Nairobi, March 26, 2026 - Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi has described the record-breaking FY2025 financial performance as a “step change and a new beginning.”
Nairobi, March 26, 2026 - Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi has described the record-breaking FY2025 financial performance as a “step change and a new beginning.”
Speaking on the Trading Bell show with journalist Maina Chege, Dr. Mwangi reflected on Equity’s historic results, which saw profit after tax rise to KSh 75.5 billion and profit before tax surpass KSh 100 billion - delivering one of the strongest balance sheets in the Group’s history.
For Dr. Mwangi, however, the significance lies beyond the numbers. “I think it’s not where we are, but the journey we have walked. When I joined Equity 35 years ago, we were making losses. We were the smallest financial institution in Kenya. Seeing us come this far, we give glory and praise to God, and we thank the customers who have walked with us,” he said.
He noted that the results reflect a long-term journey shaped by resilience, purpose, and a commitment to transforming lives, restoring dignity, and expanding opportunities for wealth creation.
Dr. Mwangi emphasized that the latest performance should not be seen as a peak, but as a foundation for the next phase of growth.
“This is a step change. It’s a new beginning. Half of that performance is now coming from the region, and half of the balance sheet is outside Kenya. It is success, but also the start of a new level of growth,” he said.
He attributed this progress to a deliberate strategy to expand beyond Kenya and diversify beyond traditional banking. Regional subsidiaries are now significant contributors, while insurance and other non-banking businesses are beginning to scale.
At the same time, he said the Group’s internal transformation has strengthened its agility after years of navigating major economic shocks, including COVID-19, inflation, foreign exchange volatility, rising interest rates, and geopolitical tensions.
“For the last five years, I’ve led this bank to play a defensive game because the shocks have been too big. Now we have built resilience and agility. We have normalized shocks as part of our operating environment. Now we become offensive, it’s about growth,” he said.
This shift from defense to offense underscores Equity’s readiness to deploy more capital into the real economy, following years of strengthening its balance sheet, liquidity, talent, and systems.
Dr. Mwangi cited the Group’s capital strength, technology investments, and human capability as key competitive advantages. Today, 98.2% of transactions are conducted outside branches, highlighting the success of its digital strategy.
He also pointed to Equity’s growing capacity to finance large-scale projects across the region, while continuing to support manufacturers, traders, processors, SMEs, youth, and women.
“We can now provide a single loan of up to KSh 75 billion. We can fund infrastructure such as dams and power generation plants, and support those with the capability to deliver transformation. This positions us as a catalyst for economic and human development,” he said.
Looking ahead, Dr. Mwangi said Equity is evolving into “a technological platform with banking licenses,” with artificial intelligence, coding, and digital capability becoming central to both customer experience and internal operations. He added that the Group is making significant investments to equip its workforce with the skills needed for this future.
