Gulf Africa Bank (GAB), whose full name is Gulf Africa Bank Limited, is a commercial bank in Kenya that operates under the Islamic banking regime. It is licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the Central Bank and the National Banking Regulatory Authority.

As of December 2014, the bank is a medium-sized financial services provider in Kenya. Its total assets are valued at approximately $191.80 million (KSh19,753,647 billion), its customer deposits total approximately $153.3 million (KSh15.8 billion), and its shareholders' equity is estimated at $30.6 million (KSh3.15 billion). At that time, the bank was ranked 25th out of 43 licensed banks in Kenya at that time in terms of assets. The bank plans to enter Uganda and Tanzania.

HISTORY

Discussions to establish the bank began in 2005 with individuals and institutions from the Persian Gulf and Kenya. The bank began banking operations in 2008, following the acquisition of a commercial banking license and authorization to establish an Islamic bank from the Central Bank of Kenya. Gulf African Bank is the second commercial bank in Kenya to be authorized for Shariah banking operations, following the first community bank that opened in 2007. At the time of its opening, Gulf African Bank had a total capital base of more than $21 million (1.75 billion Kenyan shillings)

Ownership

Gulf African Bank shares are privately held by institutional and private investors from the Persian Gulf, Kenya and the United States of America. The institutional investor shareholding ratio is over 90%. The bank's major shareholders include the investors listed in the table below. In September 2012, the International Finance Corporation acquired a 16% stake in the bank for $5 million. It is not clear what the equity will be like after the funds change hands.

• The total has declined due to the lack of holding data after the International Finance Corporation (IFC) investment.

Branch Network

As of August 2014, the bank operated a branch network at the following locations:

1. Headquarters - Geminia Insurance Plaza, Kilimanjaro Avenue, Nairobi
2. Lamu Branch - Old Telkom Office, Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lamu
3. Kenyatta Avenue Branch - Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi, Ground Floor, Hughes Building
4. Eastleigh Branch II - Shariff Centre Building, Jam Street, Eastleigh, Nairobi
5. Bombolulu Branch - Madina Estate, New Mombasa-Malindi Highway, Bombolulu, Mombasa
6. Westland Branch - 9 West Building, Westlands, Nairobi
7. Corporate Branch - Addis Ababa Road, Next to Nairobi Corporate Road
8. Upper Hill Branch - Nairobi Uphill, Kilimanjaro Avenue, Ground Floor, Gemini Plaza
9. Jomo Kenyatta Branch - Jomo Kenyatta Avenue, Mombasa Casa Building
10. Malindi Branch - Blue Marlin Building, Lamu Road, Malindi
11. Garissa Branch - First House, Al-Waqf Quran House, Kismayo Road, Garissa
12. Nkrumah Road Branch - Najat House, Nkrumah Road, Mombasa
13. Eastleigh Main Branch - Eastleigh Mall Building, General Wariunge Street, Eastleigh, Nairobi
14. Bondeni Branch - Abdul Nasser Road, Bondeni, Mombasa