Pearl Bank has reaffirmed its ambition to become a leading indigenous, digitally driven and impact-focused financial institution as it expands lending to productive sectors, promotes financial inclusion and supports Uganda’s long-term economic transformation.
Pearl Bank Managing Director Julius Kakeeto said the Bank’s rebrand from PostBank Uganda a year ago was an important step in building a stronger national identity while positioning the institution to compete more effectively and deliver measurable economic impact.
“Building a stronger national identity was an important step while positioning the institution to compete more effectively and deliver measurable economic impact,” Kakeeto said.
Since the rebrand, the Bank has expanded its corporate banking capabilities, strengthened lending to agriculture and small and medium enterprises, attracted new customers and strategic funding partners, and continued scaling Wendi, its digital financial inclusion platform.
The Bank’s loan book has now crossed UGX1 trillion, up from about UGX760 billion reported at the end of 2025.
Kakeeto attributed the growth to retained earnings and continued shareholder support, which have provided the capital needed to sustain lending and expand the Bank’s operations.
“Capital is like fuel. It keeps you on the road. It has enabled us to keep lending and keep growing our loan book. This year alone, our loan book has grown by more than 30% so far,” he said.
Agriculture accounts for approximately 35% of Pearl Bank’s loan portfolio. The Bank is increasingly shifting its focus beyond primary production to agro-industrialisation, value addition and exports.
Pearl Bank also participates in government programmes, including the Agriculture Credit Facility, Small Business Recovery Fund and financing for large-scale farmers.
The Bank is aligning its lending strategy with the Government’s ATMS growth priorities; Agro-industrialisation, Tourism development, Mineral development, and Science, Technology and Innovation—as well as sectors that support their growth.
Financial inclusion remains another key pillar of the Bank’s strategy.
Through Wendi, Pearl Bank has facilitated more than UGX3 trillion in Parish Development Model disbursements to more than three million households.
Its agency network has also expanded, with the Bank targeting about 20,000 agents and eventually seeking to establish an agent presence in every parish.
Digitalisation has significantly changed how customers interact with the Bank. Kakeeto said branches handled about 80% of Pearl Bank’s transactions five years ago, but this has fallen to approximately 8% today, even as overall transaction volumes have increased fivefold.
The Bank expects branch-based transactions to decline further as customers increasingly use mobile banking, agents and other self-service channels.
Kakeeto said Pearl Bank intends to combine commercial discipline with its purpose of fostering prosperity for Ugandans.
“We would like to see an indigenous or homegrown bank with a local identity that is at the forefront of fostering prosperity for Ugandans in real terms, with measurable and quantifiable goals that deliver impact to Uganda’s economy,” he said.
Over the next five years, Pearl Bank expects digital banking, affordable credit, strategic partnerships and increased financing for productive enterprises to remain central to its growth and national impact agenda.
