By Business Insider Reporter
CRDB Bank has secured a US$300 million syndicated term loan after international lenders committed about US$744 million to its 2026 funding programme – almost five times the US$150 million the bank initially sought.
The financing is the fifth annual syndicated loan arranged for the lender since the programme began in 2022 and the largest facility raised under the programme so far.
South Africa’s Investec and Intesa Sanpaolo of Italy acted as co-ordinators and bookrunners.
The strong lender response enabled CRDB Bank to double the amount it initially targeted, providing nearly TSh800 billion in additional funding capacity to support lending, liquidity management and its expansion across Tanzania and regional markets.
The transaction involved 34 financial institutions from Europe, the United Kingdom, the Gulf region and Africa, including commercial banks and development finance institutions.
The 2026 facility is structured as a syndicated term loan and represents a refinancing and upsizing of CRDB Bank’s international syndicated loan programme. It includes the one- and two-year funding options used previously and, for the first time, adds a three-year tranche.
The longer-term facility gives the bank greater flexibility in managing its funding requirements, extending the maturity of its borrowings and diversifying its funding base.
The lender said in a presser that the three-year tranche attracted particularly strong interest from development finance institutions.
The funds will support its general corporate financing requirements, liquidity management and continued expansion of lending in Tanzania and its regional operations in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The financing will also strengthen the bank’s ability to serve customers involved in trade and investment along key commercial corridors across East and Central Africa.
“This transaction further strengthens our position in international funding markets and provides us with greater financial capacity to empower our customers and contribute to economic development in the markets where we operate,” CRDB Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdulmajid Nsekela said.
Investec Head of Africa Leveraged Finance, Marc Köhne, said the level of commitments, which substantially exceeded the amount sought, demonstrated the depth of liquidity available to strong African financial institutions.
“Each financing round has built on the success of the previous transaction, attracting broader participation, larger commitments and increasing support from global lenders,” he said.
The bank has increasingly used international syndicated financing as part of its broader funding strategy as it expands beyond Tanzania. It currently operates in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo and has a representative office in Dubai supporting trade and investment links between African and international markets.
According to its 2025 financial results, CRDB Bank had total assets of about TSh24.3 trillion and about 29 percent market share in assets and deposits.
The latest financing, signed in Dar es Salaam this September, therefore gives it additional international funding to support its lending activities while extending the maturity and diversity of its funding base. Financial analysrs said its significance extends beyond the US$300 million raised: the US$744 million lender commitments show the scale of international funding available to the bank as it expands its role in financing businesses, trade and investment across the region.
