Zenith Bank wins Africa’s Best Bank, Nigeria’s Best Bank at 2026 Euromoney Awards

Zenith Bank Plc has been named “Africa’s Best Bank” and “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, securing the top national honour for the second consecutive year.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held at The Peninsula London Hotel, London, where Zenith Bank emerged as one of the biggest winners among leading financial institutions across the continent.

The dual recognition highlights the bank’s performance in areas including financial strength, customer service, digital innovation, risk management and contribution to economic growth in Nigeria and Africa.

The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are among the most respected honours in the global banking industry, with institutions assessed on strategy, profitability, operational performance, technological transformation and stakeholder impact.

This year’s awards attracted more than 770 entries from major global financial institutions, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank and DBS Bank of Singapore.

Commenting on the achievement, Zenith Bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, said the recognition reflected the confidence of customers and the commitment of the bank’s workforce.

“Being recognised as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank reflects the trust of our customers, the dedication of our workforce, and our unwavering commitment to building a truly African global financial institution,” Umeoji said.

She added that the awards would encourage the bank to continue delivering value, expanding financial inclusion and supporting businesses across the continent.

The Zenith Bank chief executive also commended regulators across the countries where the bank operates, describing their support as instrumental to the institution’s growth.

She dedicated the awards to Zenith Bank founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, crediting his vision and leadership for laying the foundation for the bank’s success.

Strong financial performance

The latest recognition follows another strong financial performance by Zenith Bank.

In the 2025 financial year, the bank recorded gross earnings of N4.19tn, representing a six per cent year-on-year increase, while profit after tax reached N1.04tn.

The bank also reduced its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent during the period.

As part of its dividend policy, Zenith Bank rewarded shareholders with a record total dividend of N10 per share, amounting to N410.69bn, representing a 100 per cent increase from the N5 per share paid in 2024.

The bank has continued to expand its presence across Africa while strengthening its trade finance and transaction banking operations to connect businesses across key markets.

Growing list of global recognition

The Euromoney award adds to Zenith Bank’s growing collection of local and international honours.

The bank was recently ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in the 2026 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker.

It has also received several recognitions, including Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025, Bank of the Year (Nigeria) at The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and multiple Best Bank in Nigeria awards from Global Finance.

Zenith Bank has also been recognised for digital innovation, corporate governance, sustainability and retail banking excellence by several international platforms.

The latest Euromoney awards further reinforce Zenith Bank’s position as one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, with the lender continuing to focus on technology investment, digital banking expansion and sustainable growth across its markets.