SBM Bank Kenya Expands to Laikipia With New Nanyuki Branch
PHOTO: From left SBM Bank Kenya CEO Bhartesh Shah, Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu and Nyeri Catholic Archbishop Anthony Muheria during the official opening of SBM Bank Kenya’s 34th branch in Nanyuki on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
LAIKIPIA, Kenya, Aug 21 – SBM Bank Kenya has officially opened its 34th branch in Nanyuki Town, located at Peak Place Building. The strategic expansion strengthens the lender’s presence across the country while targeting Laikipia County’s rapidly growing commercial, agricultural, and eco-tourism ecosystem.
The new footprint addresses a longstanding service gap in the Laikipia and Timau regions, where residents, local enterprises, and institutions previously had to travel outside the county to access full-service relationship banking, tailored advisory, and specialized credit solutions.
Laikipia region functions as a vital economic engine driven by world-renowned wildlife conservancies such as Ol Pejeta, Lewa, Borana, and Loisaba alongside luxury tourism lodges, large-scale flower and horticulture exporters, and a thriving pool of SMEs, agribusinesses, and real estate developers.
The area is also home to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), which contributes significantly to local commerce.
Speaking at the branch launch on Thursday, Laikipia County Governor H.E. Joshua Irungu welcomed the private-sector investment, emphasizing that the region offers high-yield opportunities across multiple industries.
“I take this opportunity to invite the private sector to take a serious look at what our region has to offer. From agribusiness and tourism to real estate and manufacturing, the potential here is enormous, and we are ready to work with partners who share our ambition for this region,” said Governor Irungu.
SBM Bank Kenya Chief Executive Officer Bhartesh Shah noted that Nanyuki aligns perfectly with the lender’s hybrid strategy of combining relationship-driven, in-person advisory with digital banking convenience.
“Nanyuki is exactly the kind of market our strategy is built for. The region is a high-growth economy where relationship banking and digital convenience should work together. We are determined to bring banking closer to our customers at a time when our own numbers show the model is working,” said Bhartesh Shah, CEO of SBM Bank Kenya.
“This branch is not a one-off activity; it is proof that we can back our growth ambitions with a strong balance sheet,” Shah added.
The Nanyuki location represents SBM Bank’s first new outlet since launching its Kilifi branch in July 2025, continuing a deliberate effort to expand beyond major metropolitan hubs like Nairobi and Mombasa into emerging commercial centers.
The expansion comes on the heels of impressive financial results for the half-year ended June 30, 2026, marking one of the bank’s strongest growth periods in recent years.
Profit before tax rose 171.3% to KSh 548 million, while net profit after tax climbed 88.2% to KSh 380.2 million and operating profit nearly quadrupled, up 279% to KSh 852 million.
Customer deposits grew 24% to KSh 94 billion and net loans and advances rose 18% to KSh 54.1 billion, taking total assets to KSh 109.9 billion, up from KSh 105.7 billion at the end of December 2025.
Asset quality improved sharply, with the gross non-performing loan ratio nearly halving to 17.3% from 32.4% a year earlier, while shareholders’ equity strengthened to KSh 11.1 billion.
By expanding its footprint to 34 physical branches nationwide, SBM Bank aims to deepen financial inclusion for key exporters, farmers, and conservancy operators while accelerating its overall credit and deposit growth throughout Kenya.
