Thirteen banks have been recognized for their role in driving trust, affordability and simplicity in instant account to account payments in Kenya.
During the inaugural Pesalink Bank Awards 2025, Bank of Africa emerged the top bank with the highest transaction success rate after recording the highest percentage of transfers completed successfully without errors, reflecting reliability and operational efficiency. Bank of Baroda and National Bank of Kenya emerged second and third respectively.
According to Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL) which operates the Pesalink network, digital payment ecosystem in Africa is growing rapidly and is expected to reach $1.5 trillion in value by 2030.
“By grounding recognition in verified performance data, we ensure that excellence in instant payments is not just celebrated but measured. This transparency builds confidence for customers and motivates banks to continually raise the bar,” said Gituku Kirika, IPSL chief executive officer.
Bank of Baroda was ranked 1st in service availability, followed Commercial International Bank Kenya (CIB) and Dubai Islamic Bank.
Equity Bank was awarded for being the top lender with higher growth in transactions across the network, indicating adoption and scale of service. I&M Bank and KCB Bank Kenya were second and third respectively. SBM Bank was awarded for being simple and affordable to users.
“Recognizing leaders in instant payments is about more than competition. It’s about strengthening trust in digital finance and accelerating Kenya’s journey toward a truly inclusive national payments network,” added IPSL Board Chairman Jeremy Ngunze.
The awards were base on operational data analysis from Pesalink’s Instant Payments Dashboard between January and October 2025 involving at least 80 participants on the Pesalink network, including banks, fintechs, SACCOs, and telcos.
According to IPSL which is a subsidiary of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), Pesalink processed Ksh 1.1 trillion in transaction value last year with 8.2 million instant transactions.
