Development Bank of Kenya

What Development Bank of Kenya does

Development Bank of Kenya Limited (DBK) is a privately held Kenyan financial institution founded in 1963, headquartered at Finance House, Loita Street in Nairobi, operating under Central Bank of Kenya regulation. The bank serves a horizontally segmented customer base that includes salaried individuals, students, micro enterprises, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate clients, Saccos, NGOs, learning institutions, and registered chama (group savings) organizations across Kenya. Its core product portfolio spans personal current and savings accounts, salary accounts, business and micro current accounts, secured personal loans (collateralized against title deeds, logbooks, fixed deposits, and government securities), and an SME Term Facility suite that includes business loans, mortgage finance, asset finance, trade finance, and overdraft facilities. Trade finance capabilities include Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections, Bank Guarantees, Supply Chain Financing, and Invoice Discounting, complemented by Treasury Services and Correspondent Banking for corporate clients.

DBK's technology stack is a conventional digital banking infrastructure consisting of internet banking, mobile banking, and the PESALINK interbank transfer system, which supports person-to-person transfers up to Kshs.150,000 per transaction and Kshs.300,000 daily. Distribution is delivered through four physical branches located in Nairobi (headquarters plus Loita Street and Ngong Road), Mombasa, and Nakuru, with the digital channels providing 24/7 nationwide reach and tender notices indicating an upcoming Kisumu branch. The bank monetizes primarily through interest income on its loan and advance book, transaction-based fees (e.g., Kshs.30 ledger fees, Kshs.400 monthly flat rates, cheque book fees), trade finance fees, and treasury income, with no publicly disclosed revenue or financial performance figures available. Notable product differentiators include the Biashara Lift Loan and Chama Loan, each offering secured lending up to Ksh.250 million to SMEs and registered group savings formations, segments that are typically underserved by larger Kenyan commercial banks.

Name

Development Bank of Kenya

Legal name

Development Bank of Kenya Limited

Website

https://devbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Development Bank of Kenya (DBK) is a privately held, Nairobi-based Kenyan financial institution founded in 1963 that provides retail, SME, chama, corporate, and trade finance banking services through 4 branches and digital channels including internet, mobile, and PESALINK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI), Loan Operations & Servicing (Consumer/SME/Corporate) (FSABALAD)

Keywords

• Development banking
• SME financing
• Trade finance
• Corporate banking
• Digital banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: The bank generates revenue primarily through interest on loans and advances including personal secured loans, business loans, mortgage finance, asset finance, and trade finance products
2. Transaction and Account Fees: Revenue from ledger fees (Kshs.30 per transaction), monthly maintenance charges (Kshs.400 flat rate for current accounts), cheque book fees, and various banking service charges
3. Trade Finance Services: Fees from Letters of Credit, documentary collections, bank guarantees, and other trade finance products

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Development Bank of Kenya (DBK) provides a comprehensive suite of banking products and services across three segments: Personal Banking (current accounts, savings accounts, personal secured loans), SME Banking (business current accounts, Biashara Lift Loan up to Ksh.250 million, Chama Loan), and Corporate Banking (trade finance, project finance, asset finance, treasury services, correspondent banking). The bank operates through four branches in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru) supplemented by 24/7 internet banking, mobile banking, and PESALINK interbank transfer services.

Product overview

Development Bank of Kenya (DBK) offers a comprehensive suite of banking products organized across Personal Banking, Business/SME Banking, and Corporate Banking segments. The personal banking suite includes current accounts (Personal Current, Salary, Student), savings accounts (Junior, Floating, Premier), and personal loans (Secured Loans, Car Loans). The business banking portfolio covers current accounts (Business, Micro, SME Biashara), savings (Business Savers, Chama), and specialized lending (Biashara Lift Loan up to Ksh.250M, Chama Loan). DBK's SME Term Facilities include Business Loans, Mortgages, Asset Finance, Trade Finance, Overdrafts, and Invoice Discounting. Digital banking channels include Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, and PESALINK for person-to-person transfers. Trade Finance capabilities include Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections, and Bank Guarantees. The bank operates a hub-and-spoke model with branches in Nairobi (Loita Street, Ngong Road), Mombasa, and Nakuru, supported by real-time digital banking infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Current Account Affordable and flexible personal current account for individuals with Kshs.1,000 opening balance, Kshs.400 monthly flat rate, Kshs.30 ledger fees, and 24/7 mobile and internet banking access.
• Salary Account Banking account designed for salaried individuals to receive, send, and save money affordably with access to secured loans.
• Student Account Fee-free banking account for students with unlimited transactions, monthly statements, nil opening balance, nil minimum operating balance, and Kshs.30 ledger fees per transaction.
• Junior Savings Account Savings account for minors with 2.75% p.a. interest payable quarterly on balances Kshs.10,000 and above, Kshs.1,000 minimum operating balance, nil ledger fees, and access to secured loans based on savings.
• Floating Savings Account Savings account with flexible floating interest rates for personal banking customers.
• Premier Savings Account Premium savings account with enhanced benefits for high-value personal banking customers.
• Personal Secured Loan Loan facility allowing clients to access funds against collateral such as title deeds, logbooks, share certificates, fixed deposits, and government securities.
• Business Current Account Affordable and flexible business current account with Kshs.2,000 opening balance, unlimited transactions, 24/7 digital banking, and monthly statements.
• Business Savers Account Business savings account combining transaction capabilities with savings interest earnings.
• Micro Current Account Current account designed for growing micro businesses with frequent transactions and multiple cheque book payments; Ksh 200 maintenance charge; requires Certificate of Registration, KRA Pin, VAT Certificate, and valid Trading License.
• Small Medium Biashara Current Account Current account tailored for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with business-focused features.
• Biashara Lift Loan Secured business loan up to Ksh.250 million with flexible repayment periods and competitive interest rates for short, medium, and long-term business goals.
• Chama Loan Secured loan up to Ksh.250 million for chama (group savings) businesses with flexible repayment periods; requires audited accounts for the last 3 years.
• Chama Savings Account Savings account designed for chama (informal investment groups) with features suitable for group financial management.
• Education Connect Loan Loan product designed to finance educational expenses and institutions.
• Letters of Credit (LC) Trade finance product ensuring sellers receive payment when specified terms are met, providing security for both buyers and sellers in local and international trade.
• Documentary Collections Trade finance product controlling payment and transfer of ownership of goods through Documents Against Payment (D/P) or Documents Against Acceptance (D/A).
• Bank Guarantees Bank commitment on behalf of clients including Bid Guarantee/Bond, Performance Guarantee, and Advance Payment Guarantees for various contractual obligations.
• Supply Chain Financing (SCF) Financing solution optimizing cash flow and improving efficiency in supply chains, enabling faster payments to suppliers and longer payment terms for buyers.
• Invoice Discounting Agreement where DBK advances a percentage of invoice value to businesses, with the remaining balance released upon customer payment minus a fee.
• Project Finance Long-term financing for infrastructure and industrial projects where the primary source of repayment is project cash flow, with claims on project assets.
• Overdraft Facility Short-term working capital facility permitting businesses to overdraw accounts up to pre-approved limits, with terms up to 12 months subject to renewal.
• Asset Finance Financing for businesses to utilize essential equipment and machinery including school buses, vehicles, trucks, heavy commercial vehicles, agricultural equipment, medical devices, and construction equipment.
• Mortgage Finance Financing for businesses or individuals to purchase or construct residential or commercial properties.
• Personal Car Loan Loan facility facilitating the purchase of personal cars with vehicle logbook as collateral.
• Internet Banking Online banking platform enabling 24/7 access to account management, transactions, and banking services via web.
• Mobile Banking Mobile banking service for 24/7 access to banking services via smartphone applications.
• PESALINK Person-to-person funds transfer service with competitive rates and flexible limits, supporting transactions up to Kshs.150,000 per transaction and Kshs.300,000 daily limit.
• Treasury Services Treasury management services including foreign exchange and financial instruments for corporate and business customers.
• Correspondent Banking Banking services provided between financial institutions for international trade and transaction processing.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PESALINKcoreTechnology or IntegrationPESALINK is an interbank funds transfer system that enables seamless and secure transactions between Development Bank of Kenya and other participating banks in Kenya. DBK offers competitive rates and flexible limits through this platform, allowing customers to transfer funds up to Kshs.150,000 per transaction with a daily limit of Kshs.300,000. The service covers depositing (free) and various withdrawal charges based on amount ranges.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• I&M Bank Kenya: Mid-tier Kenyan commercial bank serving SMEs, corporates, and high-net-worth individuals with trade finance, treasury, and lending products that overlap materially with DBK's suite.
• Equity Bank Kenya: Leading Kenyan bank with deep SME and micro-finance franchise and a strong digital/mobile proposition. Competes head-to-head with DBK for SME Biashara-style lending and low-balance retail accounts.
• Co-operative Bank of Kenya: Major Kenyan commercial bank with strong SME, cooperative society (Sacco), and trade finance franchises. Overlaps directly with DBK's SME Term Facilities and Chama-adjacent customer base.
• National Bank of Kenya: State-affiliated Kenyan commercial bank with similar development-bank DNA, deposit-taking and SME/corporate lending book. Closest peer by ownership archetype and mandate orientation.
• Bank of Africa Kenya: Mid-sized Kenyan commercial bank targeting SMEs and corporates with trade finance and treasury products, competing in the same customer pool as DBK.
• Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB Group): Largest Kenyan commercial bank by branch and asset base, directly competing for SME, corporate, and retail deposits and loans across the same customer segments DBK targets. Most direct like-for-like Kenyan banking competitor.
• Consolidated Bank of Kenya: State-affiliated Kenyan bank with a smaller branch footprint and SME/corporate focus that competes for the same underbanked segments as DBK. Similar scale and mandate profile.

Regional players

• Development Bank of Tanzania (TIB Development Bank): Tanzanian national development bank with a comparable DFI mandate (project finance, SME lending, infrastructure). Same institutional archetype in a neighboring East African market.
• Uganda Development Bank: Ugandan state-owned development finance institution with SME and project finance focus, serving as the regional analogue to DBK for cross-EAC benchmarking.

Others

• Kenya Development Corporation: Kenyan state-owned development finance corporation providing long-term finance, equity, and project development capital. Adjacent to rather than directly competitive with DBK, but operates in the same DFI ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Development Bank of Kenya