Zenith Bank Plc has emerged as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, marking the second consecutive year it has won both honours.
The awards, presented in London, recognised the bank’s strong financial results, digital innovation, customer service and contribution to economic development across Africa. The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are widely regarded as one of the banking industry’s most prestigious honours, assessing institutions on strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation and stakeholder impact.
Reacting to the recognition, the bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, said the awards reflect the trust and confidence customers and stakeholders have placed in Zenith Bank.
She noted that the recognition highlights the commitment of the bank’s workforce and its vision of building a globally competitive African financial institution. Umeoji added that the achievement would inspire the bank to expand financial inclusion, deliver greater value to customers and continue supporting business growth across the continent.
She also thanked regulators in the countries where Zenith Bank operates for creating an enabling business environment and dedicated the awards to the bank’s founder, Jim Ovia, for establishing the standards that continue to drive the institution’s success.
For the 2025 financial year, Zenith Bank reported gross earnings of N4.19 trillion, profit after tax of N1.04 trillion, and reduced its non-performing loan ratio to 3.8 per cent, down from 4.7 per cent.
The latest recognition adds to the bank’s growing list of international achievements, including being ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in The Banker’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks ranking.
