Liberian Bank For Development & Investment

What Liberian Bank For Development & Investment does

Liberian Bank For Development & Investment (LBDI) is Liberia's only development finance institution, established to facilitate private investment capital flow and support productive businesses in the agro, industrial, and service (including tourism) sectors. Founded in 1961 and headquartered at 9th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia, LBDI operates 18 physical branches spanning Monrovia, Margibi, Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Bong, and Bomi counties, complemented by digital banking channels including online banking portals (corporate payments and digital retail banking), ATM services, SMS banking, e-statements, e-alerts, and mobile money integration with MTN Liberia and Orange Liberia.

The bank's core technology is traditional banking infrastructure augmented with digital banking capabilities and partner-led integrations. The product portfolio spans deposit products (Liberian Dollar and US Dollar accounts, checking, passbook savings, time deposits, and foreign currency accounts), lending products (term loans, overdrafts, receivables/invoice discounting, lease financing, apex loans, general loans, bond facilities, and block loans targeting medium- and long-term development projects), transfer services (inward and outward wire transfers, local transfers, MoneyGram, Western Union, Mobile Money, Nobel Financial), other fee-based services (payroll, school fees payment, bill collection, standing orders, FX trading, manager's checks, vault storage), and Mastercard card services. Correspondent banking relationships with Citibank, Ghib, and DZ Bank support international wire transfer and foreign currency operations.

LBDI generates revenue through three primary streams: interest income on loans, mortgages, and term facilities to productive businesses (recurring); transaction and service fees across wire transfers, mobile money, Western Union, MoneyGram, ATM, SMS banking, payroll, school fees, bill collection, standing orders, and certificates of deposit (transaction-based); and foreign exchange trading on USD and foreign currency accounts (transaction-based). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; loan terms require account holder status (6 months), business registration, audited financials, and real property collateral. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business through branch-based relationship banking supplemented by self-serve digital channels, targeting individual consumers, small-to-large productive businesses, and government entities across Liberia.

Name

Liberian Bank For Development & Investment

Legal name

Liberian Bank for Development and Investment

Website

https://lbdi.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LBDI is Liberia's only development finance institution, providing commercial and development banking through 18 branches across the country. It serves individual consumers and agro, industrial, and service sector businesses with deposits, loans, FX, remittances, and digital banking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural & Rural Development Banks (FSABAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & IBAN Services (FSAMAIAG), Treasury & Risk Management Solutions (FX/MM, hedging, TMS integration) (FSABAIAE)

Keywords

• Development banking
• Retail banking
• Commercial lending
• Money transfer
• Foreign exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Monrovia

HQ country

Liberia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Interest earned on loans and mortgages including term facilities for inventories, fixed assets, working capital, and real estate financing
2. Transaction and Service Fees: Fees from wire transfers (inward and outward), local transfers, money gram, western union, mobile money, domestic transfers, ATM services, SMS banking, e-statements, e-alerts, payroll services, school fees payments, bill collection, standing orders execution, counter check issuance, and certificate of deposits
3. Foreign Exchange Trading: FX trading services and foreign currency account services including travelers cheques, foreign currency cheques, and international transfers
4. Development Finance Operations: Medium and long term loans for development oriented projects targeting agro, industrial and service sectors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Liberia's only development finance institution, providing a full suite of banking products and services including deposit accounts (LD and USD, checking, passbook savings, time deposits, foreign currency), loan products (term loans, overdrafts, receivables discounting, leasing, bond and block loans), domestic and international money transfer services (wire, MoneyGram, Western Union, Mobile Money), digital banking channels (ATM, online, SMS, e-statements), payroll and bill collection services, FX trading, and Mastercard card services, served through an 18-branch network nationwide.

Product overview

The Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) is Liberia's only development finance institution offering a comprehensive suite of banking products and services. The product portfolio includes deposit products (Liberian Dollars and USD accounts, checking and savings accounts, time deposits, and foreign currency accounts), loan and mortgage products (term loans, overdraft facilities, receivables discounting, lease financing, apex loans, general loans, bond facilities, and block loans), transfer services (wire transfers, local transfers, Money Gram, Western Union, Mobile Money, and Nobel Financial), e-banking services (ATM, online banking, e-statements, e-alerts, and SMS banking), and card services (Mastercard). The bank operates 18 branches across Liberia and positions itself as a development-oriented bank facilitating small, medium, and large scale productive businesses in agro, industrial, and service sectors including tourism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liberian Dollars (LD) Deposits

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MoneyGramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoney transfer partner enabling LBDI customers to send and receive international money transfers through MoneyGram's global network.
• Western UnioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational money transfer services partner allowing LBDI customers to access Western Union's global remittance network for inward and outward transfers.
• MTN LiberiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile money partnership enabling LBDI customers to access mobile financial services through MTN's mobile money platform for cash pickups, deposits, and transfers.
• Orange LiberiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile money partnership providing LBDI customers access to Orange's mobile financial services ecosystem for money transfers and payments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bank of Liberia: Central Bank of Liberia is the country's monetary authority and banking sector regulator. While not a direct competitor, it is a peer in the sense of being a key financial institution that shapes LBDI's operating environment, capital requirements, and policy access.
• Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) itself - serving as comparable: Note: no self-reference; replaced below.

Direct peers

• Ecobank Liberia: Ecobank Liberia is a direct competitor to LBDI, operating in the same Liberian commercial banking market with overlapping deposit, lending, FX, and transfer products for individuals, businesses, and government entities. As a subsidiary of the pan-African Ecobank Group, it brings larger capital base and broader correspondent banking reach, making it LBDI's most direct large-bank competitor.
• International Bank (Liberia) Limited: International Bank Liberia is a domestic Liberian commercial bank competing directly with LBDI in deposits, lending, FX, and trade finance. It is one of the few remaining locally-headquartered commercial banks in Liberia and serves similar retail, SME, and corporate segments as LBDI.
• Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Liberia: GTBank Liberia is a direct competitor offering retail and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in Liberia. As a subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, it competes with LBDI on digital banking quality, SME lending, and corporate banking.
• Access Bank Liberia: Access Bank Liberia, part of the Access Holdings group, competes directly with LBDI in commercial and retail banking, offering deposits, loans, FX, and digital channels. Its regional scale and consolidation strategy in West Africa position it as a meaningful competitor for SME and corporate banking customers in Liberia.
• United Bank for Africa (UBA) Liberia: UBA Liberia competes directly with LBDI in commercial and retail banking, offering deposits, loans, FX, and digital banking services in Monrovia and other Liberian cities. UBA's pan-African footprint and technology platform represent a comparable but better-resourced alternative to LBDI for Liberian banking customers.
• Afriland First Bank Liberia: Afriland First Bank operates in Liberia as part of the Afriland First Group, providing commercial banking services that directly compete with LBDI for retail, SME, and corporate customers. Both banks share a development-oriented ethos with focus on SME lending in West African frontier markets.

Emerging players

• MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) Liberia: MTN MoMo is an emerging digital payments platform operating in Liberia that increasingly competes with LBDI on domestic transfers, person-to-person payments, and cash-in/cash-out services. As a telecom-led wallet, it represents a different business model but serves overlapping customer needs and is reshaping Liberian retail finance.
• Orange Money Liberia: Orange Money is a mobile money platform offered by Orange Liberia, operating alongside MTN MoMo to provide digital financial services. Like MTN, it competes with LBDI's traditional deposit and transfer services while also serving as a partner channel, illustrating the hybrid competitive and cooperative dynamic LBDI faces in digital finance.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lbdi-liberia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Liberian Bank For Development & Investment