NCBA, backed by Kenya's richest families, unveils $6 million digital banking

NCBA Bank, the flagship banking subsidiary of NCBA Group, partly owned by some of Kenya’s wealthiest families, has launched a $6 million digital transaction banking platform in partnership with Intellect Global Transaction Banking (iGTB). 

The new platform, known as ConnectPlus, runs on the eMACH.ai Wholesale Banking Cloud and is designed to help corporate and small business clients manage payments, liquidity, and trade finance from one place. The bank said the launch marks a significant step in its push to modernize operations and provide a smoother digital experience for customers.

Streamlining corporate banking in Kenya 

James Gossip, NCBA Bank Kenya’s managing director, said the platform reflects the lender’s goal of becoming a leading provider of corporate and SME banking solutions. “This is a big move toward making NCBA a dominant player in Kenya’s corporate and SME space,” Gossip said at the launch. “We’re offering a full range of products for both local and international needs, supporting the government’s digital economy agenda under Kenya Vision 2030.” 

Built on a cloud-native and microservices-based system, ConnectPlus allows NCBA to roll out new products quickly and integrate with third-party services through open banking APIs.

It is also designed with an intuitive interface tailored for users with different levels of technical expertise. Security is central to the system. NCBA said it has embedded advanced cybersecurity measures to protect customer data and transactions, following international digital banking standards.

Partnership to strengthen digital capabilities

Manish Maakan, CEO of Intellect Global Transaction Banking, said the collaboration aims to strengthen NCBA’s position in digital corporate banking. He added that Intellect’s platform already supports more than 60 of the world’s top banks and that NCBA’s adoption shows how African lenders are increasingly embracing technology to stay competitive.

For NCBA, the move is also part of a broader strategy to expand its customer base and improve efficiency. The bank, which has more than 100 branches in Kenya and partnerships such as its cash collection deal with PostBank, continues to position itself as one of the region’s most innovative financial institutions.

Profit gains and possible takeover talks

Headquartered in Nairobi, NCBA Group operates in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire. The group was formed in 2019 through the merger of NIC Bank and Commercial Bank of Africa—a union that brought together assets from families including Kenyatta, Merali, and Ndegwa.

NCBA reported a 12.6 percent rise in net profit to Ksh11.1 billion ($85.8 million) for the first half of 2025, lifted by higher interest income even as total deposits declined. Industry sources say Standard Bank, through its Kenyan arm Stanbic Holdings, is in early talks to acquire NCBA—a deal that could reshape Kenya’s financial sector.