Who We Are...

Vision

“To be the best provider of financial services, especially microfinance in Uganda”

Mission

“To provide appropriate financial services especially, microfinance, to all people of Uganda, particularly in rural areas, in a sustainable manner and in accordance with the law”

Objective

“The main objective of the bank is to promote and enhance development through loans to rural farmers, processors of agricultural produce, small manufacturing entrepreneurs and small traders in both rural and urban areas, and importers and exporters. The Bank does this through loan products and services including: Agriculture Loans, Investment loans, and Working Capital Loans.”

Strategy

Centenary Bank was created as a finance institution to serve the economically disadvantaged people especially in rural areas and contribute to the overall economic development of the country. This has meant that the Bank, although licensed as a full service Commercial Bank, has always focused on the provision of microfinance. This has been and will remain the focus of the Bank. However, to reduce business risk the Bank has diversified her activities to include lending to small and medium enterprises and large corporations to reach the middle and higher-end markets in order to provide services to sectors that are complementary to our target market and customers.

• The main objective of the Bank is to promote and enhance development through loans to rural farmers, processors of agricultural produce, small manufacturing entrepreneurs, small traders and importers and exporters. The Bank does this through loan products and services including: Agricultural Loans, Investment Loans, and Working Capital Loans.
• The Bank also endeavours to participate in the Government’s poverty alleviation programme and help improve the living conditions of the rural poor through loan products such as Home Improvement Loans and Salary Loans, as well as through various savings schemes to promote savings.
• The Bank will continue to explore ways to serve our rural customers in a better and more efficient manner and will also continue to strive to reinforce its position in rural banking.
• With more Branches spread across Uganda, and with our centralized state-of-the-art banking network, the Bank is determined to achieve her dream of Centenary Bank being truly “the Bank for all Ugandans”.

Our Motto: “LOVE, UNITE AND SERVE”

Ours is a unique Motto for a Commercial Bank; but then Centenary Bank is a unique Commercial Micro Bank! We do not pursue maximization of profits, though we operate profitably. Centenary Bank has a very high social aspect in its dealings geared towards fulfilling our Mission Statement and Vision and living up to our motto with the embedded values in it; lowest charges, affordable loans, all-inclusive etc… intended to give back to the community in a unique way, in our daily operations.

Core Values

The Bank’s core values can be summarised with the long acronym SIT—PLE —C explained as follows:

• Superior Customer Service:

We build strong relationships and create Centenary Bank’s customers for life

• Integrity:

We take full responsibility for our own actions and results by doing the right thing; admitting mistakes; being honest and being incorruptible

• Teamwork

We understand our role in realizing the Centenary Bank Vision by making personal wants subservient to those of the staff and the Bank as a whole; helping one another and practicing equality and fostering team work

• Professionalism:

We take our duties seriously, execute duties honestly, diligently and to the best of our abilities; Knowing our jobs; knowing the bank’s products; presenting professional appearance; conduct self in a professional manner

• Leadership:

We foster teamwork by showing initiative and readily accepting responsibilities and leading by example.

• Excellence:

Delivering products & services to customers and/or other staff members to the best of our abilities while making the most of every opportunity to continuously learn, grow and improve our selves.

• Competence:

Effective capacity, motivation and focused drive to do the job and to produce the desired results with minimum or no prodding by others. Innovative/ resourceful/ proactive and versatile.

Our Corporate Governance

Centenary Bank views the implementation of best corporate governance practices as a fundamental characteristic of its operations. The Board of Directors is committed to the consideration and implementation of initiatives to improve corporate governance for the benefit of all stakeholders. A focus on sustainable value for shareholders will benefit all the bank’s other stakeholders.

Good corporate governance seeks to protect stakeholders’ interests by balancing entrepreneurial leadership with transparency and control mechanisms, without compromising value creation and efficient decision-making. The Bank endeavors to establish and maintain leading governance and risk management systems and practices.

The Bank’s risk management function is responsible for identifying and understanding the different types of risks faced, internally and externally, locally and internationally, and for measuring and managing them accordingly through established and emerging risk management methodologies. It has a clearly identified enterprise risk management framework that emanates from the sound governance principles maintained at board levels, both at head office and through the various functional structures. The risk objectives are integrated and aligned with the Bank’s wider business development and management objectives.

Our History

The First 10 Years (1983-1993)

• Started in 1983 as a credit trust: Centenary Rural Development Trust.
• Began to provide financial services in 1985.
• Registered as a full-service Commercial Bank in 1993.

The Transformation (1993- To date)

Over the years, Centenary Bank has come out of its modest status to become:

• The fastest growing financial institution in Uganda.
• The only Commercial Micro Bank in Uganda with a depositing customer base of over 650,000 and over 94,000 borrowing customers.
• The largest indigenous/Ugandan-owned Commercial Bank.
• The only Bank serving all segments of economy, i.e., the Micro Finance Sector, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Corporate World.
• The Bank most actively involved in agricultural lending, which is the backbone of Uganda’s economy.

Centenary Bank’s New Look

Centenary Bank unveiled its New Logo to reposition itself in the market, increase its visibility and presence in the Banking industry. The New Logo is Vibrant, Distinct, Visible, User friendly, Modern and Stylish yet essentially Conservative. It retains our roots and values. Our Core Values are: Integrity, Professionalism, Excellence, Leadership, Competence and Team Work.

Ownership

In 1993 after Centenary Bank became a fully-fledged Commercial Micro Bank, the Ownership and Share holding was composed of the Uganda Catholic Secretariat that owned 50%, Catholic Dioceses in Uganda with 42% and SIDI with 8%. The current Share holding is indicated below:

Shareholders

• Uganda Catholic Secretariat
• The Catholic Dioceses of: Arua, Fort Portal, Gulu, Hoima, Jinja, Kabale, Kampala, Kasana-Luweero, Kasese, Kiyinda-Mityana, Kotido, Lira, Lugazi, Masaka, Mbarara, Moroto, Nebbi, Soroti and Tororo.
• S.I.D.I.; a French Investment Bank.
• STICHTING HIVOS-TRIODOS FONDS: A fully owned subsidiary of Triodos Bank, a Dutch Investment Bank.
• A handful of individual shareholders.