ABC Bank's journey started in 1984 as a financial institution in the name of Consolidated Finance Company Ltd; a result of a visionary group of experienced bankers, industrialists, and prominent advocates, who wanted to make a significant contribution in availing financial solutions specific to the unique business environment in Kenya. At the time of its inception, the market lacked options for consumers in terms of personalised service and tailor made solutions. Consolidated Finance Company Ltd opened its doors on 13th of November 1984 to address this market need with its registered office in Nairobi, Kenya.

The growth of Consolidated Finance Company was rapid yet steady over the first nine years and by 1994, Consolidated Finance Company became one of the leading Financial Institutions in the country.

With this solid background and the continued reforms in banking regulations, Consolidated Finance Company had positioned itself to take advantage of these changes to offer more services and support to its customers. Upon gazettement of legislation allowing financial institutions to convert into banks, Consolidated Finance Company immediately transformed and gave rise to the African Banking Corporation Limited (ABC Bank), which officially opened its doors in January, 1995.

The bank has carved a special niche in providing focused services and solutions for mid to large size corporate firms, facilitating its business customers through innovative business solutions and emphasizing its main strengths in asset finance, trade finance and international/local remittance solutions. In addition to these markets, the bank has introduced a variety of personal banking solutions that have created an all rounded platform for individuals to transact with us. These include the award winning Kisima Financial Solution and the Target Account amongst others. Our products are supported by electronic banking solutions of AFRIcell, AFRIcash, AFRInet and AFRIpay, which enable our clients to enjoy uninterrupted connectivity to support their business transactions.

In 2007, the bank successfully realigned its business model into Strategic Business Units (SBUs) to match the changing needs of its very loyal customers. The results of this market segmentation initiative were three Strategic Business Units: Corporate Banking, Business Banking and Retail Banking, created specifically to drive business. This meant that our niche market strategically expanded to cover all aspects of the market from Retail, SME, Institutional, Corporate and High Net-worth clients.

To support the Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and endeavor towardsbest global practice, it came to the bank's realization that continuous quality improvements were key to sustaining customer delight, maximize stakeholder welfare and maintain market leadership given the cut-throat competition in the industry. Therefore, the bank made a strategic decision to embark on the ISO Certification Voyage. This was important in order to guarantee that the SBU re-structuring could be measured and its success replicated at every step. This process was undertaken in consultation with SGS Kenya (Société Générale de Surveillance), who were the certification agents.

This landmark journey came to a jubilant completion on January 15th 2008 when the bank was presented with a special new year gift, the ISO 9001:2000 Certification, which covered the branches and head office operations. All these functional sections had been process mapped, benchmarked and documented to meet the ISO 9001:2000 International Standards. This makes the ABC Bank experience totally exceptional for our clients whether they are in Nairobi, or upcountry, immediately boosting our customer retention and improving turnaround time to customer requests viewed against industry averages.

The attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 certification was celebrated on the 27th of May at an Unveiling Cocktail held at Holiday Inn, Westlands, Nairobi. The bank has henceforth grown with a countrywide network of 9 Branches; 4 in Nairobi and 1 branch each in Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Meru and Nakuru. This is complimented by a team of over 160 qualified and professional bankers. The bank is equipped to meet the dynamic and changing needs of both local and international financial needs. ABC Bank celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010.