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Co-op Bank nominated for prestigious African Banker Awards 2025

It has been nominated in the SME Banker of the Year category alongside Tanzania's CRDB Bank, Ecobank, Standard Bank and Uganda Development Bank

Cooperative Bank of Kenya has been nominated for the prestigious African Banker Awards 2025 by the African Banker magazine.

Winners will be made known during the official gala ceremony scheduled for May 28 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as part of the official programme of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank.

Co-op  Bank has been nominated in the SME Banker of the Year category alongside Tanzania’s CRDB Bank, Ecobank, Standard Bank and Uganda Development Bank.

The African Banker Awards has, since its inception in 2007, sought to recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector.

The shortlist of nominees for the African Banker Awards 2025 was selected from over 200 entries submitted in nine categories by banks spread across the African continent. This year, two female bank executives have emerged as nominees for the prestigious “Banker of the Year” award, underlining the leading role women continue to play in shaping Africa’s banking and finance landscape.

Speaking on the awards, Omar Ben Yedder, Chair of the Awards committee commented on the increasing focus on SME, sustainable banking practices and the role of fintechs in the ecosystem.
“Banks have performed strongly last year despite headwinds and currency devaluations in major countries. We also received entries in the deals category that shows that there are numerous transformative transactions taking place. And yet, the message remains. Interestingly, SMEs proved to be a profitable asset class and one that banks are paying greater attention to. The advent of AI and other technological advancements are at the centre of bank strategies too. The continent needs even bigger banks to support our growth agenda.”

Kenya Commercial Bank has also been shortlisted in the Banker of the Year and Sustainable Bank of the Year categories while Ecobank Group CEO Jeremy Awori is in the running for the Banker of the Year award.
Co-op Bank, which is majority owned by cooperative societies through Co-op Holdings Co-operative Society Limited, is a big lender for SMEs.
In 2023, it was recognised as the SME Financier of the Year during the Global SME Finance Award organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank, defeating Equity Bank and NMB of Tanzania.
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