Customers of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) will be able to access services at National Bank of Kenya (NBK) branches beginning in the upcoming year, and vice versa, according to a Monday announcement made by Paul Russo, CEO of KCB Group.

Russo stated to NTV that the lenders are looking to get rid of operational overlaps following KCB’s 2019 takeover of NBK.

By February of the next year, he stated, the change will be implemented.

“January-February, KCB customers should be able to be served in an NBK branch and NBK customers in a KCB branch. That gives you an opportunity to optimize because you can then remove overlaps,” Russo said.

“One would ask, why are you running two branches in Wajir, but you need a technology capability. That is the direction you want to take.”

In April 2019, the KCB Group offered to buy all 100 percent of NBK’s shares through a share swap in which one KCB share would be exchanged for ten NBK shares.

With the merger’s approval in September 2019, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) became Kenya’s largest bank in terms of both assets and market share.

In addition to Kenya, regional offices of KCB may be found in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, and South Sudan.

Additionally, it is the owner of non-banking entities, including KCB Foundation, KCB Capital, and KCB Bancassurance Intermediary.