Equity BancShares

What Equity BancShares does

Equity Bancshares, Inc. is a publicly traded bank holding company (NYSE: EQBK) headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, operating as the parent of its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Equity Bank. As of Q1 2026, the company operated 80+ branch locations across six Midwestern states — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska — with metropolitan offices in Wichita, Omaha, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Tulsa. The company offers a full suite of banking services including commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management, and treasury management services, delivered through a relationship-based community bank model targeting small-to-medium enterprises, individual consumers, and agricultural customers. The institution does not operate a proprietary technology platform, relying on standard core banking systems that are converted during M&A integrations.

The company's revenue model is anchored in net interest income — the spread between interest earned on loans and securities versus interest paid on deposits and borrowings — supplemented by transaction-based non-interest income. In Q1 2026, net interest income reached $73.7 million (+46.5% year-over-year), with non-interest income of $9.5 million derived from service charges, debit card fees, mortgage banking, and bank-owned life insurance, producing total quarterly revenue of $83.26 million. The funding model combines customer deposits (total deposits of $6.3 billion as of Q1 2026) with traditional borrowings, while capital return to public shareholders occurs through a quarterly cash dividend ($0.18 per share).

Growth has been overwhelmingly M&A driven, with 15 completed acquisitions since 2010 including the KansasLand Bancshares merger (July 2024, adding Kansas density to 37 branches and ~$5.3 billion in assets), the NBC Corp. merger announced in 2025 (~$900 million in assets), and the Frontier Holdings merger effective January 1, 2026 (entering Nebraska with seven branches and $1.4 billion in assets). As of Q1 2026, total assets stood at $7.7 billion with $5.4 billion in loans held for investment, reflecting approximately 40% balance sheet expansion year-over-year. Management is led by Chairman and CEO Brad Elliott and CFO Chris Navratil.

Name

Equity BancShares

Legal name

Equity Bancshares, Inc.

Website

https://investor.equitybank.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Equity Bancshares is a Wichita-based bank holding company for Equity Bank, operating 80+ branches across six Midwestern states. It provides commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgages, and wealth management to small-to-medium enterprises, individuals, and agricultural customers through a community bank model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Offices of Bank Holding Companies (551111), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA)

Keywords

• Community banking
• Commercial lending
• Consumer banking
• Wealth management
• Treasury management

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Net Interest Income: Primary revenue driver from spread between interest earned on loans and securities versus interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Q1 2026 net interest income of $73.7 million, up 46.5% year-over-year.
2. Non-Interest Income: Includes service charges and fees ($2.5M), debit card income ($3.1M), mortgage banking ($348K), increase in value of bank-owned life insurance ($1.4M), and other income sources ($2.2M). Total non-interest income of $9.5 million in Q1 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank, providing a full range of financial solutions through 80+ community bank branches across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Its offerings include commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management, and treasury management services, delivered with relationship-based community banking service.

Product overview

Equity Bancshares operates as a bank holding company with its primary operating subsidiary Equity Bank. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking products and services including commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, trust and wealth management services, and treasury management services. Following the acquisition of Frontier Holdings in January 2026, the company expanded into Nebraska with seven additional locations, bringing its total footprint to six states with 80+ locations. The company's services are delivered through its community bank model providing relationship-based customer service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Loans Lending products for small and medium enterprises delivered through Equity Bank branches across six states, with relationship-based underwriting and service.
• Consumer Banking Personal banking accounts, deposit products, and consumer loans for individual customers across the Equity Bank branch network in six states.
• Mortgage Loans Residential mortgage loan products for home financing, including mortgage banking revenue of $348K reported in Q1 2026.
• Trust and Wealth Management Services Wealth management and trust services for individual and business customers seeking personalized investment, estate, and asset management solutions.
• Treasury Management Services Cash flow, deposit management, and treasury solutions for business customers to manage working capital and payment operations.
• Frontier Bank Nebraska-based banking brand and subsidiary acquired in the January 2026 merger, providing banking services across seven branches; branches were rebranded following the merger.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record Q1 2026 revenue with 37.37% year-over-year growth
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Frontier Holdings, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2026Merger completed January 1, 2026 marking entry into Nebraska with seven locations, expanding operations to six states. Added $1.4 billion in assets including $1.3 billion in loans and $1.1 billion in deposits. Consideration included $32.5 million cash and 2.22 million shares of common stock. 15th acquisition since 2010.
• NBC Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2025Merger announced in Q1 2025 expected to add approximately $900 million in assets upon close at end of Q2 2025.
• KansasLand Bancshares, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2024Acquisition completed July 2024 expanding Equity's Kansas presence to 37 bank locations and approximately $5.3 billion in assets. KansasLand Bank operated two locations, establishing Equity as market leader in Gove County, Kansas.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• QCR Holdings: QCR Holdings is a multi-bank holding company operating community banks across the Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska). It is highly comparable to Equity in size, footprint philosophy, and acquisition-driven community banking model.
• Great Southern Bancorp: Great Southern Bancorp operates a community bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, with branches across the Midwest and Plains states. Similar scale to Equity, comparable deposit-funded community banking model, and similar Plains/Midwest concentration.
• Simmons First National Corporation: Simmons First is an Arkansas-headquartered bank holding company with a multi-state community banking franchise across the South and Midwest. Highly comparable multi-state community bank that has grown aggressively through acquisitions.
• First Busey Corporation: First Busey is an Illinois-based bank holding company operating community banks across Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Florida, and Texas. Comparable in size, deposit-funded model, and community-banking focus.
• Veritex Holdings: Veritex Holdings (formed via the Heartland Financial USA merger) is a Texas-headquartered community bank holding company. Similar mid-size, M&A-active community banking model with comparable deposit and loan profile.
• Glacier Bancorp: Glacier Bancorp is a Montana-headquartered multi-state community bank holding company operating across the Western and Midwestern U.S. Notable as one of the most disciplined long-term serial acquirers of community banks, directly comparable to Equity's M&A strategy.
• Old Second Bancorp: Old Second Bancorp is an Illinois-based community bank holding company of comparable size. Similar relationship-driven community banking model in the Midwest with comparable loan mix and deposit base.
• Independent Bank Group: Independent Bank Group is a Texas-based community bank holding company of comparable size that has grown via acquisitions. Comparable deposit-funded model and relationship-banking positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Commerce Bancshares: Commerce Bancshares is a larger, established Missouri/Kansas City-based regional bank holding company. Directly overlaps Equity's core Kansas City and Missouri markets, but operates at materially greater scale across multiple states.
• UMB Financial Corporation: UMB Financial is a Kansas City-headquartered diversified bank holding company with significant presence in Equity's core Kansas and Missouri markets. Larger and more diversified (institutional banking, asset management), but competes in the same regional banking space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/equitybank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/equitybankusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/equitybankusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1150154
• Instagraminstagram.com/equitybankusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Equity BancShares