As shown by our list of Africa's Top Banks 2026, Africa's commercial banks hold record levels of capital, but the continent's financing needs are far too great to be met by them alone.
Infrastructure, trade, industrialisation and climate adaptation all require huge amounts of investment but many projects are too long-term or risky for commercial lenders to finance without support. Africa's development banks will therefore play a crucial role in filling the gaps left by conventional banks. Scroll down for the full list of this year's biggest.
In many cases they are playing a catalytic role, taking on early-mover risk and coming in when other institutions may be more wary.
The continent's biggest development bank is the African Development Bank (AfDB), which has capital and reserves of $18.9bn and assets of $70bn. Its capital base exceeds even that of Standard Bank, although the two institutions play fundamentally different roles.
Originally published by African Business.