Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd

Co-operative Bank of Kenya

Co-operative Bank of Kenya is a commercial bank in Kenya. The bank was established in 1966, initially as a cooperative society. Shares previously held by the 3,805 Co-operative Societies and unions were ring-fenced under Coop Holdings Co-operative Society Limited which became the strategic investor in the Bank with a 64.56% stake.

Co-op Bank has digitally onboarded 1M smallholder farmers on to Co-op Bank Soko, a white-labeled digital platform created by Mastercard which digitizes the process for the supply and purchase of agricultural inputs and produce, and plans to onboard at least 2M smallholder farmers in Kenya within 4 years. These smallholder  farmers would have otherwise been unbanked, are living below the living income and struggle to get access to markets and quality high-yielding inputs. The results-based step-down interest rate will significantly reduce the cost of assets for farmers. 

Shell Foundation is working with Co-op Bank Kenya, Mastercard’s Kenya partner, to pilot 6 productive use energy assets, for which the Co-op Bank will provide capital for farmers to borrow through co-operatives in the potato, maize and dairy value chains, at a step-down interest rate.