DTB H1 pre-tax profit rises 37pc to Sh9.8bn

Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) Group announced a significant 37 percent increase in its half-year pre-tax profit to Sh9.8 billion for the period ending June 2026. This growth was primarily fueled by a 21 percent rise in revenue and a 26 percent increase in net interest income, alongside a 7 percent boost in non-interest income. Operating costs, however, climbed by 6 percent, with loan provisions experiencing a more substantial jump of 37 percent.

The bank's total assets expanded by over 10 percent year-on-year to Sh675 billion, while customer deposits rose by 11 percent to Sh534 billion. DTB's loan and advance portfolio grew 14 percent to Sh328 billion. The bank's non-performing loan ratio improved to 11.6 percent from 13 percent, and its specific provision coverage ratio reached 56.6 percent from 40.7 percent.

DTB's customer base expanded by 44 percent across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda over the past year, reaching a total of 5.9 million. This growth was attributed to increased customer acquisition, a focus on digital banking, targeted lending, and deposit mobilization. DTB Finance and Strategy Director Alkarim Jiwa highlighted that 99 percent of new customers acquired over the past year were onboarded through digital platforms, and over 86 percent of all customer transactions occurred via digital channels.

The bank disbursed Sh10 billion in digital loans to retail, micro, small, and medium enterprise customers during the first half of the year. DTB Kenya Managing Director Murali Natarajan revealed plans to open the bank's 100th branch in Kenya by Christmas, increasing the regional branch network to 163. DTB is also venturing into agriculture, education, and public sector agencies while enhancing its presence in trade, manufacturing, real estate, construction, tourism, and transport.

DTB Group CEO Nasim Devji expressed optimism about maintaining balance sheet and profitability growth in the medium term.