Zenith Bank Plc has emerged as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, securing the continent’s highest banking honour alongside Nigeria’s top banking award for the second consecutive year.
The awards were presented on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel in London, recognising the bank’s strong financial performance, customer service, digital innovation and contribution to economic growth across Nigeria and Africa.
Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence are among the banking industry’s most respected honours, with winners assessed on strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation and overall impact on customers and stakeholders. According to the bank, this year’s competition attracted more than 770 entries from leading global financial institutions, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank and DBS Bank.
Reacting to the recognition, Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, said the awards reflected the confidence customers have in the bank and the commitment of its workforce.
“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,” she said. “These awards inspire us to do even more to deliver superior value, drive financial inclusion, and support the growth of businesses across Africa.”
Umeoji also commended regulators across the jurisdictions where the bank operates for providing an enabling regulatory environment, and dedicated the awards to Zenith Bank’s founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his vision, leadership and enduring commitment to excellence.
Zenith Bank said it continued to strengthen its position through sustained investments in technology, artificial intelligence and digital banking solutions. For the 2025 financial year, the lender recorded gross earnings of ₦4.19 trillion, a six per cent year-on-year increase, while profit after tax rose to ₦1.04 trillion. The bank also improved asset quality, reducing its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent.
Shareholders were rewarded with a record dividend of ₦10.00 per share, amounting to ₦410.69 billion for the 2025 financial year — double the ₦5.00 per share paid in 2024. The bank also expanded its trade and transaction banking capabilities to strengthen its pan-African footprint.
The latest recognition adds to Zenith Bank’s growing portfolio of local and international awards. Earlier in 2026, the bank was ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, and it also retained the Nigeria’s Best Bank title at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025.
Other notable honours include Bank of the Year (Nigeria) by The Banker in 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards for 2020–2022, 2024 and 2025; Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria at the Euromoney Awards 2023; and a place among the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.
The bank has also been named Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for six consecutive years (2021–2026) in the World Finance Banking Awards, Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker Banking Awards (2023, 2024, 2026), Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years (2022–2026) in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards, and Best in Corporate Governance – Financial Services Africa by Ethical Boardroom for four consecutive years (2020–2023).
Further accolades include Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands (2020 and 2021); Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay BAFI Awards from 2023 to 2025; Retail Bank of the Year (2020–2022, 2024–2025); Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria at the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards; Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay and New Telegraph; Best in MSME Trade Finance 2023 by Nairametrics; and Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year for its Hybrid Offer at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.
Beyond banking, Zenith Bank has distinguished itself in sustainability and corporate responsibility, winning 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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