Credit Bank digitises Bid Bond access

Credit Bank has launched a digital platform that reduces the time required for businesses to secure bid bonds from hours to just five minutes, in a move aimed at improving access to tender opportunities.

The solution, dubbed Online Bid Bonds, replaces the traditional paper-based process with a fully digital system available through the bank’s website.

Previously, businesses often spent hours or even days processing bid bonds, sometimes missing tender deadlines. The new platform enables customers to generate compliant bid bonds quickly, allowing them to respond to opportunities more efficiently.

Designed to align with Kenya’s electronic government procurement requirements, the platform features QR code verification for real-time validation, enhancing transparency and trust. It also supports payments via M-Pesa, offers clear pricing, and can issue bid bonds of up to Sh20 million, making it suitable for both small and large enterprises.

Credit Bank Chief Executive Officer Betty Korir said the platform is intended to eliminate delays associated with manual processes. She noted that faster access to bid bonds will help businesses compete more effectively and focus on growth.

“Businesses should not miss out on opportunities because of slow and manual processes. With Online Bid Bonds, we are giving our customers a faster and more reliable way to access bid bonds. This allows them to compete more effectively and focus on growing their businesses,”  Korir said.

The digitisation of bid bond issuance addresses a long-standing bottleneck in tendering, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often face time and cost constraints. The platform is expected to improve turnaround times while simplifying access for firms of all sizes.

The rollout forms part of the bank’s broader digital transformation strategy aimed at enhancing efficiency and integrating banking services into everyday business operations. This includes its Konnect API, which allows businesses to embed financial services into their systems, as well as existing mobile and internet banking platforms.

The move comes amid growing demand for faster financial services, with industry data showing that credit processes remain among the least digitised areas in the banking sector.