Middle East Bank Kenya is a commercial bank in Kenya. It is licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank and national banking regulator.
It is a small retail bank that focuses on meeting the needs of large corporations and high-net-worth individuals. , the bank was ranked number 41, by assets, out of a total of 43 commercial banks in Kenya. , the bank's total assets were valued at about US$100 million (KES: 11.02 billion), with shareholders' equity of approximately US$13 million (KES: 1.124 billion).
Middle East Bank Kenya Ltd started operations in Kenya in August 1981, after receiving a banking license from the Central Bank of Kenya, the national banking regulator. The initial shareholders in the bank were the Al-Futtaim Group, affiliated with the Middle East Bank Group of United Arab Emirates. In 1991, the Al-Futtaim Group divested from the bank, leaving shareholding in Kenyan hands.
In 1995, Banque Belgolaise, a Belgian financial institution acquired 25% shareholding in Middle East Bank Kenya, becoming the single largest shareholder. As a result of multiple bank mergers and acquisitions, that 25% shareholding subsequently came to be owned by BNP Paribas Fortis. 75% shareholding remains in private Kenyan hands.
The shares of stock of Middle East Bank Kenya are privately held. The largest single shareholder, with 25% shareholding, is BNP Paribas Fortis, a Belgian financial services provider that is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, a French banking conglomerate that is the largest banking group in the world. Shareholding in Middle East Bank is depicted in the table below:
, the bank maintains its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city. It has three branches; two in Nairobi and another in Mombasa, Kenya's second-largest city.