Stanbic Holdings facilitated Sh133 billion in trade financing in 2025, surpassing its Sh90 billion target by nearly 48 per cent as the lender ramped up sustainable finance initiatives, enterprise support, and inclusive growth programmes across Kenya and South Sudan.
The performance, detailed in the Group’s 2025 Sustainability Report, underscores the bank’s growing focus on green financing, climate resilience, affordable housing, and financial inclusion.
During the year, Stanbic expanded its sustainable finance portfolio by advancing Sh4.5 billion in green building loans and Sh273 million in solar energy financing, signalling increasing demand for environmentally sustainable investments.
“We made a deliberate strategic shift, re-orienting our portfolio toward sectors and segments that foster long-term national resilience, including green financing,” said Stanbic Holdings Plc Chief Executive Dr Joshua Oigara.
“We have embedded sustainability into the fabric of our daily decision-making, ensuring that performance is measured against clear targets and aligned to our strategic direction,” he added.
The bank also strengthened support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), disbursing Sh105.73 million in grants and catalytic funding to MSMEs to improve access to capital and accelerate business growth.
Stanbic’s contribution to addressing Kenya’s housing deficit also gained momentum, with the bank providing Sh1.8 billion in affordable housing financing to support home ownership and expand access to quality housing.
The lender increased procurement spending directed to women-owned businesses to 15.53 per cent and continued promoting inclusive leadership, with women accounting for 43 per cent of board positions.
In agriculture, the bank disbursed Sh2.5 billion for climate-smart farming initiatives, increasing agriculture’s share of its loan book to 9.9 per cent. It also planted 204,000 trees and restored more than 107 hectares of degraded land, including indigenous forests in Mt Kenya and mangroves at the Sabaki Estuary.
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Chief Risk Officer Edwin Mucai said the bank’s Environmental and Social Risk Management framework has strengthened the resilience of its loan portfolio.
“Our framework, which mandates screening for all loans above USD1 million, protects the bank and its clients from financing projects with material environmental and social vulnerabilities, helping us build a more resilient book that can withstand economic shocks,” he said.
The bank further strengthened its sustainability reporting and climate risk management capabilities, securing board approval for foundational sustainability and climate-related metrics in line with IFRS S1 and S2 disclosure requirements.
Stanbic also signed on to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, reinforcing its commitment to advancing gender equality and supporting women-led enterprises.
Since its launch, the bank’s D.A.D.A platform has disbursed Sh49.5 billion to women entrepreneurs and onboarded 112,640 women.
Through the Stanbic Foundation, the bank disbursed Sh105.73 million in targeted support to MSMEs and equipped 100,000 youth across eight counties with digital skills.
To deepen sustainability awareness among businesses, the lender has launched a Sustainability Academy that will provide training and practical solutions in environmental, social, and governance principles, renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, water management, and carbon markets.
Head of Sustainability Priscilla Were said the bank’s sustainability agenda is designed to address pressing challenges while creating economic and social value.
“Through our sustainability agenda, we are able to generate strong financial returns for our shareholders and create meaningful social, economic and environmental value for the communities we serve,” she said.