I&M Bank has been named winner of two awards at The Asian Banker Africa Awards 2026, Best Retail Bank in Kenya and Best SME Bank in Kenya.

The awards exist for excellence in areas including retail, SME and digital banking across African markets. Institutions are assessed under TAB Global’s international awards programmes, which recognise institutional performance, service capabilities, innovation and achievements in financial services.

Speaking during a virtual ceremony, the tier 1 lender’s director of retail and business banking, Shameer Patel, dedicated the recognition to the lender’s staff and customers.

“I would like to sincerely thank our colleagues for their continued dedication and hard work, which is at the heart of everything we achieve. To our customers, thank you for the trust and confidence you place in us every day,” Patel said.

He added: “These awards belong to you as much as they do to us, and they inspire us to keep delivering solutions that help individuals and businesses grow and prosper.”

The dual recognition reflects the growth of the lender’s retail franchise. I&M Bank served approximately 600,000 retail customers in 2025, having acquired more than 170,000 new customers during the year, with 69% of new-to-bank customers onboarded digitally through electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) processes.

Digital activity reached 99.8% among retail customers, while it opened 10 additional branches to extend its physical reach alongside its digital channels. Its retail offering now includes short-term digital lending, buy now, pay later (BNPL), workplace banking, salary advances and asset financing.

It has also served 76,994 SME customers in 2025, adding more than 41,000 during the year, with digital activity reaching 99.6% among SME customers. The Bank also expanded its financing and payment solutions to support the day-to-day banking needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Earlier in 2026, I&M Bank Kenya was named Best Bank for Digital Banking Services, Fastest Growing Retail Bank and Best Bank CSR Initiative at the Global Banking and Finance Awards.