But even though Kenya's equity group, like other banks, has seen profits take a hit, its chief executive James Wang G, is bullish about a recent purchase in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This year, 40% of assets will be outside Kenya, reducing the sovereign risk truly becoming a regional bank.

In August, Equity Group completed the $105 million purchase of two thirds of the shares in bank commercial to Congo with a view to amalgamating DRC's oldest bank with its existing Equity Bank Congo subsidiary.

We think B.

C.

D.

C.

On equity combined together will be a $2.5 billion balance sheet by the end of this year, Marangi says.

That's put equities balance sheet on course for the one trillion mark by the end of the year.

One trillion Kenyan shillings that is or around $9 billion.

I'm really glad that we proved entry and conservatively fortified our balance sheet.

But the CEO also acknowledges that the banking sector faces a difficult future but undoubtedly will see the banks are going through lean times, maybe for the next two years, Marangi says.

Lock down measures have affected around 45% of equities customers.

The banks loan loss provisions grew 11 fold to 14.3 billion shillings in the first nine months of the year.

Over the same period, it saw a 20% drop in pretax profit to 19.8 billion shillings, or around 180 million U.

S.

Dollars.