Equity Bank Ranked Among World’s Top-Performing Banks in 2026

NAIROBI — Kenya’s Equity Group Holdings has been recognised among the world’s top-performing banks in the 2026 Forbes rankings, placing 71st in the lower mid-size banks category.

The ranking, compiled by Forbes in partnership with Statista, featured 500 leading banks from 89 countries, highlighting financial institutions that demonstrated strong performance across key measures of banking resilience and efficiency.

Equity’s position places it among the top-performing institutions globally within its category and underscores its growing profile in the international banking sector.

Forbes Assessment Criteria

According to Forbes, the rankings assessed banks based on a combination of customer evaluations and financial data gathered from leading data providers, desk research and direct submissions from participating financial institutions.

The banks were evaluated across four major areas: profitability; growth and earnings quality; capital and funding resilience; and asset quality and efficiency.

The profitability assessment combined return and efficiency measures to determine how effectively banks generated returns from their operations.

The growth and earnings quality category considered factors including earnings growth and stability, alongside customer deposit growth over a three-year period.

Focus on Financial Resilience

Forbes also assessed the strength of banks’ capital positions and funding structures when determining their capital and funding resilience scores.

The asset quality and efficiency category examined indicators linked to credit quality, risk management and the resilience of banks’ balance sheets.

The methodology was designed to provide a broader assessment of bank performance beyond traditional profitability measures, taking into account financial stability and the experiences of customers.

Other Kenyan Banks Make the List

Equity was not the only Kenyan institution recognised in the global ranking.

Other Kenyan banks featured on the Forbes list include Co-operative Bank of Kenya, KCB Group and Stanbic Bank Kenya.

Their inclusion reflects the growing representation of Kenya’s banking sector in international assessments of financial performance and resilience.

Equity’s Growing Global Profile

Equity Group has established a significant presence across East and Central Africa, with banking operations extending beyond Kenya.

Its recognition in the Forbes ranking comes as Kenyan banks continue to invest in digital banking, expand regional operations and strengthen their financial positions amid changing economic conditions.

The 2026 ranking provides an international benchmark for the performance of banks, with Equity’s position among the lower mid-size global institutions highlighting its standing within an increasingly competitive financial services industry.