Ecobank Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to serving specialised market segments, focusing on tailored financial services rather than competing directly with larger banks in Kenya.

Speaking to the Business Daily on Tuesday, Ecobank Group CEO Jeremy Awori said the bank will continue targeting areas often overlooked by other players in the industry.

“We are looking at a more focused strategy because you’ve got very competitive banks. Trying to take them head-on, I don’t think it is competitively wise or achievable,” he noted. Niche banking allows the lender to meet specific customer needs instead of offering broad, uniform solutions typical of traditional banks.

“In markets like Kenya, we know what we are good at. We can deliver transactional banking needs for our regional companies. We can collect payments across Africa through our systems. This is something many banks cannot do. These kinds of systems are quite unique to us,” Mr Awori explained.

Currently, Ecobank Kenya is ranked as the 16th largest lender in the country by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), holding a market share of 1.1 percent, placing it outside the top-tier Kenyan banks.

Last year, the bank reported an asset base of Sh102.6 billion, with total deposits of Sh95.8 billion spread across 298,921 deposit accounts and 3,569 loan accounts.

The bank’s parent, Ecobank Transnational of Togo, reinforced its commitment to the Kenyan subsidiary by injecting $27 million (Sh3.5 billion), increasing total capital to Sh8.5 billion ($65 million).

This move positions Ecobank Kenya on track to meet the CBK requirement of maintaining at least Sh10 billion in core capital by December 31, 2029.

“Kenya is a hub for the East African region and hence an important business for us. We want to serve our customers across the region, hence why we have a base there,” Awori said.

The group sees itself as well-placed to support corporate and investment banking, facilitate continent-wide trade, and enable real-time payments in local currency, leveraging its network across Africa and offices in China, London, and the United Arab Emirates.

mergers and acquisitions remain an option, any such moves must align with Ecobank’s specialised banking approach.