The lender had, in a similar period last year, earned Sh7.3 billion in net profit.

A seven percent increase in operating income to Sh31 billion helped lift profit to new heights this year.

“These strong operating results are attributable to consistent focus on our strategic priorities,” NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said.

While assets grew 9 percent year-on-year to Sh660 billion, customer deposits went up 10 percent to Sh517 billion.

Likewise, it disbursed a total of Sh457 billion in digital loans, representing a 35 percent jump year-on-year.

NCBA runs the Mshwari platform in partnership with Safaricom, allowing borrowers to access credit via their phones digitally.

Its performance was also buoyed by subsidiaries in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda that collectively brought in Sh1.4 billion in profit.

Gachora noted that in Kenya, there is continued growth in the core business.

“Our Retail and Corporate Banking customer deposits have grown on the back of building a bigger and smarter network and offering superior customer experience.”