The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced the transfer of all assets and liabilities of Access Bank (Kenya) PLC to National Bank of Kenya Limited (NBK).
The transfer follows CBK’s approval on August 17, 2026, and subsequent approval by the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning on September 21, 2026.
The transaction will take effect once the parties complete the process outlined in their Business and Assets Transfer Agreement.
Access Bank entered the Kenyan market in February 2020 after acquiring Transnational Bank and rebranding it as Access Bank (Kenya). The Nigerian banking group has since built a presence across several African markets.
NBK, meanwhile, has a long history in Kenya, having been incorporated in 1968 as a wholly government-owned institution.
In 2019, KCB Group acquired 100% of NBK, before Access Bank acquired the bank’s entire issued share capital from KCB Group in May 2025.
CBK said the latest transaction is expected to support stability, strengthen resilience and promote competition within Kenya’s banking sector.