Rawbank

Rawbank was launched in 2002 by the Rawji family, which have a diversified set of business interests in the Democratic Rep. of Congo, that is commonly called Rawji Group. The family traces its roots in the DRC since 1902, and is owned by the Rawji brothers, namely Mushtaque, Zahir, Mazhar, Aslam and Murtaza. The history of the Rawji group begins at the beginning of the 20th century, when Merali Rawji (father of the Mushtaque siblings) settled in Kindu, then in Kalemie and later in Kisangani, in the eastern part of what was then the Belgian Congo. The family was initially heavily involved in the coffee and cocoa trading, which was a predominant export from Eastern Congo. In 1966, the family acquired Beltexco, a textile products distribution entity which had a national presence.

The directors of this group of companies are descendants of the founder (Merlan Rawji). They grew up in the Belgian Congo, and went to Europe to complete their education. In the early 1990s, the war rocked the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but the Rawji group continued to maintain & expand their business activities. They set up in the capital, Kinshasa, and continued to diversify their portfolio of activities with the following;

- Prodimpex S.A.; Importer & distributor of a series of automotive products and accessories. Represents exclusively General Motors, BMW, Isuzu, Yamaha etc.

- Marsavco S.A., an entity that was acquired from Unilever; which is a palm oil processing plant which produces soaps, detergents, margarine, and refined cooking oils; these are subsequently distributed throughout & marketed under proprietary brands.

- Created CIMKO; the DRC's largest cement manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 1.2 million metric tons.

- Founded RawSur first private insurance company in the life & non-life segments.

- Parkland, actively engaging in real estate development, construction & distributing concrete derivatives to the DRC construction industry.

- Proton SA is an electrical engineering & services which produces copper wiring & cables used in electricity transmission. Its wide range of products cater to heavy industrial uses or light residential purposes.

Rawbank is a full-service financial institution catering to corporates, SMEs, retail, and institutions. It is a member of the SWIFT interbank network. Rawbank currently has 105 branches geographically spread throughout the country, hosts a network of 300+ ATMs, and is a principal member of the Visa & MasterCard networks, and represents Moneygram International in the DRC. Rawbank SA remains committed to providing financial services through traditional distribution channels, as well as through its digital channels. Its five-year strategy is centered on a digital-first strategy, to ensure it meets its targets of financial inclusion to the underserved population of the DRC.[3][4]

As of March 2020, Rawbank was the largest commercial bank in DR Congo, with 28 percent of banking assets in the country and a customer base of nearly 300,000 accounts.[5] Rawbank was the first financial house in DR Congo to offer mortgages to the public in 2015.[6]

As of August 2014, sixty percent of Rawbank's customers maintained retail accounts. The introduction of mobile money accounts has enabled the bank to attract clients in remote locations, as has the introduction of internet banking. The bank is growing its clientele by focusing on (a) the un-banked population (b) young people (c) small to medium-sized businesses and (d) businesses owned by women.[7]

As at the end of 2021 Rawbank operated 110 branches (includes branches and sub-branches), across the Democratic Republic of Congo.[2] as well as 400+ ATM's.

• List of banks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo