Frequently
asked questions

Can't find your answer? We're here to help! Ask one of our advisors at kenya@branch.co

Branch is a bank in your pocket. It makes it easy for people in Kenya to access loans, transfer money, pay bills and save at competitive rates. Visit our website to learn more.
Branch has offices in Nairobi, Kenya; Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; and San Francisco, United States.
At the moment, Branch operates in India, Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria.
Yes! Kindly ensure you are using the latest version of the app. Then from your app go to “My Account”, then tap “App Settings”, then select “Language”, choose “Kiswahili” and tap “Submit” to save.
You can follow this link and click Update. Or you can go to Google Play, search for “Branch International” then click “Update”.
In Kenya, we support Safaricom. We hope to expand our coverage in the near future.
Thank you for your interest! Kindly follow this link to our careers page to see a list of our current vacancies.
At the moment, we do not provide customer support by phone number or in person. Please send us a message via the app any time, and we will help you resolve whatever issue you may have.
You can choose between our Flexi Savings and Target Savings products

• With our Flexi Savings, you can deposit and withdraw your savings anytime, earning interest of 6% p.a. Interest does not compound.

• With our Target Savings you can choose to open a Fixed Savings Account or Amount Goal Account.
     • With Fixed Savings, you can deposit a minimum of Ksh 10 for 1-12 months and get your Savings amount plus returns paid to your Branch Wallet at maturity. You can also create multiple Fixed Savings, name them and select different maturity dates for each. Interest is calculated at the commencement of the saving/investment based on amount and tenure. Interest does not compound.
     • With an Amount Goal account, you can set a savings amount and add to it manually, or periodically with our auto-debit feature. Funds can only be withdrawn when your goal has been reached. The minimum individual deposit you can make to your overall Amount Goal is Ksh 10. Interest is calculated daily based on the cumulative amount of money the user has deposited.
Interest does not compound, but is stored separately and paid out on maturity with the principal amount.

Liquidation
In the event of an emergency liquidation for Target savings, reach out to our Customer Service team. Please note that by withdrawing your savings before maturity, all interest earned is forfeited.
• You can currently fund your savings from your Branch wallet or Mpesa. Once your Branch wallet is funded, tap the 'Savings' option and then select the type of savings you would like to create - flexi or target and proceed to customise your plan as you wish.
• For Flexi Savings, interest rates are based on the prevailing market rate which is calculated daily and paid every week. Your weekly interest earnings are added to your Flexi Savings account and you can withdraw the funds at any time into your Branch wallet.

• For Target Savings, interest is based on the prevailing market rate.
• With our Flexi Savings, you can withdraw your funds at any time.

• With Target Savings
     • Fixed Savings can only be withdrawn at the maturity date you selected when beginning your savings.
     • Amount Goal can only be withdrawn once the total amount target you input at the beginning of your savings has been reached.
• Branch is a socially responsible company and does not invest in high-risk financial instruments that are volatile and unstable. Savings done through the Branch app are in low-risk securities with capital preservation as the ultimate goal.

• We are licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya to provide fund management services, we take the appropriate steps to ensure that your funds are safe and we are able to return them to you when you need them. We encourage you to also seek professional advice before investing your funds.

• Our deposits are also insured by The Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC).
To edit your personal details, click on this link My Account, or tap on the person icon on the top right corner of your screen that takes you to “My Account”. Then tap “Profile” to update your personal information.
To register a new mobile money number, click on this link then click on “Add Account”.
Branch asks you to validate your mobile money account to ensure that it is a supported carrier and that it belongs to you. Click on this link from an android phone, and then click on the phone number labeled NOT VALIDATED that you wish to use as your Branch phone number.

Click “Validate” and then “Continue”. You will receive an SMS message with a 4-digit code that you will enter in the app to validate the number.
You may see this error message if Branch is unable to detect the required SIM in your phone. Kindly remove all other SIMs from your phone and leave only the Safaricom SIM you want to use and then log back into Branch. You should be in a position to add your number and proceed to validate it.
At Branch, we conform to the highest standards of data integrity. This means that you cannot change information that was previously used to process a successful loan application. We apologize for any inconveniences caused.
If you would like to delete your account, please make sure that you have repaid all of your loans and then write to us on the in-app chat or email us at kenya@branch.co with your request.
Requirements are simple - all you need to apply is your phone number or Facebook account, National ID and mobile money account. We will also request access to the data on your phone in order determine your eligibility.
Branch uses data from your phone, including your handset details and SMS messages to make lending decisions. We combine this with your Branch repayment history to build an individualised credit score, which determines the loan offers you receive.
If you don’t get accepted when you apply, don't worry! Sometimes it may take several attempts to qualify for a loan. We encourage you to continue saving data on your phone and to reapply after the period stipulated.
We aim to process all loans within 24 hours. On average we process loans in less than 3 hours and hope to reduce that to a few minutes.
Branch uses data from your phone as well as other sources to make a lending decision. To increase your chances of approval, please make sure to save the data on your phone, stay current with all other lenders, and correctly input your account details.
Once a phone has been used to access Branch, it cannot be used by anyone else. To access Branch, kindly use another phone that you own and that has not been used for a Branch loan before.
Applying for a loan is easy! After you have downloaded the Branch app, all you need to do is sign up, navigate to the “Loans” option at the bottom of the Home screen, and fill in your personal details, phone number and mobile money account details. Then you can view available loan offers, select an option, and tap “Apply”.
Our loan sizes range from Ksh 500 to Ksh 300,000. If you repay loans as scheduled, the amount that you can borrow will increase.
The loan offers you see depend on a number of factors, including your repayment history with Branch. If you repay each installment by its due date, you may unlock access to larger loans over time. Note that the increase may not always be immediate, and that repaying your loan late may result in smaller loan offers.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to access a loan of a larger size. The fastest way to increase the amount you are eligible for is to build credit by making each repayment as scheduled.
At the moment, the highest loan amount we offer is Ksh 300,000 but this may increase in the future.
Interest rates are determined by a number of factors, including your repayment history with Branch and the cost of lending for us. Depending on these factors, our rates vary as follows:

• Loan Terms: 1 – 12 Weeks
• Late / Rollover Fees: None
• Interest Range: 17% – 35%
• Equivalent Monthly Interest: 1.7% – 17.6%
• Equivalent APR: 22% – 229%

Borrowers are required to cover any mobile money transaction fees, such as M-PESA charges, associated with repaying the loan. Standard SMS and data charges by your mobile carrier may apply.
Your loan offers are automatically determined by a number of factors. Even though it may not always increase immediately, it will increase over time as you continue to make all of your repayments as scheduled.
Each loan amount is automatically determined by our systems each time you repay based on a number of factors. We encourage you to keep making your repayments as scheduled to increase your loan amount.
To make a repayment, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to MPesa in your Safaricom menu on your phone
2. Select Lipa na M-PESA
3. Choose the Paybill option
4. Enter the Paybill number 998608
5. For account number, enter your MPesa number on which you received your Branch loan
6. Enter your repayment amount
7. Enter your M-PESA pin
8. Confirm that all details are correct and press ‘OK’.
We advise that you make your repayments as they appear on the “My Loan” page. Skipping your other repayments and paying the loan on the last due date will negatively affect your future loan amounts.
To view your repayment information, tap on your loan balance on the Home screen or the “Loans” option at the bottom of the Home screen, then tap on “Repayment Schedule”. You will be able to see your installments, due dates and the amounts due on those dates.
Depending on the loan amount you select, a monthly repayment option may be available. Tap “Select Loan Terms” to choose between weekly or monthly payments prior to requesting the loan. If you choose weekly repayments, you will need to pay each installment by its weekly due date in order for your loan to be considered on-time.
If you do not receive confirmation from Branch that your repayment was received within a few hours, kindly send us the transaction confirmation message you received and the number you used to make the payment via “Customer Care”.
To increase your loan offer amount, we strongly encourage you to repay your loan according to your “Repayment Schedule”, which can be found by tapping the “Loans” option at the bottom of the Home screen.
If you overpay your loan on your last repayment, the amount will remain on your account and be applied on the repayment of your next loan.
Paying each installment by its due date allows you to access larger loan sizes. Late repayments will affect your ability to get subsequent or larger loans. If you are very late on your payments, we report to the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB). Negative listing by the CRB may affect your ability to borrow from other lenders. A late interest penalty of 6% can be charged on the outstanding loan repayment amount for some loans.
Unfortunately, Branch cannot alter your repayment schedule after you've received a loan. If you are unable to repay the full amount due, we advise you to start making partial repayments as soon as possible.
A Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) collects credit information on individuals and can provide your repayment performance data to banks, lenders, and potential employers. CRBs help promote financial inclusion and prevent over indebtedness.
We will update and forward your details to the CRB for clearance. If you wish to acquire a certificate of clearance, kindly check with the CRB within a week of making your repayment.
We report to Metropol and TransUnion.
If your account has been cleared with the CRB, please message customer care to receive the batch numbers for Metropol and TransUnion to follow up on your certificate.
Get your unique referral code here and share with as many friends as you’d like. After a friend downloads the app, make sure they enter your code on our Promotions page. Once they repay their first loan, you will receive a bonus. By participating in the referral program you agree to the Branch Referral Program Terms and Conditions .
Please advise the person who invited you to Branch to send you their promotion code. Kindly copy the code and paste it in the “Promotions” page, which can be found by navigating to “My Account” on the top right corner of the Branch app. If you were not invited by anyone or you have already repaid your first Branch loan, the code will not be applicable.
Go here. From there, you can message the person you want to invite. Your friend should then be able to click the link in the message they receive to download the app.
Bonuses are automatically deducted from the amount of principal you owe on your next loan. Kindly note that your friends must enter the code on their Promotions page before fully repaying their first loan or you won’t receive your bonus.
You can check your balance here. Click on “Review your bonuses” to see your balance for credits received.
In order to receive the credit, kindly ensure that the person you invited registers your code on their account before they finish repaying their first loan.
This is an account where all cash bonuses and rewards earned on Branch are accumulated until you can access the funds.
Withholding tax is the compulsory tax which in line with Kenyan Tax Regulations must be deducted from interest payable on your investment. The amount deducted is remitted to the Kenya Revenue Authority on your behalf.
The current rate for withholding tax in Kenya is 15% of earned interest.
Withholding tax is applied to total earned interest on any savings plan. For example if a user has a KSH100,000 savings account upon which they have earned a KSH1,000 interest, 15% (KSH150) of the KSH1,000 interest will be deducted before the interest is paid to the user’s account. This means that the user will be paid only KSH100,850 upon maturity. The KSh150 will be paid to the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Withholding tax is applied to interest earned on all savings products.
No, the withholding tax is only charged on the interest earned. You will still get the full principal amount invested
Branch has always remitted withholding tax on all interest paid without deducting the same from ours users. However, we have now been mandated to deduct the tax on all interest paid to our users in line with the Kenya Revenue Authority’s regulations.
We use world-class data security and encryption techniques to protect the data you share with us. Branch never shares your information with third parties unless it is for dedicated business purposes, such as reporting defaulted loans to authorized credit bureaus. We do not sell your data or credit profile.
Branch uses your ID to ensure your account belongs to you, and so that no one else can apply for a loan using your account. We understand that this is very sensitive information and take our customer privacy very seriously. If you have additional concerns, please contact the Branch customer service team.
Branch uses data from your phone, including your handset details and financial transaction messages to make lending decisions. These data are a crucial part of our decision making process, and allow us to provide seamless and efficient financial services.
In your Android Phone, kindly go to Settings > Apps > Branch > Permissions and make sure that you have enabled Branch to access everything requested.