Exhibit 99.1

Equity Bancshares, Inc. Reports Record Earnings Of $10.1 Million For 2015

WICHITA, Kansas, January 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQBK), (“Equity”), the Wichita-based holding company of Equity Bank, reported unaudited results for the year ended December 31, 2015, including record net income allocable to common stockholders of $10.1 million.

Brad Elliott, Chairman and CEO of Equity, said, “Our financial results and net income for 2015 indicate the diligent, hard work of our many company associates. We will continue to focus on delivering loan and deposit services and products tailored to the many needs of our community and metro customers, while managing our expenses. We also welcomed a new group of bankers, communities, and customers to our company in the fourth quarter, and we are focused on continuing to grow business and relationships in our new Southeast Kansas communities, along with all of the markets we serve.”

Highlights of Equity’s performance include:

Equity completed its initial public offering on November 16, 2015 with the issue of 1,941,000 shares of Class A common stock at a price to the public of $22.50 per share. The shares began trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on November 11, 2015 under the ticker symbol “EQBK.”

Equity also completed its acquisition of First Independence Corporation (“First Independence”), and its wholly-owned subsidiary, First Federal Savings & Loan of Independence, Kansas on October 9, 2015. First Independence had consolidated total assets of $134 million, net loans of $90 million, and total deposits of $87 million. Equity now operates the former First Independence offices in Coffeyville, Independence, Neodesha, and Pittsburg, Kansas, as Equity Bank branches.

Financial Results For Year and Quarter Ended December 31, 2015

Net income allocable to common stockholders was $10.1 million, or $1.54 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2015, as compared to $8.3 million, or $1.30 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2014. Net interest income for the current year was $46.3 million as compared to $41.4 million for the prior year. The increase in net interest income was primarily driven by growth in loan and securities balances, partially offset by an increase in interest expense as Equity funded the increase in earning assets with increased deposits and borrowings. The net interest margin was 3.65% and 3.92% for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. The net interest margin for 2015 includes the utilization of our “leverage” or “spread” opportunity, as more fully discussed in our IPO Prospectus. Our net interest margin excluding this opportunity was approximately 3.75% for the year ended December 31, 2015.

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The provision for loan losses was $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 as compared to $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The provision for loan losses increased primarily due to loan growth and consideration for recent changes in the current business environment and economic factors.

Total non-interest income for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $9.8 million, compared to $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Total non-interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $38.6 million, compared to $35.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Non-interest income includes a net gain on the fourth-quarter-2015 acquisition of First Independence of $682 thousand, and merger expenses of $1.7 million also related to this acquisition are included in non-interest expense for the year of 2015.

Equity’s 2015 effective income tax rate was 30.1% on income before taxes, not including the net gain on acquisition, and reflects the benefit of increased income tax credits from investments in qualified affordable housing projects. Equity’s effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2014 was 31.86%.

Net income allocable to common stockholders for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015 was $2.5 million, compared to $1.7 million for the comparable quarter ended December 31, 2014. Net interest income for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was $12.3 million, compared to $10.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. Net interest margin was 3.26% and 3.85% for the fourth quarters of 2015 and 2014. The net interest margin for the fourth quarter of 2015 also includes the utilization of our “leverage” or “spread” opportunity as discussed above. Our net interest margin excluding this opportunity was approximately 3.50% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.

Non-interest income for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was $3.4 million, including the $682 thousand recorded gain on acquisition, compared to $2.2 million of non-interest income for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. Non-interest expense for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was $11.7 million, including $1.6 million of merger expenses, compared to $9.8 million of non-interest expense for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.

Loans, Deposits, And Total Assets

Loans held for investment were $960 million at December 31, 2015, compared to $726 million at December 31, 2014. Excluding the $90 million of net loans acquired in the First Independence transaction, Equity’s loan portfolio increased by $145 million in 2015.

As of December 31, 2015, Equity’s allowance for loan losses to total loans was approximately 0.57%, compared to 0.82% as of December 31, 2014. The total reserve, including purchase discounts, to total loans was approximately 0.81% as of December 31, 2015, compared to 1.12% as of December 31, 2014. Nonperforming assets as of December 31, 2015 were 0.88% to total assets, as compared to 1.33% as of December 31, 2014.

Total deposits were $1.2 billion at December 31, 2015, as compared to $981 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Excluding the $87 million in deposits acquired in the First Independence transaction, Equity’s deposits grew by $147 million in 2015.

At December 31, 2015, Equity had consolidated total assets of approximately $1.6 billion, compared to $1.2 billion at December 31, 2014.

Capital

As of December 31, 2015, the ratio of common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets was approximately 12.31% and the total capital to risk-weighted assets was approximately 14.52%. Equity had tangible common equity of $131.2 million and tangible book value per common share of $15.97 as of December 31, 2015. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the return on average equity was 8.19%.

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes certain Non-GAAP financial measures intended to supplement, not substitute for, comparable GAAP measures. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are provided at the end of this press release.

Conference Call and Webcast

Equity Bancshares will host a conference call to review these results on Friday, January 29, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. central time. Investors, news media, and other participants may register for the webcast at www.investor.equitybank.com. Participants may dial into the call toll-free at (877) 637-1713 from anywhere in the U.S. or (503) 406-4038 internationally, using conference ID no. 19355297. Participants are encouraged to dial into the call approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time. A replay of the call and webcast will be available two hours following the close of the call until February 4, 2016, accessible at (855) 859-2056 or www.investor.equitybank.com.

About Equity Bancshares, Inc.

Equity Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for Equity Bank, offering a full range of financial solutions, including commercial loans, consumer banking, mortgage loans, and treasury management services. As of the period ended December 31, 2015, Equity had $1.6 billion in consolidated total assets, with 29 locations throughout Kansas and Missouri, including corporate headquarters in Wichita and branches throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. Learn more at www.equitybank.com.

Founded in November 2002 in Andover, Kansas by current Chairman and CEO Brad Elliott, Equity expanded into Wichita in 2005, Kansas City in 2007, Western Kansas in 2008, Topeka in 2011, Western Missouri in 2012, and Southeastern Kansas in 2015. Equity’s principal objective is to increase stockholder value and generate consistent growth by expanding our commercial banking franchise organically and by acquisition, serving as a home for seasoned bankers, businesspersons, and customers with an entrepreneurial spirit. Equity seeks to provide an enhanced banking experience for customers by providing a suite of sophisticated banking products and services tailored to their needs, while delivering the high-quality, relationship-based customer service of a community bank. Equity’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “EQBK.”

Special Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein may be considered “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the belief of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (“the Company”) management, as well as assumptions made beyond information currently available to the Company’s management, and may be, but not necessarily are, identified by such words as “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “target,” “forecast” and “goal.” Because such “forward-looking statements” are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include competition from other financial institutions and bank holding companies; the effects of and changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; changes in the demand for loans; fluctuations in value of collateral and loan reserves; inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; and acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses, and similar variables. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Except as otherwise stated in this news announcement, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.

For discussion of these and other risks that may cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in our most recent Form S-1 SEC Registration Statement, or other SEC filings. If one or more of the factors affecting our forward-looking information and statements proves incorrect, then our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking information and statements contained herein. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Equity Bancshares, Inc. assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements that are made from time to time.

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Unaudited Financial Tables

TABLE 1. SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

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TABLE 2. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

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TABLE 3. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

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TABLE 4. Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Media and Investor Contact:

John Hanley, Director of Investor Relations

913-583-8004 / jhanley@equitybank.com

investor.equitybank.com

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