Zenith Bank wins “Bank of the Year, Nigeria” in the Banker Awards 2022

According to The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2022, Zenith Bank Plc has been named Nigeria’s Bank of the Year. The Banker Magazine, Financial Times Group, United Kingdom, presented Zenith Bank with the award at the awards ceremony that took place in London on December 1, 2022.

The award was given in honor of Zenith Bank’s capable management, sound business model and strategy, support for small businesses, and initiatives to reduce energy consumption. The Banker reports that Nigeria’s competition for Bank of the Year was among the fiercest on the continent this year, fitting given that it is the continent’s largest economy. This comes just after Zenith Bank was recognized as the top bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital of The Banker earlier in the year.

Zenith Bank Plc’s Group Managing Director and CEO, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, commented on the honor: “winning the Bank of the Year attests to our tenacity as an institution despite a very challenging operating environment exacerbated by persistent macroeconomic headwinds. Indeed, being recognized by The Banker – the world’s longest-running international banking title is an acknowledgment of the resilience of the Zenith brand as the leading financial institution in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.”

He commended the Board for their outstanding leadership, the staff for their commitment and dedication, as well as the Bank’s customers for their unwavering loyalty to the Zenith brand over the years. He also praised the Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his guidance and pioneering role in laying the foundation and building the structures for an enduring and successful institution.

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The Banker’s Bank of the Year award is up for grabs and is thought of as the gold standard for banking performance. Winners are selected from throughout Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and Western Europe.

Due to its track record of superior performance, Zenith Bank has received various honors, including recognition as the top bank in Nigeria for a record 13 years running by Tier-1 Capital in The Banker Magazine’s 2022 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking; Best Bank in Nigeria, according to the Global Finance rankings, for three straight years between 2020 and 2022 World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria in the 2021 and 2022 World Finance Banking Awards; Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa for three straight years from 2020 to 2022 by the Ethical Boardroom; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation In Retail Banking, among others.

In the 2022 International Banker Banking Awards, Nigeria. The Bank also won awards for Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in the Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards in 2020 and 2021, Retail Bank of the Year, for three straight years from 2020 to 2022, at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in the Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands 2020 and 2021.

The Sustainability, Enterprise, and Responsibility (SERAS) Awards 2021 saw Zenith Bank win in four categories, including “Best Company in Reporting and Transparency,” “Best Company in Infrastructure Development,” “Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment,” and the coveted title of “Most Responsible Organization in Africa.” Zenith Bank was also recognized as Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020.