Zenith Bank Plc has been named Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, reinforcing its position as one of the continent’s leading financial institutions.
The awards, presented at a ceremony held on July 16 at The Peninsula London Hotel, saw the bank retain the Nigeria’s Best Bank title for the second consecutive year while also emerging as the continent’s overall best bank.
According to the bank, the recognition reflects its strong financial performance, customer service, digital innovation and contribution to economic development across Nigeria and Africa.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are regarded as one of the banking industry’s most prestigious honours, with winners assessed on strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation and stakeholder impact. 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.
Commenting on the achievement, Zenith Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Adaora Umeoji, described the awards as a reflection of the confidence reposed in the bank by its customers and the commitment of its workforce.
She said the recognition would further motivate the bank to deliver superior value, deepen financial inclusion and support business growth across Africa.
Umeoji also commended regulators in the jurisdictions where the bank operates for providing an enabling environment and dedicated the awards to Zenith Bank founder, Jim Ovia, acknowledging his vision and leadership in building the institution.
The bank said it continued to strengthen its operations through investments in technology, artificial intelligence and digital banking solutions.
For the 2025 financial year, Zenith Bank reported gross earnings of ₦4.19 trillion, representing a six per cent increase year-on-year, while profit after tax rose to ₦1.04 trillion. Its non-performing loan ratio also improved to 3.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent recorded a year earlier.
The bank rewarded shareholders with a total dividend of ₦10.00 per share, amounting to ₦410.69 billion, double the ₦5.00 per share paid for the 2024 financial year.
Zenith Bank also highlighted its expanding pan-African footprint and growing trade and transaction banking capabilities aimed at supporting businesses across key African markets.
The latest recognition adds to a long list of international and domestic awards won by the bank. Earlier this year, it was ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in The Banker magazine’s Top 1000 World Banks Ranking 2026. It also retained the Nigeria’s Best Bank title at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025.
Other recent honours include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria in the World Finance Banking Awards for six consecutive years, Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker Banking Awards, and multiple awards for corporate governance, digital banking, retail banking, innovation and sustainability.
The bank has also received recognition for its corporate social responsibility initiatives, including awards for transparency, gender equality and responsible business practices at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024.
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