Afreximbank increased net loans and advances to US$35.4bn during the first half of 2026 as stronger lending and rising income from guarantees and letters of credit helped lift net profit by 30%.

The African Export-Import Bank reported net income of US$534.7m for the six months to June, compared with US$412.7m a year earlier. Net interest income increased 22% to US$1bn, while total assets and contingencies reached US$52.3bn, up 7.8% from the end of 2025.

Net loans and advances increased 5.7% from US$33.5bn at December 2025.

The expansion provides a useful measure of the balance-sheet capacity being deployed by one of Africa’s largest trade-finance institutions during a period marked by disrupted shipping, tighter commodity flows and pressure on cross-border liquidity.

Trade-related fee income also increased. Fees and commissions rose 15% to US$71.1m from US$61.9m, with Afreximbank attributing the increase partly to higher income from guarantees and letters of credit as well as advisory services.

Those products are particularly relevant to trade finance because they allow the bank to support commercial transactions without every exposure taking the form of a conventional funded loan.

Asset quality improved despite the expansion. Afreximbank’s non-performing loan ratio fell to 2.20% from 2.43% at the end of 2025, while liquid assets represented 13% of total assets, within the group’s stated strategic range of 10% to 15%. Shareholders’ funds increased slightly to US$8.5bn.

After the reporting period, Afreximbank also completed a US$1.5bn dual-tranche bond issue comprising US$750m five-and-a-half-year and US$750m 10-year tranches. The bank said the transaction was approximately twice subscribed.

The half-year numbers therefore show expansion on both sides of Afreximbank’s balance sheet. Lending is increasing while the institution is simultaneously raising wholesale funding and generating more fee income from trade instruments.

For banks and corporates using Afreximbank facilities, the figures indicate that the institution entered the second half with a larger loan book, improved reported asset quality and additional market funding capacity.