Bank Capital Raising Season

Away from the Chase Bank saga, banks continue to raise money to support their fast growth in recent years. It’s a bit harder to raise money and it’s clear the Imperial Bank fallout affected other bond and stock offerings that came in its wake.

In the News

  • Family Bank has a rights issue coming up, to be approved by shareholders.
  • Duet Private Equity Limited, part of the Duet Group, will inject Ksh1.9 billion into Fidelity Commercial Bank to strengthen the Bank’s core capital, and support its local and regional growth strategy.
  • EDIT Jamii Bora Bank just raised $12 million through two Private Equity funds – Equator Capital Partners  (through its managed fund, ShoreCap II) and Progression Capital Africa  (through through its managed fund, Progression Eastern African Microfinance Equity Fund). 
  • KCB Group shareholders are to approve a rights issue and (another) name change to KCB Plc. KCB is also paying shareholders a Kshs 2 dividend, with Kshs 1 in cash, and the other Kshs 1 as a scrip dividend. The intent of this is to allow its Shareholders to derive value on account of higher dividend in future due to increased shareholding. This is automatic, but shareholders have the option to receive the Kshs 1 in cash by  filling and returning a scrip election form to the bank by June 17. If all shareholders opt for the scrip, and get new shares at a price of Kshs 38 per share, this will increase the number of KCB shares by 2.5%.
  • National Bank was expected to have a rights issues in 1Q2016, and the government expected to raise Kshs 4.99 billion from a the issue in February 2016. The process has been delayed and it now appears that NBK may still be combined with two other smaller state-controlled banks –  Consolidated Bank and the Development Bank of Kenya.
  • Sidian Bank (formerly K-Rep), is expecting its minority shareholders to  provide Kshs 400 million capital to support its growth plans.The new capital comes after the majority shareholder, Centum Investment, injected its share of Kshs 1.2 billion last year after raising its stake in the lender to 67.5%.. Sidian chief executive officer Titus Karanja said  “They gave us their commitments and we are expecting the money by end of May.”
  • SMEP Microfinance Bank shareholders are expected to have a rights issue to increase their  share capital, issue a bonus (1 for every 6 held), and also create an employee share option program (ESOP). They  will target less than 100 people or institutions for the privately placed capital raising.
  • EDIT Credit Bank expects that Fountain Enterprises Programme (FEP Holdings) will pay Kshs 5.4 billion for an additional 70% stake in the bank..via a private offer priced at Kshs180 apiece and limited to members of the chama (investment club) which has a large following in the UK and US.

Away from right issues, some banks have recently signed funding deals:

  • CfC Stanbic Bank signed a $135 milllion dual tranche term loan facility in which Emirates NBD Capital Limited (ENBD) and Mashreqbank PSC were the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners of the financing. The financing, which will be used for general corporate purposes, including, trade-related finance, was oversubscribed from the initial launch amount of US$ 100,000,000.
  • Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) and Standard Bank of Southern Africa (SBSA) executed a $25 million cross-currency repo transaction.  The deal, facilitated and guaranteed by Frontclear, is a first of its kind transaction and paves the way to a more robust, stable and inclusive interbank market in Kenya. In the transaction, CBA receives $25 million in 1-year funding from SBSA and provides Government of Kenya Bonds as collateral.
  •  The African Development Bank (AfDB) recently extended a $40 million, 10-year line of credit to the East African Development Bank (EADB) towards support of regional infrastructure, manufacturing, agribusiness and education sectors with a bid to increase economic and government revenue growth in the member countries.
Not forgetting Chase Bank:
  • The Chase Bank bond that was oversubscribed last year was suspended. The bank had also undertaken a private placement in which high net worth investors bought shares at Kshs 2,760 each. Chase Bank had said that proceeds of the private offer would be used to shore up the lender’s thinning capital ratios, grow the loan book and invest in technology.

What other bank rights issues are there?

 $1 = Kshs 102.