CRDB Bank secures $200 million facility

Global confidence in Tanzania’s CRDB Bank continues to surge, with international lenders making $567 million in commitments for a $200 million syndicated loan facility – more than double the target amount. The fourth successful facility, arranged by Investec and Intesa Sanpaolo, underscores the bank’s strong financial standing and growing appeal among global investors.

First launched in 2022 to improve capitalisation at Tanzania’s largest bank, the fourth syndication round for CRDB Bank again offered global lenders the opportunity to join either the one-year or two-year term facility.

Based on the success achieved in previous funding rounds, CRDB Bank reappointed Investec Bank, acting through its Corporate & Institutional Banking division, and Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. as co-mandated lead arrangers on its behalf to facilitate a two-year $100 million syndicated term loan facility, which was upsized to $200 million on the back of strong demand.

“As a sign of continued market confidence in CRDB Bank and the future potential of the East African economy, the syndicated term loan facility was again oversubscribed,” affirms Marc Kohne, Head: Africa Leveraged Finance at Investec Corporate & Institutional Banking.

Aiming for $100 million ($90 million in the first tranche and $10 million in the second), the arrangers received $416.5 million in commitments for year one and $151 million for year two, which prompted the upsized facility. 

“The interest in the two-year facility from the diverse lender pool was much higher than in previous years,” explains Leanne Large, Head of Loan Distribution and Syndication at Investec Bank. 

“Clearly, the repeated success of these syndications has established a favourable track record, boosting market credibility, while the positive returns that this investment opportunity continues to deliver resonates with new and returning lenders.”

The record commitments in 2025 are the culmination of a four-year growth story, characterised by consistent increases in investor interest since the first funding round in 2022.

“As our relationship with CRDB Bank has deepened, the facility has grown from $130 million in the first year to $142 million in 2023 and $150 million in 2024,” explains Rowan King, Head of Africa Business Development at Investec Corporate & Institutional Banking. 

“Achieving the record target of $200 million in 2025 is a significant achievement and represents a compound annual growth rate of 15.44%.”

The commitments made from the global lender pool in each round have also grown substantially over this period, from $130 million in 2022 to $202 million in 2023 and $247 million in 2024.

The record commitments made in 2025 came from a larger lender pool, with additional banks in South Africa joining, along with AFC, a development finance institution (DFI) in Nigeria. In total, the overall lender pool, which includes a mix of global institutions from across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the United Kingdom, has grown from 13 in 2022 to 17 in 2024 and 30 in 2025.

“The continued success of this benchmark deal, culminating in the 2025 syndicated loan being over-subscribed, is testament to the quality of the bank and its people. Furthermore, it is also a positive reflection on Tanzania and bodes well for the future,” adds Intesa Sanpaolo’s Gustaaf Eerenstein.

For a financial institution in an emerging market, the interest in participation and the shift to longer-term tranches are important endorsements of the bank’s stability and performance, and indicates a growing willingness to invest outside developed markets as global economic fundamentals shift. 

“The oversubscription and uptake of longer-term tranches reflect the strong confidence investors have in Africa’s considerable growth potential, alongside CRBD Bank’s creditworthiness, reputation, and leadership. This positions us to continue delivering more innovative financial solutions and accelerating client growth across our markets,” affirms Abdulmajid Nsekela, CRDB Bank Group CEO.

"Moody's recent B1 rating with stable outlook reinforces lenders' confidence in our ability to meet obligations throughout the loan term. It also strengthens our position as one of the leading financial institutions in Africa, enabling us to offer clients enhanced access to capital markets and broader range of services ."

The $200-million term loan facility will provide working capital to CRBD Bank over the next two years, supporting the bank's lending portfolio for the corporate and small and medium enterprise (SME) sectors in Tanzania and Burundi, including project and infrastructure finance linked to the commodity sector.

"The consistent oversubscription of our funding rounds reflects the world’s growing confidence in Africa’s economic future. The record $567 million bid from an ever-widening pool of global investors highlights Africa’s rising status as a destination for sustainable growth and opportunity, with CRDB Bank proud to play its part in unlocking this potential,” continues Nsekela.

“Our team's global reach, unwavering commitment, and unparalleled expertise continues to support our business through expanded product offerings and deeper market penetration into Africa’s growing markets, driving sustainable growth and continued success for us and our partners,” he concludes.

About CRDB Bank

CRDB Bank Plc, established in 1996 and listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange in 2009, is a leading financial services provider in Tanzania with a presence in Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The bank also runs a fully-fledged insurance company, CRDB Insurance Company, and has established CRDB Bank Foundation as its social impact arm. The bank offers a wide range of products including savings, loans, trade finance, investments, and insurance. With total assets valued at approximately $5.055 billion as of 2024, CRDB is the largest commercial bank in Tanzania. The bank's commitment to innovation and customer-centric services has made it a key player in the East African financial landscape. 

Contact details:

Media related queries - claudia@orangeink.co.za

Find out more about the transaction here: https://www.investec.com/en_za/investec-for-corporates/transactions/crdb-bank-tanzania-2025.html

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