Trust Merchant Bank or TMB, is a commercial bank based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with its headquarters located in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi (former names: (French), ( Dutch)) is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katan ...

. The bank began operations in 2004. TMB operates in all sectors of the local banking market, including in retail banking, SME banking, corporate banking, and mobile banking. The bank is regulated by the

Central Bank of Congo The Central Bank of the Congo (french: Banque centrale du Congo) is the central bank of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bank's main offices are on Boulevard Colonel Tshatshi in La Gombe in Kinshasa. The bank is engaged in developing p ...

and is a member of the Association Congolaise des Banques.

Overview

Trust Merchant Bank is one of the DRC's largest banks as measured by regulatory equity, total assets and turnover. As of 31 December 2019, total assets were in excess of US$1bn, equivalent to approximately 12% of total bank assets in the DRC, with shareholders' equity of US$96mn. TMB is a member of the

SWIFT Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

interbank network (TRMSCD3L) and is also a principal member of MasterCard, and Visa.

Bank Characteristics

Trust Merchant Bank has several unique characteristics: * TMB was the first Congolese financial institution to launch a proprietary mobile banking service. * TMB is the only bank to offer a nationwide branch network. * It is the only bank headquartered in a city other than the national capital,

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...

. * The Bank was the first Congolese bank to secure a licence to open a Representative Office in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Branch Network

Trust Merchant Bank operates over one hundred and five branches across twenty one provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo: * Bandundu-Ville * Beni * Boma *

Bukavu Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu pro ...

(multiple branches) * Bunia *

Butembo Butembo is a city in North Kivu, in the north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying west of the Virunga National Park. The city is an important commercial centre with large markets, a cathedral, multiple large hospitals, and an airport. The ...

* Fungurume *

Gbadolite Gbadolite or Gbado-Lite (pronounced ) is the capital of Nord-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is located south of the Ubangi River at the border to the Central African Republic and northeast of the national capit ...

* Gemena *

Goma Goma is the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the Albertine Rift, the ...

(multiple branches) * Kabinda *

Kalemie Kalemie, formerly Albertville or Albertstad, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is next to the outflow of the Lukuga River from Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River. History From 18 ...

* Kamina * Kamoa *

Kananga Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province. It is the fourth most populous urban a ...

* Kasumbalesa (multiple branches) * Kenge * Kikwit *

Kilwa Kilwa Kisiwani (English: ''Kilwa Island'') is an island, national historic site, and hamlet community located in the township of Kilwa Masoko, the district seat of Kilwa District in the Tanzanian region of Lindi Region in southern Tanzania. Ki ...

Kindu Kindu is a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the capital of Maniema province. It has a population of about 200,000 and is situated on the Lualaba River at an altitude of about 500 metres, and is about 400 km west of Bukavu. Kindu ...

(multiple branches) * Kitona *

Kisangani Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville or Stanleystad) is the capital of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the fifth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,312,000 in 2021, and the larg ...

Kolwezi Kolwezi or Kolwesi is the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It is home to an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. Just outside of Kolwezi there is the static inverter plant ...

(multiple branches) *

Likasi Likasi (formerly official names: Jadotville (French) and Jadotstad ( Dutch)) is a city in Haut-Katanga Province, in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Demographics Likasi has a population of around 635,000 (2015). During the 1990 ...

Lodja Lodja is a remote town in the Sankuru (formerly Kasaï-Oriental) province in central Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is serviced by the Lodja Airport which is about from town. Lodja is a hub for both rice production in the province and dia ...

* Logu *

(multiple branches) * Manono *

Matadi Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...

(multiple branches) *

Mbandaka Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Provin ...

* Mbanza Ngundu *

Mbuji-Mayi Mbuji-Mayi or Mbujimayi (formerly Bakwanga) is a city and the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the second largest city in the country, following the capital Kinshasa but ahead of Lubumba ...

Mwene-Ditu Mwene-Ditu is a town in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lomami Province. History The town of Mwene Ditu is born of the Presidential Order Act No. 43/2003 of 28 March 2003 on a proposal and request of a national adviser on defense and ...

Muanda Moanda or Muanda is a town and territory lying on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the mouth of the Congo River., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency It is situated in Kongo Central Province ...

Uvira Uvira is a city in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uvira is a Roman Catholic diocese, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bukavu. Geography It is located at the extreme north end of Lake Tanganyika. Kalundu is a lake p ...

The Bank maintains a representative office in

. TMB is the only bank in the DRC to operate bank branches onsite at a number of

MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was estab ...

sites across the country, including in

and Bunia.

Awards

The African Banker named TMB as the ''Best Bank in Central Africa'' in 2014 and again in 2017. TMB was named as ''Bank of the Year Democratic Republic of Congo'' in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 by

The Banker ''The Banker'' is an English-language monthly international financial affairs publication owned by ''The Financial Times'' Ltd. and edited in London, United Kingdom. The magazine was first published in January 1926 through founding Editor, Bren ...

. EMEA Finance awarded TMB the title ''Best Bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo'' for the ninth consecutive year in 2019. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020 Global Finance Magazine recognised TMB as the ''Best Bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo''.

Le Monde des Flamboyants

TMB's regional headquarters in

plays host t
Le Monde des Flamboyants
a multi-purpose exhibition gallery.

Acquisition by KCB Group

In August 2022,

KCB Group KCB Group Limited, also known as the KCB Group, is a financial services holding company based in the African Great Lakes region. The Group's headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, with its subsidiaries being KCB Bank Kenya Limited, KCB Bank Burundi ...

, based in Nairobi,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

agreed to acquire 85 percent shareholding in Trust Merchant Bank at "1.49 times the book value".. It is estimated that that would cost approximately KSh15 billion/= (US$127 million then). KCB also agreed to acquire the remaining 15 percent ownership in the bank, not later than 2024. The deal requires shareholder and regulatory approvals in DRCongo and Kenya.

References

* * * * * * *

External links

Trust Merchant Bank Official Website

Trust Merchant Bank Twitter
{{Portal, Banks Banks of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lubumbashi