Access Bank consolidates Kenya operations as business moves to National Bank

Access Bank Kenya Plc is set to transfer its entire business, including all assets and liabilities, to National Bank of Kenya Limited (NBK), as the Nigerian lender consolidates its operations in the Kenyan market.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announced the transaction on Wednesday, saying it follows its approval on August 17, 2026, under Section 13(4) of the Banking Act, and approval by the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning on September 21.

Access Bank entered Kenya in February 2020 after acquiring 100 percent of Transnational Bank Plc and renaming it Access Bank (Kenya).

In May 2025, Access Bank acquired 100 percent of NBK from KCB Group, bringing both Kenyan operations under the same Nigerian banking group.

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The latest transaction will consolidate the two businesses under NBK, although the CBK did not disclose its financial value or provide details on its implications for branches, customers or employees.

NBK was established in 1968 as a wholly government-owned bank to support access to credit and economic development. KCB Group acquired the bank in 2019 before selling it to Access Bank six years later.

The transfer marks another restructuring of Access Bank’s Kenyan operations as the lender continues to build a pan-African banking network.

Access Bank operates across several African markets, including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, among others.

The CBK said the transaction would “ensure continued stability and enhance resilience of the Kenyan banking sector and promote competition.”

The regulator did not give a completion date, saying the transfer will become effective once the transaction is completed in line with the Business and Assets Transfer Agreement.