According to rankings from Africa Banking Magazine, Standard Bank remained the top bank in Africa.
But driven by a surge in state-backed infrastructure projects and a relentless digital push, Egypt officially overtaken its peers as the country with the highest number of institutions in the continent’s Top 100 rankings of 2025.
A Tale of Two Regions
While South Africa’s Standard Bank Group remains the single largest lender by Tier 1 capital ($13.2 billion), its once-absolute dominance is being eroded by the gravity of the north.
The National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr have both reported record-shattering profits exceeding $2 billion this year, fueled by high interest rates and their pivotal role in financing Egypt’s massive urban expansion.
While South African lenders have grappled with a stagnant domestic economy and infrastructure bottlenecks, North African giants have aggressively expanded into the Levant and across the Maghreb.
| Rank | Bank Name | Country | Tier 1 Capital ($m) |
| 1 | Standard Bank Group | South Africa | $13,205 |
| 2 | National Bank of Egypt | Egypt | $8,023 |
| 3 | Banque Misr | Egypt | $7,419 |
| 4 | FirstRand | South Africa | $6,881 |
| 5 | ABSA Group | South Africa | $6,698 |
| 6 | Nedbank Group | South Africa | $5,475 |
| 7 | Attijariwafa Bank | Morocco | $4,688 |
| 8 | Commercial International Bank | Egypt | $3,599 |
| 9 | Groupe Banque Centrale Populaire | Morocco | $3,576 |
| 10 | Bank of Africa – BMCE Group | Morocco | $2,525 |
The West African Recovery
Just two years ago, the Nigerian Naira was in freefall, tumbling down the list of the world’s worst-performing currencies.
Today, following a series of painful but effective central bank reforms, Nigeria’s banking sector is showing signs of a “v-shaped” recovery.
Institutions like Zenith Bank and Access Bank have managed to buffer themselves against local volatility by building “fortress balance sheets” through international operations in London, Dubai, and across the ECOWAS region.
The Rise of the “Silicon Savannah”
The most surprising growth, however, isn’t coming from the traditional oil-and-gas hubs. Kenya has solidified its position as the financial gateway to East Africa, placing 10 banks in the Top 100.
Fueled by the “Silicon Savannah” tech boom, Kenyan lenders like KCB and Equity Bank are no longer just banks; they are technology companies with banking licenses.
Their aggressive expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia has turned Nairobi into a formidable rival to Johannesburg as the continent’s primary investment hub.
The Digital Frontier
Africa’s top 100 banks collectively hold $126 billion in Tier 1 capital, a steady rise from 2024, but the real growth is in non-interest income—fees from mobile apps, AI-driven micro-lending, and cross-border digital payments.
As the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) gains traction, the barriers between these regional giants are beginning to dissolve.
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This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
