Central Bank of Kenya Stories

Pressure mounts on finance executives to operationalise County Assembly Funds
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 02, 2025

The law requires each county to set up a County Assembly Fund, managed by the clerk, to receive and retain all assembly monies. Any withdrawals must b...

CBK threatens daily penalties as eight banks defy lending rate cuts
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Oct 02, 2025

Only six institutions: Citibank N.A. Kenya, Absa Bank Kenya, Credit Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya, Stanbic Bank Kenya and Victoria Commercial Ba...

Counties face tightened oversight as Controller of Budget gains access to bank accounts
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 30, 2025

The reform introduces a new layer of oversight over county finances, allowing the budget controller to track cash movements and flag questionable acti...

CBK to roll out compensation rules for e-money and digital wallet fraud
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 29, 2025

The initiative seeks to address gaps in recourse mechanisms for digital wallets and improve safeguards for users of digital financial services (DFSs).

Senators push for real-time access to county bank accounts amid Auditor-General warnings
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 25, 2025

Beyond real-time access, senators also directed the National Treasury to work with the Auditor-General’s office to conduct a comprehensive audit of al...

Private sector credit surges to Sh10.7 billion in June as lending recovers
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 24, 2025

Further, the CBK’s consecutive reductions in the indicative lending rate, including the latest cut to 9.50 per cent in August, made loans more afforda...

CBK's Kamau Thugge scores ‘A’ in global finance rankings for steering Kenya’s economy through turbulence
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 23, 2025

Over the past year, Kenya has maintained inflation within the target range, while the shilling has remained stable against major currencies. Interest...

US Fed interest rate cut could spark a rare opportunity for Kenya’s economy
Alfred Onyango  |  Sep 18, 2025

Although the Fed rate directly sets short-term borrowing costs for banks, its effects spill over into mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards across t...

Sudan's Central Bank bans private gold sales, becomes sole legal exporter
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Sep 16, 2025

Authorities hope the new rules will stop gold from being illegally shipped to countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), via neighbouring countrie...

Saccos outpace banks with affordable loans, but face liquidity challenges - Sasra
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 16, 2025

The Central Bank of Kenya raised the base lending rate to 13 per cent in February 2024 and maintained it until August, driving some commercial lenders...

Court trims interested parties in Hustler Fund’s legality case
Carolyne Kubwa  |  Sep 11, 2025

CBK, in its defence, insisted it has no role in the establishment or management of the fund, distancing itself from allegations touching on financing...

Kenya’s banking sector at a crossroads: Economist analyses new capital rules and licensing shift
The Conversation  |  Sep 07, 2025

KCB Group – a publicly owned bank that is also the country’s largest – as well as privately owned Equity Bank, have established foreign subsidiaries o...

CBK licenses 27 more digital lenders in bid to boost consumer protection
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 04, 2025

The licensing brings the total number of regulated digital credit providers (DCPs) to 153, following the approval of 41 additional providers in June 2...

CBK: Microfinance banks struggling with loan defaults amid shrinking deposits
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 04, 2025

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) reports that the 14 licensed microfinance institutions (MFBs) are finding it difficult to grow their lending portfolio...

Foreign workers in Kenya remitted home Sh91 billion - CBK
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 30, 2025

In contrast, thousands of Kenyans continue leaving the country in search of employment and higher wages, particularly in the UK, the US, Canada, and S...

Kenyan banks’ asset value declines for first time in 23 years
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 27, 2025

The Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) linked the latest decline to challenging economic conditions and an unstable macroeconomic environment.

CBK revises credit pricing model, adopts new benchmark rate for loan pricing
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 26, 2025

CBK said starting September 1, 2025, all new variable rate loans will be priced under the new framework, while existing variable rate loans will shift...

Tourism and agriculture leading in hiring as other sectors stumble
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 26, 2025

Data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows that these two sectors are the most confident about expanding staff numbers in 2025 compared to last y...

Kindiki welcomes CBK lending rate cut, says economy on recovery path
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Aug 25, 2025

Kindiki said it showed that the country is beginning to overcome a decade of high interest rates that had weakened household incomes, slowed down priv...

CBK begins real-time monitoring of customer financial transactions
Mary Wambui  |  Aug 23, 2025

Through the system, CBK will strengthen its ability to surveil the entire banking sector as transactions occur, covering RTGS, PesaLink, and mobile mo...

CBK to suspend real time payments for three days due to system upgrade
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 21, 2025

This means that businesses, suppliers, contractors and individuals who do not process their payments before the set deadline will have to wait until M...

Loan defaults surged to 17 per cent in 2024 due to tough business climate - CBK
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 13, 2025

In the period under review, gross loans issued by banks decreased by 2.7 per cent to Sh4.07 trillion from Sh4.18 trillion in 2023.

CBK cuts lending rate to 9.5 per cent in seventh straight easing move
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 13, 2025

This marks the seventh consecutive rate cut from the historic peak of 13.0 per cent, as the regulator reaffirms its commitment to boosting economic ac...

More women turn to digital loans as smartphone use spurs financial inclusion
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 13, 2025

Tala’s report reveals that 26 per cent of all borrowers accessed digital credit for the first time, with women making up most of this group.

11 banks fined for exceeding lending limits, failing capital requirements
Lucy Mumbi  |  Aug 11, 2025

The institutions breached 10 regulatory provisions, with most violations linked to lending more than 25 per cent of core capital to a single borrower....

Kenyan shilling holds steady at 129 against the dollar for a year
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 09, 2025

The local currency began its recovery in early February last year, after plummeting to a historic low of 160 against the greenback.

Kenyan banks tighten oversight of third-party tech firms amid rising cyber threats
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 08, 2025

Financial institutions are updating their contracts and improving monitoring systems to protect themselves from growing risks related to external serv...

CBK targets rogue lenders with new draft regulations, seeks public feedback
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Aug 07, 2025

The proposed rules address key areas such as transparency in loan agreements, responsible use of customer data, effective complaint resolution, and fa...

Borrowers exposed to costly loans despite banks cutting interest rates by one per cent
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 07, 2025

According to data published by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the average overall lending rate across 38 commercial banks dropped slightly to 15.78...

New Bill seeks to make cash payments up to Sh100,000 mandatory for all Kenyan businesses
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 30, 2025

The proposed law seeks to amend the Central Bank Act by making it mandatory for businesses to accept cash for goods and services, and prohibits additi...

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