# Absa Bank Kenya

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/absa-kenya
> research date 2026-06-01 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Absa Kenya — official](https://www.absabank.co.ke/)

## Overview

**Absa Bank Kenya** is **NSE: ABSA** + **Kenyan commercial bank** + **Absa Group South African parent JSE: ABG ~68.5% controlling post-Feb 2020 Barclays Bank of Kenya rebrand** + **one of Kenya's largest commercial banks** <sup>[1][1], [Kenya report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KE)</sup>.

## History

**1916 — Barclays Bank Kenya branch opens** distinctive Kenyan banking heritage.

**Feb 10 2020 — Barclays Bank of Kenya rebranded as Absa Bank Kenya post-Absa Group rebrand**.

**2014 — Absa Mobile Banking app launch**.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Absa Bank Kenya** (Kenyan commercial bank; NSE: ABSA).

**Major shareholders**: **Absa Group Limited (JSE: ABG; Absa Group South African parent; South Africa's #3 commercial bank by assets) ~68.5% controlling + Kenyan retail + institutional + foreign investors free float**.

**Regulators**: **CBK Central Bank of Kenya**.

## Technical integration

Absa Mobile Banking app (iOS + Android) + absabank.co.ke online + Absa Bank Kenya branch network across Kenya + Absa Visa + Mastercard cards; KE IBAN + PesaLink + IPN Kenya + M-PESA integration.

## Implementations & partners

**Absa Group parent**: [Absa Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/absa) (Absa Group South Africa; JSE: ABG; South Africa's #3 commercial bank by assets).

**Major Kenyan + East African banking + payments competitors**: [Equity Bank (Kenya) + Equity Mobile](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/equity-bank) (Equity Bank; NSE: EQTY + USE: EBL + RSE: EQTY; Kenya's largest commercial bank by customers; ~21M+ Equity Bank customers) + [KCB Kenya Commercial Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/kcb-mobile) (KCB Kenya Commercial Bank; NSE: KCB + USE: KCB + DSE: KCB; Kenya's #2 commercial bank by customers; ~30M+ KCB Bank customers) + [Co-operative Bank of Kenya / MCo-opCash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/coop-bank-kenya) (Co-operative Bank of Kenya; NSE: COOP; Kenya's #3 commercial bank by customers) + Standard Chartered Kenya (Standard Chartered Kenya; NSE: SCBK; Standard Chartered UK parent subsidiary) + [Stanbic Bank Kenya](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/stanbic-kenya) (Stanbic Bank Kenya; NSE: SBIC; Standard Bank Group South African parent subsidiary) + [M-Pesa](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/m-pesa) (M-PESA; Safaricom + Vodacom + Vodafone African mobile money; Kenya's largest mobile money platform; ~60M+ users across 8 African countries) + PesaLink (PesaLink Kenyan national interbank P2P payment scheme).

**Regulators**: CBK Central Bank of Kenya.

## Status

**Active, NSE:ABSA + Kenyan commercial bank + Absa Group South African parent JSE:ABG ~68.5% controlling post-Feb 2020 Barclays Bank of Kenya rebrand + one of Kenya's largest commercial banks** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.absabank.co.ke/ "Absa Kenya — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absa_Bank_Kenya "Absa Kenya — Wikipedia"
[ke-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KE

- [1] [Absa Kenya — official][1]
- [2] [Absa Kenya — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[Kenya report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KE)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/KE-kenya.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [absa-kenya.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/absa-kenya). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.