Category Archives: Dubai Bank

Kenya Bank Receivership Updates: June 2017

Chase Bank: The Business Daily has unveiled the results of the bidding for Chase Bank in an ongoing receivership exit process that has been organized by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) .. “France’s third-largest bank by assets, Societe Generale, and Mauritius-based SBM Holdings are the frontrunners to acquire troubled Chase Bank and its subsidiary, Rafiki Microfinance.. The two have emerged top of the list of investors, including KCB Group, I&M Bank, Stanbic Bank and South Africa’s First Rand, who had expressed interest in taking over the Kenyan lender.”

Dubai Bank: The bank is in liquidation and the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation is calling on all depositors and creditors of the bank to show up and file their claims. During the court process, before liquidation, few depositors showed up after bad debts stalled the closed bank.

Imperial Bank: A court has just granted a 90-day extension of the receivership. It is “without prejudice” which means that the extension does not imply an endorsement of any the ongoing discussions between the shareholders of the bank, the CBK, and the KDIC. The statement ends with “a tentative timeline will be issued in the coming days.”

Liquidity in the Banking Sector

The Central Bank of Kenya has published it’s Q1 economic report with some mentions on the banking banking sector. The report notes that:

  • Some banks in the small and medium peer groups faced liquidity challenges in the quarter ended March 2016 due to spill over effects of placement of Dubai Bank in liquidation and placement of Imperial Bank under receivership in second half of 2015.
  • Liquidity distribution in the interbank remained skewed in favour of large banks with little trading across bank tiers reflecting cautious trading ..The Central Bank however, boosted interbank liquidity through reverse repos to needy banks.
  • Depositors migrated their deposits to selected medium banks and large banks. Most large banks rationed lines of credit affecting mainly banks in small and some medium peer groups.

Bank Mergers & Musical Chairs in 2016

There’s a moratorium on new banks licences, but still a lot happening in the ownership suites.
Who’s In
  • Bank M (of Tanzania) has bought out and rebranded (the former) Oriental Commercial Bank.
  • Sidian Bank: Centum bought out and rebranded (the former) K-Rep bank.
  • Spire Bank: Mwalimu SACCO bought out and rebranded (the former) Equatorial Commercial  bank.
Who’s Hanging On
  • Chase bank now reopened, but yet to resume lending. An ownership decision  is expected soon (process being managed by KCB)
  • Credit bank:  Discussions are ongoing about a sale to  FEP Holdings
  • Imperial bank (assets will be assessed and managed by NIC bank)
Who’s on the Way Out
  • Dubai bank (proceeding into liquidation)
  • Giro bank which has been bought out by I&M bank.
  • edit The CFC brand as CFC Stanbic Bank and CFC Stanbic Holdings (i.e group) becomes Stanbic Bank Kenya and Stanbic Holdings PLC respectively  – this comes about nine years after their merger of CFC and Stanbic banks.

Farewell Dubai Bank

Kenya’s smallest bank Dubai Bank was placed into receivership about two weeks ago. It took control and suspended all operations of the bank except to ask borrowers to continue servicing their loans.

A few days after taking charge, the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation  (KDIC) as receiver revised its role and announced that Dubai bank would be liquidated, with each depositor paid a statutory maximum of Kshs 100,000 (~$1,000) once they file a claim that’s proven, and any larger deposit customers  would share in the proceeds of the liquidation equitably.

In the past, banks that have been put into receivership rarely ever come back. From Euro Bank, Daima Bank, and even a (strong) Charterhouse Bank never reopened their doors after receivership. This is because banking relies on trust and confidence, and if the public has no faith in an institution, it’s difficult for it to operate, attracting deposits from customers, and entering into settlement transactions with other banks.

Bank Review ‘07: Part 1

the bottom 5

The low end of the banking sector showed little growth in loans or deposits – bank sizes are stagnant.

40. City Finance: (last year 42) Estimated assets of 650 million shillings ($9.28 million) and loss of 20 million shillings in 2007. Kenya’s smallest bank was taken over by the Baraka Fund late in the year, and is expected to be recapitalized and turned around from 2008.

39. (41) Dubai: Estimated 1,480 million assets, profit of 10m shillings.
Growth of about 3% this year, but the bank will have achieve a smaller profit than last year. Its niche branch in Eastleigh and foreign remittance product has found increased competition.

38. (40) Oriental: Estimated 1,732m in assets and profit of 200 million. The perennial loss making Oriental bank (formerly BCCI and Delphis) was recapitalized and is on track for a profit this year following a payment from the Governments’ financial restructuring of Miwani Sugar company which owed the bank a significant debt.

37. (39) Paramount Universal : Estimated 2,258 billion and profit of 45 million. Growth in assets, deposits, and loans flat this year but at least is profitable.

36. (37) Transnational: Estimated 3.03 billion ($43 million) in assets, and 90 million ($1.3m) in profit for 2007. A quiet year for the bank which introduced a Fanikisha product for customers to save money and buy IPO shares on the NSE

Bank story of the week

Which way Equity?: It’s rare to see two sides of a story from the same editorial team – but it has happened on the controversial shielding of Equity Bank’s new shareholders with the Nation newspaper editorial defending the exemption granted by the Finance Minister, after the influential Business Daily editorial (sister newspaper in the Nation Media Group) had strongly opposed the same.