TZ is a tough place for Kenyan firms. Even KCB had a rough time in TZ for years but may have finally turned the corner.

UG, RW, DRC and even SS have been profitable for Equity.

Regional expansion is not easy but important as Kenya becomes very competitive.

Equity Group eyes Sh50bn long-term debt in three years

Equity Group is eyeing up to Sh50 billion from international financiers in the next three years as it seeks to boost its liquidity and capital positions.

Group CEO James Mwangi told investors in a recent virtual annual general meeting that the board wants to reinforce the lender’s liquidity and capital positions through a mix of medium-term and long-term debts.

This will take the group’s borrowed funds beyond the Sh56.7 billion it has in its books at the end of December 2019.
Equity’s Sh22.89 billion loan or about 40 per cent of its current borrowings will mature by March 2023, the information in its latest annual report shows.
Equity has taken a cash preservation strategy in the wake of Covid-19, including recalling Sh9 billion in dividends and dropping the purchase of four banks outside Kenya.

“Forfeiture of dividends was a good gesture to all our partners that we are also in need as we called on them to support our customers,” Mr Mwangi told investors.

He said the bank had taken a proactive management strategy of preserving capital and liquidity as the group anticipates Covid-19 and its impact to last for at least 18 months.

https://www.businessdail...92028-6q9hrrz/index.html

For the really successful ones, business is always personal. A passion, an obsession even, rather than a job. Think Bezos, Jobs, Branson or even Dangote here at home.

In other news, I noticed this sentence from your link:

"Local banks are increasingly taking substantial loans from global funds such as the IFC, European Investment Bank and Agence Française de Développement, attracted by relatively more favourable terms of the debt including lower interest rates and longer maturity."

It seems like all that newly printed QE money is trying to find returns. How long before foreign buyers start to pile up on emerging markets?

Do I sense opportunity, or is that sanitizer my hands have been drinking finally getting to my head?

JM alikataa! And got a discount.

Now they can go head to head with Raw Bank