Zenith Bank Named Africa’s Best Bank, Retains Nigeria Title at Euromoney Awards

Zenith Bank Plc has been named Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, strengthening its position among the continent’s leading financial institutions.

The Nigerian lender retained the national award for a second consecutive year while securing the continental recognition at a ceremony held on July 16, 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel.

The awards recognise Zenith Bank’s financial performance, risk management, digital transformation, customer service and contribution to economic development across its operating markets.

More than 770 entries were received for the 2026 awards from financial institutions across the world, including HSBC, Citibank, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Standard Bank and DBS Bank of Singapore.

Commenting on the recognition, Zenith Bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adaora Umeoji, attributed the achievement to the confidence of customers, the commitment of employees and the bank’s strategy of building a financial institution capable of serving businesses across Africa.

She said the recognition would encourage the bank to deepen financial inclusion, deliver greater value to stakeholders and expand its support for African businesses.

Umeoji also acknowledged regulators in the markets where Zenith Bank operates for creating an environment that supported the lender’s growth.

She dedicated the awards to the bank’s founder, Jim Ovia, citing his role in shaping its long-term strategy and institutional culture.

The recognition followed a strong 2025 financial performance during which Zenith Bank grew gross earnings by 6 percent to ₦4.19 trillion.

Profit after tax stood at ₦1.04 trillion, while the non-performing loan ratio declined to 3.8 percent from 4.7 percent. The improvement in asset quality indicates that the bank expanded profitability while reducing the proportion of loans classified as impaired.

Zenith Bank also paid a total dividend of ₦10 per share for the 2025 financial year, double the ₦5 distributed in the preceding year. The total dividend payment amounted to approximately ₦410.69 billion.

The bank has continued to invest in artificial intelligence, digital banking and transaction-processing infrastructure while expanding its trade-finance capabilities across Africa.

Its growing regional presence is designed to connect businesses operating across multiple African markets and capture increasing demand for cross-border payments, trade settlement and corporate banking services.

For investors, the Euromoney recognition reinforces Zenith Bank’s brand value, but its longer-term significance will depend on the lender’s ability to sustain earnings, preserve asset quality and generate competitive returns from its expanded capital base.

The latest awards add to Zenith Bank’s recent industry recognitions, including its ranking as Nigeria’s leading bank by Tier-1 capital for the seventeenth consecutive year in The Banker’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks report.