I neither bank nor hold brief for EB, but these are the facts:
- Equity has a highly fragmented deposit and lending base. If
10,20,30,1,000 depositors decide to close their accounts with
EB,it will not dent the Bank into paralysis. Ditto borrowers,
even if 10,20 0r 1,000 borrowers default (remember most are
small) the sun will rise next day and find the Bank standing.
In Risk Management terms, their deposit and loan portfolios are
widely diversified across economic sectors,product groups while
its sovereign/country risk is also well-diversified.
Having very few large depositors with hundreds of millions of
KShs and few borrowers owing hundreds of millions KShs is what
killed so many Kenyan banks in the 80s to 90s.
- Equity's shareholding is internationally diversified to include
Helios who pumped in KShs 11b that the Bank has splashed on brick
and mortar as it expands merrily across the greater E.A
- Because of its sheer voluem of customers, the Bank rakes in huge
amts of comm. income that even older established banks can only
dream of and has become a pace-setter. There is no bank in Kenya
in whose board rooms the words WHAT IS EQUITY DOING? or 'HAVE YOU
HEARD EQUITY IS NOW.." have not been uttered.
That said:
- the Chairman and CEO need to be apolitical for its long term
growth,
- The bank should not go into just about any new thing that comes
across. Get a niche. Not, leo ni computers, kesho avocados,
kesho kutwa kuchoma makaa,siku hiyo ingine mayai za ng'ombe,
etc. That is why they are hurting on Safcom Loans.
Is there something called Winner's fatigue? Winning too many awards means people actually get tired of hearing it and do not notice subsequent wins which could be even more important than the previous ones,huh?