Nairobi, March 18 -- Standard Chartered Bank Kenya plans to roll out its long-delayed mobile lending service within the second quarter of this year.

The lender said it has resolved hitches encountered in the product's trial phase and bets on it to grow its mass retail business in the country.

StanChart first announced the product called SC Juza in mid-2021, following the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) approval and went live in March last year on a pilot basis. It had expected to pilot for about three months before full launch but hitches, including data privacy concerns, interfered with the timelines.

Now StanChart Kenya CEO Kariuki Ngari says the product is ready for rollout, a move that will take on other existing products in the market...