KCB Bank Kenya has announced a strategic partnership with Sauti Sol Group Limited to elevate SolFest 2025, a move positioning the lender as a key player in the expansion of Kenya’s creative and cultural industries. The collaboration will see KCB become the official payments partner for the festival, enabling digital ticket purchases and seamless transactions through KCB Cards, Tills and point-of-sale terminals during the event.
Now in its fifth edition, SolFest has grown into one of Africa’s most influential festivals, drawing crowds from across the continent to celebrate music, culture, arts and creative expression. Its steady rise mirrors the wider growth of Africa’s entertainment industry, which is increasingly becoming a driver of youth employment, digital innovation and small business development.
KCB’s involvement signals a deliberate strategy by the bank to embed itself in the creative value chain, support local talent, and deepen the adoption of digital financial services across high-engagement cultural platforms.
Speaking during the announcement, KCB Bank Director for Digital Financial Services Angela Mwirigi said the collaboration reflects the bank’s commitment to unlocking economic opportunities for creatives and youth-led enterprises.
“Kenya’s creative industry is a powerful engine for innovation, entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. Our partnership with Sauti Sol reflects our commitment to investing in homegrown talent and creating opportunities for creatives to thrive. SolFest 2025 will not only be a celebration of music and culture but also a platform for economic participation and community impact,” said Mwirigi.
Pushing Digital Payments to the Centre of Entertainment Events
Under the partnership, festivalgoers will be able to purchase tickets using KCB Cards, while payments for food, merchandise and vendor services at the event will be processed through KCB digital tills and POS systems. The goal is to make SolFest 2025 a highly digitised environment that supports faster transactions, reduces cash handling risks and boosts financial inclusion for event vendors.
KCB will also deploy special fan engagement activities including a platinum experience activation for VIP guests, as well as product showcases for the upgraded KCB Mobile App and the bank’s card offerings. These features are designed to give festival attendees a blend of entertainment and digital convenience while embedding the bank more firmly within youth-driven lifestyle spaces.
A key component under development is the planned integration of a SolFest Mini App within the KCB App. This feature will allow festivalgoers to access event schedules, announcements, maps, partner information and purchase options directly through the bank’s ecosystem. The mini-app approach reflects a broader trend in financial technology, where banks use super-app models to create lifestyle-driven digital utilities.
Sauti Sol: Partnership Strengthens Goal to Scale African Talent Globally
Sauti Sol Group Limited welcomed the partnership, noting that it strengthens their mission to give African creatives a global stage while building a sustainable commercial ecosystem around local talent.
“SolFest has always been about giving Kenyan and African talent a world-class stage. Partnering with KCB allows us to scale that vision even further by creating opportunities, elevating creatives and building a festival experience that celebrates who we are as a people. This collaboration is a powerful affirmation of the creative economy and its role in shaping the future of our country,” the group said.
The group added that aligning with a financial institution of KCB’s scale helps the festival unlock stronger operational capacity, improved fan experience, and expanded reach across markets.
KCB’s Growing Portfolio in the Creative Sector
The SolFest partnership builds on a growing list of investments by KCB in the creative and digital sectors. Recently, the bank launched its new mobile app with a major music-led campaign featuring artists Sean MMG, Ssaru and Breeder LW on the track “Nitakupanga”. The collaboration demonstrated how banks are increasingly using cultural influence and digital content to strengthen brand relevance and connect with youth audiences.
KCB has also supported several entrepreneurship and upskilling initiatives targeting the film, music and digital arts industries. These initiatives include mentorship programmes, SME development forums and partnerships with creative collectives.
Analysts say the bank’s expanding presence in the creative economy mirrors a broader shift among corporates who now recognise cultural industries as engines of economic growth. The creative sector in Kenya is estimated to employ more than 100,000 people formally and informally, with music, film, digital content, fashion and live events among the key contributors.
The sector is projected to grow further as digital platforms open opportunities for local creators to distribute content globally. SolFest has become a key part of this ecosystem, drawing audiences from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and diaspora markets.
SolFest 2025: A Festival Poised for Bigger Regional Impact
As SolFest enters its fifth edition, organisers expect the 2025 festival to attract an even larger audience, supported by the new partnership and a more advanced digital experience. The festival has consistently helped emerging artists build visibility while strengthening Nairobi’s position as a cultural and entertainment hub in East Africa.
By bringing together music, food vendors, small businesses, production crews, visual artists and corporate brands, SolFest generates a local economic ripple effect that benefits various value chains. Stakeholders expect this to expand further under the KCB-backed approach to digitalisation and engagement.
For KCB, the partnership is also an opportunity to extend its financial solutions to thousands of young people who participate in or attend the event, many of whom are digital natives and early adopters of mobile-based financial services.
A Strategic Alliance with Long-Term Potential
Industry observers describe the collaboration as strategically aligned. The creative sector gains a strong financial partner capable of improving operational systems and enhancing fan experience, while KCB gains access to a high-energy cultural platform that aligns with its digital transformation priorities.
As the creative economy continues to grow in size and economic influence, such partnerships are expected to shape how festivals, artists and brands collaborate across East Africa.
