North Africa is the strongest area

Morocco and Egypt each have a bunch of entries in our Prime 100 Banks desk and within the regional breakdown of the Prime 20 North African banks. The 2 international locations every maintain two of the highest 4 locations within the regional desk, led by Nationwide Financial institution of Egypt with $7.3bn in “Tier 1” capital and adopted by Attijariwafa Financial institution ($6.2bn) and Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP) ($5.2bn), each of Morocco; after which Egypt’s Banque Misr ($4.8bn).

The Egyptian financial system is greater than twice the scale of Morocco’s, and its inhabitants greater than 3 times as large, however Moroccan banks had been among the many first significantly to develop their operations into the remainder of Africa – initially into francophone West Africa however now additional afield. This funding is now serving to to generate extra income and increase connections between the Moroccan financial system and the remainder of the continent.

In September, BCP introduced a internet revenue of three.5bn dirham ($386m) for the primary half of 2025, a 16.8% rise on the identical interval within the earlier 12 months, and internet revenue of two.9bn dirham ($320m), a rise of 12.8%. Progress is partly being pushed by the financial institution’s presence in 32 international locations, together with 18 in the remainder of Africa – greater than its rival Attijariwafa Financial institution – which gave it near 10m prospects final 12 months. The third greatest Moroccan financial institution, Financial institution of Africa, has now additionally expanded its community to 32 markets.

Morocco’s Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier has moved up from #20 place in our 2024 Prime 20 to #13 because of an enormous rise in capital from $691m to $1.1bn. Its 2024 internet revenue reached 966m dirham ($96.6m), representing a 24.3% improve on the earlier 12 months. The financial institution now plans additional growth by issuing new shares by way of money contributions, whereas sustaining subscription rights for present shareholders to extend its capital by 1.5bn dirham ($161m),

Whereas each the Nationwide Financial institution of Egypt and Banque Misr have recorded falls in capital over the previous 12 months, all the opposite Egyptian banks within the regional desk have grown, even when solely barely. The most important enchancment comes from Arab African Worldwide Financial institution, which has $2.3bn capital this 12 months, a considerable rise on final 12 months’s $2bn. It was initially arrange as a three way partnership between the Central Financial institution of Egypt and the Kuwait Funding Authority, and is now constructing on its hyperlinks with the Gulf states by opening its first department in Saudi Arabia to benefit from rising Egyptian funding within the nation, after the Egyptian regulators gave the go-ahead to the deal.

Whereas Libyan banks are absent, state-owned Banque Exterieure d’Algerie and Banque Nationale d’Algerie fill the fifth and sixth locations. Certainly, there are eight Algerian banks in our Prime 100, up from simply 4 in 2022.

Tunisia’s Banque Nationale Agricole secures #20 place in our North African Prime 20 with $694m: this can be a far increased threshold than in every other area.