Led by Kenyan banker James Mwangi, Equity Group invests $3.3 million in DRC subsidiary

Equity Group Holdings, Kenya’s largest financial services group led by renowned banking tycoon James Mwangi, has invested an additional Ksh383 million ($3.3 million) in its Democratic Republic of the Congo subsidiary in 2021, as it moves to scale up the operation of one of its most profitable operations outside Kenya.

Its latest investment in its DRC subsidiary brings its total investment in the country to Ksh17.3 billion ($148.4 million), second only to Kenya’s Ksh40.7 billion ($349.1 million), highlighting its interest in the Central African nation.

The move comes after the Mwangi-led banking conglomerate purchased a 7.7-percent stake in Equity Bank Congo (EBC) from the German sovereign wealth fund KfW for Ksh996 million ($8.54 million), increasing its stake in EBC to 94.3 percent.

The acquisitions in other market segments sparked a change in the group’s traditional policy, as it had never acquired any lender outside of the local market, resulting in the group gaining a significant 27-percent market share in the DRC, compared to the 15-percent organic growth that it recorded in Kenya.

Equity Group’s profit increased by 36 percent in the first quarter of 2022, from Ksh8.7 billion ($74.9 million) in the first quarter of 2021 to Ksh11.9 billion ($102.4 million) in the same period of 2022.

The strong growth in earnings can be attributed to an increase in net interest income, which increased from Ksh20.34 billion ($175.1 million) to Ksh26.67 billion ($230 million) as the group delivered a resilient financial performance despite operating environment challenges.

EBC had the highest earnings growth in the first quarter ended March, with a 269-percent increase in net profit to Ksh1.4 billion ($12 million), as margins improved.

The subsidiary contributed 12.1 percent of the group’s net income of Ksh11.9 billion ($102.1 million) in the period, a 33.7-percent increase from Ksh8.6 billion ($73.8 million).