Equity Group Holdings says its customers across the region, including in Uganda, are increasingly choosing to bank online rather than visit a branch, as the group pushes ahead with a technology-led transformation.
According to the group’s quarter 1 2026 investor briefing, 98.3% of all transactions across the group now happen outside branches, and 89.5% are processed through digital platforms.
The group said this showed that “customers are actively choosing the convenience and reliability of Equity’s digital ecosystem.”
In Uganda, Equity Bank serves 2 million customer accounts through a network of 50 branches, 58 ATMs, 9,316 agency outlets and more than 50,000 merchants.
The wide network of agents and merchants means customers in areas without a branch can still access banking services through local shops and agents carrying the Equity brand.
The push into digital banking is backed by a new Technology Group, built up within the company in the final quarter of last year, which the group says is modernising its core banking systems, payments infrastructure and risk analytics.
Equity Group managing director Dr James Mwangi said recently the group was “building a future-ready institution, scalable, secure, and impact-led, anchored in digital capabilities, staff upskilling, and a culture of disciplined execution.”
The quater 1 briefing also noted large-scale staff training in artificial intelligence and digital skills across the group, though it did not give Uganda-specific figures for this training.
Across the wider Equity Group, which operates in six African countries and serves 22.7 million customers, the shift to digital channels has come alongside a 24% rise in profit after tax, to Shs 548 billion for the quarter.
