion, equivalent to roughly $10.1 billion. KCB said the increase in lending was driven by strong new-to-bank customer acquisition and increased lending across retail, SME and corporate segments. The bank’s digital strategy is also extending into lending and savings outside Kenya. In Rwanda, BPR Bank and MTN MoMo launched MoFaya, a digital loan and savings solution that allows eligible customers to access instant loans of up to Rwf2 million and save directly through their mobile-money wallets. KCB’s broader digital transformation is taking place alongside growing income from non-funded activities. Total income increased 9.5% to KSh108.1 billion, or about $838 million, during the first half. Non-funded income rose 15.4% to KSh34.1 billion, reaching KSh34.1 billion, while funded income increased 7% to KSh74 billion. The growth in non-funded income is particularly relevant to KCB’s digital expansion as payment and transaction services provide banks with revenue streams beyond traditional interest income. KCB Group Chief Executive Officer Paul Russo said the bank’s performance reflects the resilience of its diversified business model and regional footprint, while emphasizing its commitment to digital transformation. “Our strong half-year performance reflects the resilience of KCB Group’s diversified business model, the strength of our regional footprint, and the confidence our customers continue to place in us,” Russo said. KCB’s regional banking subsidiaries contributed 27.7% of group profit before tax and accounted for 31.1% of the group’s total balance sheet during the period, giving its digital strategy a regional footprint beyond Kenya. The group also continues to maintain a large physical network, with 460 branches and 1,247 ATMs, supported by more than 1.4 million merchants and agents across East Africa. The bank’s mobile and internet banking services complement that network. For KCB, the latest initiatives point to a digital strategy focused not only on mobile banking but also on reducing the cost of payments and digitizing business processes. Cheaper PesaLink transfers target everyday payments, Bid Express digitizes access to bank guarantees, while MoFaya brings lending and savings into mobile-money wallets. Together, the initiatives show KCB extending digital services across consumer and business banking as the group continues its wider transformation.