Africa's Top Banks 2026: the development banks
Development banks play a key role in infrastructure, trade, industrialisation and climate adaptation. We rank the continent's biggest.
The 2026 edition of Africa's Top Banks highlights the crucial role development banks play in bridging the financing gap between commercial banks and the continent's immense investment needs. With record levels of capital, commercial banks alone cannot meet Africa's financing requirements for infrastructure, trade, industrialisation, and climate adaptation. That's where Africa's development banks come in, providing essential support for long-term, high-risk projects that commercial lenders typically shy away from.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) stands at the forefront of these development institutions, boasting $18.9 billion in capital and $70 billion in assets. Unlike commercial banks focused on profit, the AfDB's mission is development-focused, with an emphasis on mobilising additional investment and financing projects in key markets. This year, the AfDB approved $10.9 billion in new financing, disbursing $7.1 billion across 200 projects in 50 countries.
Under the leadership of Sidi Ould Tah, who became the bank's ninth president in 2025, the AfDB is implementing the "Four Cardinal Points" strategy. This strategy aims to unlock Africa's capital, strengthen financial systems, transform demographic growth into economic gains, and invest in resilient infrastructure. The focus on leveraging African capital is particularly timely, given the strain on overseas aid budgets and the high debt servicing costs faced by many African governments.
Other notable development banks include Afreximbank, which plays a vital role in trade finance, and the Africa Finance Corporation. Afreximbank's balance sheet has expanded rapidly over the past decade, making it systemically important and innovative on the continent. With $7.23 billion in capital and $42.3 billion in assets, it is crucial for trade finance, given the estimated $74 billion to $92 billion in unmet demand for trade finance in 2024.
The Africa Finance Corporation, while younger with $5.1 billion in capital, has a strong track record financing critical industrial projects across various sectors in Africa.
Smaller development banks like the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development and the East African Development Bank bring region-specific expertise and knowledge to the table, complementing the broader efforts of these institutions. As Africa's financial firepower grows, the challenge now is to mobilise these resources to meet the scale of the continent's ambitions.
Written by urgent.news from Africa Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
