Author: Martin Mwita

SBM Bank has partnered with leading global payment network UnionPay International to roll out its UnionPay Prepaid Card in Kenya.

The partnership with SBM Bank enables cardholders of UnionPay prepaid card to leverage on UnionPay’s global footprint to make both online and real-time purchases.

UnionPay cards are accepted in 174 countries and regions with 55 million merchants and over 2.9 million ATMs making it ideal for travelers and tourists.

According to SBM Group Chairman Kee Chong Li, this UnionPay card is especially ideal for SMEs looking to trade with China which is one of the leading markets for African produce and also acts as a key source market for various goods.

READ ALSO:SBM bank further shakes Kenya’s banking industry with more branches

Mr. Kee Chong Li says that the pre-paid card will also offer additional security for travelers and online buyers shielding them from online fraud and the erosion …

Leading financial and environmental institutions, United Nations, multinationals and sustainability campaigners on Thursday gathered in Nairobi to hold the inaugural Africa Summit to accelerate green and sustainable finance.

The forum being spearheaded by Standard Chartered Bank is meant to reflect on challenges and the opportunities that can help deliver sustainable development for Africa.

READ ALSO:China ; Africa Development Fund in Africa exceeds $10 billion

Speaking at the opening of the inaugural Summit themed – Transforming Africa into the next Global Growth Engine– Standard Chartered Bank Kenya CEO Kariuki Ngari said sustainable finance is now recognized as one of the megatrends shaping the future of global finance.

The forum was attended by key leaders among them Kenya’s Permanent Secretary Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works Esther Koimett,  Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi and Dr. Richard Munang, Coordinator …

KCB Bank Kenya has signed a pact with Japan based giant lender Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) to drive cross-border trade and deepen financial inclusion.

The agreement between the two largest banks in their respective regions, signed in Yokohama last week, will see the two lenders expand their financial offerings provided to clients in both East Africa and Japan, effectively enabling more cross border trade flows.

Under the deal, KCB will provide banking services—including banking accounts and cash management, trade finance, export credit agency finance and treasury related products— to customers introduced by SMBC to KCB.

“We believe that new business opportunities will arise from the rapid economic development in Kenya and therefore seek to areas of mutual partnership to support such development, utilizing the product capabilities and global and local network of both banks,” said Paul Russo, the KCB Group Director Regional Businesses during the signing ceremony on …

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has partnered with e-commerce players in Kenya to boost access of manufacturing SMEs to local and international markets through e-commerce.

This is in the wake of low uptake of e-commerce in Kenya despite its immense benefits.

The partnership, therefore, seeks to promote the uptake of e-commerce by SMEs to enable them to gain access to global markets and new international customers and reinventing their business models to align with changing technologies.

Speaking at the inaugural event, KAM Board Member and SME Hub Chair, Ms Ciiru Waithaka noted that the increased attention on SME growth, both at a national and global scale, points to a reckoning that the future of business hinges on their success.

“The unique and dynamic nature of SMEs in the manufacturing sector calls for an adaptive approach in developing policies and interventions that most importantly centres their needs and proposed solutions …

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that the first berth of the new Lamu Port will be opened in October.

Lamu Port is the country’s second major sea port after the Port of Mombasa. It is part of the US$24.5 billion Lamu-Port-South-Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport corridor project aimed improving trade in the region.

The President who visited the project over the weekend expressed satisfaction with the progress of the ongoing construction works at the seaport.

He said the mega project will create the much needed jobs for Kenyan youth.

“Since I was here last year, it is true you’ve worked hard. Very soon, next month, we will be here to open the first berth which I am told you will have completed,” the President announced.

“We will launch by seeing a ship dock here to offload cargo. Offloading of cargo will be the beginning of jobs not just for you alone but also …

Kenya is bidding to host the 24th edition of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2021; when the congregation of the UNWTO members meets for its bi-annual, 23rd session this week in St Petersburg, Russia.

Through the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya will be looking at leveraging its vast past experience in hosting top global events to make a case for the event to be hosted here in 2021.

The move is in line with the ministry’s long-term strategy to diversify the tourism product to attract more tourists into the country and consequently enhance the revenue stream.

READ:Kenya’s tourism on the rise as numbers hit all-time high

On average, over 1,000 delegates from over 130 member countries of the UNWTO, attend the five-day bi-annual meeting, translating into millions of dollars in foreign revenue for host countries over the duration of the stay.

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KCB Group is seeking to deepen its new women proposition, committing billions of shillings towards funding women owned and women run enterprises.

According to the bank, the drive is meant to strengthen its diversity and inclusivity focus as part of its sustainability agenda by simplifying financial inclusion for women.

The programme dubbed ‘Women Value Proposition’ has seen the bank disburse loans worth Ksh7.1 billion (US$68.9 million) to 1,400 women to date, KCB said in its current Sustainability Report.

It is aimed at increasing credit facilities to women alongside, providing them with technical and non- financial support.

READ ALSO:KCB commits Ksh10 million for Afro-Asia Fintech Summit

The initiative is in line with KCB Sustainability 10-point action plan on diversity and inclusion. This pillar aims to incorporate gender diversity as part of its strategic initiative to ensure that we encourage more women to take up key roles in business ventures.

“KCB …

The ongoing efforts to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care in Kenya have received a boost following the launch of Oncology Nursing Training Initiative.

Cancer is a major public health issue and represents a significant burden of disease globally. In the past few years, Cancer prevalence in Kenya has continued to rise, posing a widespread staffing problem.

READ ALSO:Johnson & Johnson scores in Kenya’s fight against prostate cancer

Kenya has continued to face rising demand for Oncology personnel, especially nurses where the need is a minimum of 500 nurses yet there are only 36 qualified nurses.

This has put extreme workforce pressure on cancer services, and a serious blow to patient care at a time when cases of cancer prognosis are on the rise.

Towards this, Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact (JNJ GCI), under the leadership of the Ministry of the ministry of Health has …

The battle for Kenya’s telecommunication industry market share has intensified with the planned merger of Telkom Kenya and Airtel Kenya, the subsidiary of Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel.

On February 8, 2019, the two telcos announced the signing of a binding agreement to combine their respective Mobile, Enterprise and Carrier Services businesses in Kenya into Airtel, which will see them trade as Airtel-Telkom.

The merger has however faced opposition from former employees of Airtel. It has also faced headwinds in getting approval from regulators with both Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) and the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) remaining adamant in giving a green light.

The regulators have pegged their decision on ongoing investigations in past dealings at Telkom by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Agency (EACC).

The anti-corruption body is investigating how the National Treasury surrendered part of Telkom Kenya ownership to French multinational—Orange, which later offloaded its stake to …

Kenya’s banking industry has witnessed a myriad of changes in the last four years as lenders adjust to remain profitable since the capping of interest rates.

Mergers and acquisitions have become a norm in the country as the rate cap law, which came into place in September 2016, continues to weigh on banks’ earnings and loan growth.

READ:Why banks in Kenya will lend at a maximum 13%

The latest is the KCB Group PLC (KCB) take-over of National Bank of Kenya (NBK), which now sets the stage for the integration of the second tier lender into KCB.

In an announcement approved by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and published on Friday September 6, 2019, KCB confirmed that it had received consent to acquire NBK from shareholders holding 297,130,033 issued ordinary shares out of 338,781,200 issued ordinary shares, representing 87.7 per cent by the offer closure date on August 30, …