DTB Group Books 37% Growth in H1 Results As Pre-tax Profits rise To Ksh9.8 Billion
DTB Chairman Linus Gitahi (left) with DTB Group CEO Nasim Devji and Finance & Strategy Director Alkarim Jiwa (right)
Listed Tier 1 East African banking group Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited (NSE: DTK) has posted a KSh 9.8 billion pre-tax profit for the year to 30 June 2026, marking a significant 37% year-on-year increase in its half-year trading results released today.
When releasing the Group’s results, DTB Group Chief Executive Officer Nasim Devji said the turnaround initiatives adopted by the regional franchise gained steam in the half-year trading period, anchored on its loyal and growing customer base built over its 80-year presence in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Mrs Devji said: “Across the three operating markets, DTB continues to pursue growth opportunities across retail, SME and corporate segments, pivoted by ecosystem-driven customer acquisition, digital-led value propositions, targeted lending and deposit mobilisation, sustained revenue generation and technology-anchored operational efficiencies.”
Mrs Devji highlighted that these multi-pronged initiatives are paying off, with DTB’s customer base standing at 5.9 million across East Africa as at mid-year, growing by a massive 44% over the previous 12 months.
Commenting on the results, DTB Kenya Managing Director, Mr Murali Natarajan, said: “Our DTB3.0 Business Growth Strategy is driving customer acquisition and retention across segments, strengthening our digital capabilities, customer propositions and ultimately enriching the lives of the customers we serve and the broader communities we operate in.”
Attributing DTB’s results and growth to its expanding branch network and digital channels, propositions and partnerships, Mr Natarajan added: “By Christmas this year we are set to open our 100th branch in Kenya, growing our total network to 163 across East Africa. This, coupled with the reach our digital channels provide, will enable us to further diversify our customer base and meet our objective of significantly growing our retail, SME and mid- market portfolios over the next few years.”
DTB, Mr Natarajan said, is committed to further entrenching its position in sectors it has traditionally served such as trade, manufacturing, real estate, construction, tourism and transport. However, he emphasised: “We are increasingly also diversifying into new focus sectors such as agriculture, education, public sector agencies, etc. through partnerships with key anchors in those ecosystems and the provision of bespoke digital solutions and platforms benefiting the various participants in those ecosystems.”
On his part, DTB Finance and Strategy Director Alkarim Jiwa noted that at the end of the half-year trading period, DTB’s total assets grew by over 10%, year on year, to Kshs 675 billion. Mr Jiwa said: “On the back of a 44% increase in our customer base now standing at 5.9 million across East Africa, we registered a double- digit growth in both our loan and deposit portfolios.”
Mr Jiwa added that DTB’s customer deposits stood at Kshs 534 billion, an 11% increase over the past twelve months. Similarly, loans and advances grew by 14% over the year to Kshs 328 billion by June 2026. With a growing asset base over the past year, the Group’s non-performing loan ratio declined to 11.6% from 13.0%, below the industry average in Kenya, whilst augmenting the specific provision coverage ratio to 56.6% from 40.7%,
Banking on DTB’s growing digital capabilities, Mr Jiwa said: “Instructively, 99% of all new customers acquired over the past year were onboarded through our digital platforms and over 86% of all customer transactions were conducted on our digital channels.” The Bank’s investment in digital systems and partnerships, he disclosed, has also provided leverage, enabling DTB to extend digital loans of Kshs 10 billion in the past six months to the Group’s retail, micro, small and medium enterprise customers.
He said that plans were underway to continue automating key customer and internal processes through robotic process automation (RPA) and digitised business process management to boost customer experience. Mr Jiwa added: “Building on some of the end-to-end process automation initiatives rolled out in the past year, we plan to increase our adoption of RPA and other process automation tools across the business. The Group is also looking at deploying agentic Artificial Intelligence solutions to improve customer experience and delivery, controls and compliance as we reposition DTB for sustained growth and profitability.”
Mr Jiwa highlighted that the half-year results reflect the benefits accruing from these growth initiatives, highlighting that the 37% year-on-year growth in pre-tax profits was delivered on the back of a 21% increase in top line revenue, with net interest income growing by 26% and non- interest income by 7% over the previous year. Operating costs were well controlled, growing by 6%, whilst loan provisions grew by 37%, boosting the specific provision coverage ratio held against non- performing loans
Looking ahead, Mrs Devji reiterated that DTB remains optimistic about sustaining and building on both balance sheet and profitability growth into the medium term, leveraging the franchise’s inherent strengths – solid brand equity and strong customer relationships – built over the last eight decades of DTB’s presence in East Africa.
