The Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, has been named the Doyen of the Nigerian Banking Industry at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closing gong ceremony.
The ceremony, held on October 14, 2025, marked a significant milestone in the bank’s partnership with the capital market.
Dr. Adaora Umeoji, Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, expressed her delight in participating in the closing gong ceremony, highlighting the bank’s strong relationship with the NGX and its commitment to transparency, accountability, and bolstering investor confidence.
She acknowledged the NGX’s visionary leadership and innovative initiatives, particularly the electronic trading platform, X-stream, which played a pivotal role in the success of Zenith Bank’s recent recapitalisation exercise.
The bank’s stock price has doubled since the recapitalization exercise, from N36.50 per share to N68. Zenith Bank has also reported impressive financial results for the Half Year (H1) of 2025, becoming the most profitable bank in Nigeria and paying the highest dividend in the industry for the half year.
Dr. Umeoji emphasised the bank’s commitment to creating value for its stakeholders and its expansion strategy, focused on following customers’ businesses and providing more returns for shareholders.
The bank plans to pay quantum dividends to its shareholders by year-end, based on the confidence the market has reposed on it. Dr. Umeoji assured that Zenith Bank would continue to be the investors’ delight, delivering superior returns and upholding its tradition of excellence.
The Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, commended Zenith Bank and the NGX for their role in strengthening Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.
He noted that the market capitalisation has risen from N55 trillion to nearly N93 trillion in the last 18 months, driven by vision, transparency, and commitment.
The Doyen of the NGX, Rasheed Yusuf, lauded Dr. Jim Ovia for his visionary leadership, referring to him as the “Doyen of the Commercial banking sector”.
Zenith Bank has received numerous awards and recognitions for its excellence in banking.
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