Standard Investment Bank has begun construction of its new headquarters in Westlands, Nairobi, marking a major milestone for one of Kenya’s most influential homegrown investment firms.
The thirty-two floor SIB International Centre will anchor the company’s expanding operations and serve as a symbol of its ambitions in a rapidly evolving financial sector.
At the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, founder and managing director James Wangunyu described the project as a commitment to shaping the future of African investment banking.
He said the new building represented an opening for the next generation of financiers and innovators, framing it as both a corporate home and a platform for wider industry transformation.
Since its founding in 1995, SIB has grown from a small brokerage into a major player in Kenya’s financial landscape. Its rise has tracked the sector’s shift from traditional banking to investment led models that offer broader ways for Kenyans to build wealth.
The firm has consistently launched products that pushed the market toward greater sophistication and wider inclusion.
Among its most significant innovations is the Mansa X Special Fund, now the largest collective investment scheme of its kind in the country with assets above 110 billion shillings.
The firm also introduced SIB Najah which provides Shariah compliant investment options for Muslim clients. Its push into global markets has opened international investment access to ordinary Kenyans who were once excluded from such opportunities.
SIB has continued to expand despite volatile economic conditions. It opened a regional office in Mombasa earlier this year to reach emerging markets and diaspora linked investors.
The company’s leaders say the new headquarters signals confidence in Kenya’s economic prospects as well as a desire to deepen its role in shaping the future of the country’s financial industry.
The building will house trading floors, advisory units and wealth management teams that reflect SIB’s widening reach across the region.
