Nairobi, 20 March 2010……Diamond Trust Bank has announced record- breaking results once again, with group pre-tax profit rising by 20%, from Kshs 1.6 billion in 2008 to Kshs 1.93 billion in 2009.

Announcing the group's annual results, DTB's Managing Director and Group CEO, Mrs. Nasim Devji said: "In spite of the difficult business environment last year, DTB performed exceptionally well with group's market share of assets and profitability growing across the East African region."

In a year, when many banks posted subdued earnings and asset growth, DTB is one of the few commercial banking players who have announced a healthy increase in net earnings.

The group's customer deposit base rose by a significant 25%, from Kshs 45 billion in 2008 to Kshs 53 billion over the corresponding period to December 2009. The loan book for the group also swelled by 25%, to stand at Kshs 42.5 billion. The group asset base grew by 19% to stand at Kshs 67 billion up from Kshs 56 billion; the total group operating income rose to Kshs 5.1 billion up from Kshs 3.7 billion realized over the same period in the previous year.

The Bank's Board of Directors has recommended a dividend rate of 38.75 %, equating to KShs 1.55 per share, to shareholders, compared to a dividend rate of 35% or KShs 1.40 per share in the previous year.

"The sustained growth in the bank's customer base fuelled by the rapid branch expansion strategy the group has been pursuing in recent years is bearing fruit," said Mrs. Devji.

In 2009, DTB increased its branch footprint in East Africa from 30 to 53, stretching from Arua in Uganda to Zanzibar on the East African seaboard. In Kenya, DTB opened 11 branches during the year, increasing the bank's branch network to 29 by December 2009. The group plans to double its footprint in East Africa to over 100 branches by 2012. DTB Kenya has also expanded its footprint in other East African markets following the opening in June of a banking subsidiary in Burundi, the first Kenyan bank to do so.

DTB is an affiliate of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the economic development arm of the Aga Khan Development Network. Amongst the bank's key shareholders are Habib Bank Limited (HBL), an AKFED subsidiary, and the International Finance Corporation, the private lending arm of the World Bank.