Zenith Bank Plc has been named “Africa’s Best Bank” and “Nigeria’s Best Bank” for the second year in a row at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026. This is a big win for the bank as it bagged the top awards in both the national and continental categories. The awards were given on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel in London. This recognition shows the bank's continued success in financial performance, customer service, digital innovation, and its role in economic growth across Nigeria and Africa.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are highly respected in the global banking industry. They assess banks based on strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation, and impact on stakeholders. Winning these awards is considered a high honor in global banking. This year, over 770 entries from top financial institutions like HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank, and DBS Bank of Singapore competed.
Dr Adaora Umeoji, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, shared her thoughts on the awards. She said, “We are deeply honoured by these recognitions from Euromoney. Being recognised as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank reflects the trust of our customers, the dedication of our unicorn workforce, and our unwavering commitment to building a truly African global financial institution. These awards inspire us to do even more to deliver superior value, drive financial inclusion, and support the growth of businesses across Africa.”
The GMD praised the regulators in the various places the bank operates. She said their support has helped the bank achieve this success. Dr Umeoji dedicated the award to Jim Ovia, the founder of Zenith Bank Plc. She thanked him for his vision and excellence that have been key to the bank's success.
Zenith Bank has continued to show strong financial results while investing in technology, artificial intelligence, and digital banking solutions. In the 2025 financial year, the bank's gross earnings grew by six percent year on year to ₦4.19 trillion. It reported a profit after tax of ₦1.04 trillion and reduced its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 percent to 3.8 percent. Following its dividend policy, Zenith Bank rewarded its investors with a record total dividend of N10.00 per share for the 2025 financial year. This is a 100% increase from N5.00 per share paid in 2024. The bank has also expanded its presence in Africa and enhanced its trade and transaction banking capabilities to link businesses in key markets.
Euromoney is a top authority in global banking and finance. This latest recognition adds to Zenith Bank’s growing list of awards, which strengthens its position as one of Africa’s top financial institutions. The bank's history of excellent performance has earned it many awards. This includes being named the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the seventeenth consecutive year in the 2026 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker. It was also recognized as “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025. The bank received the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) award from The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards in 2020, 2022, and 2024. It was also named Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020 to 2022, 2024, and 2025 in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards.
Zenith Bank was also awarded Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023. It made the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies list in 2023. Other recognitions include Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria for six years in a row from 2021 to 2026 in the World Finance Banking Awards. It was also named Most Sustainable Bank in Nigeria in the International Banker 2023, 2024, and 2026 Banking Awards. Zenith Bank has also been recognized as the Best Corporate Governance Bank in Nigeria for five years straight from 2022 to 2026.
The bank's commitment to excellence led to it being named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021. It was also Bank of the Year from 2023 to 2025 at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. Zenith Bank received the Retail Bank of the Year award for three years from 2020 to 2022 and again from 2024 to 2025. It also won Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.
Additionally, the bank was named Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper and New Telegraph Newspaper. It also received the Best in MSME Trade Finance award in 2023 from Nairametrics. The bank’s Hybrid Offer was recognized as ‘Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year’ at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.
Zenith Bank has also received many non-financial awards. These include Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, Best Company in Transparency and Reporting, and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024.
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