Zenith Bank named Africa’s best bank, retains Nigeria’s top banking award at Euromoney 2026

Zenith Bank Plc has emerged as Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, securing both the continental and national honours at this year’s edition of the global banking awards.

The awards were presented to the bank at a ceremony held on July 16 at The Peninsula London Hotel in the United Kingdom.

The recognition marks Zenith Bank’s second consecutive win as Nigeria’s Best Bank and comes amid continued strong financial performance, expansion of its digital banking capabilities and growing presence across African markets.

Euromoney said banks were assessed on several criteria, including financial performance, strategic execution, risk management, digital innovation and overall impact on customers and stakeholders. The 2026 edition reportedly attracted more than 770 entries from financial institutions across different regions of the world.

Commenting on the awards, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Dame Adaora Umeoji, said the recognition reflects the confidence reposed in the institution by customers 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 workforce and our unwavering commitment to building a truly African global financial institution,” she said.

Umeoji added that the awards would further motivate the bank to expand financial inclusion, support businesses and deliver greater value to customers across the continent.

She also commended regulators in the jurisdictions where the bank operates for creating an enabling environment and dedicated the awards to Zenith Bank founder, Jim Ovia, for what she described as his vision and leadership.

Zenith Bank said it continued to strengthen its balance sheet and invest in technology, artificial intelligence and digital banking solutions.

According to the bank, gross earnings rose by six per cent to ₦4.19 trillion in the 2025 financial year, while profit after tax stood at ₦1.04 trillion. It also said its non-performing loan ratio declined from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent during the period.

The lender further stated that it paid a total dividend of ₦10 per share for the 2025 financial year, amounting to ₦410.69 billion, compared to ₦5 per share paid in 2024.

Zenith Bank noted that it has continued to expand its pan-African operations and strengthen trade and transaction banking services aimed at facilitating business activities across key markets on the continent.

The latest recognition adds to a long list of domestic and international awards won by the bank in recent years.

The bank was recently ranked Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 capital in The Banker magazine’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, marking the 17th consecutive year it has attained the position.

It also won Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025 and has previously received multiple Bank of the Year recognitions from The Banker, Global Finance, BusinessDay BAFI Awards, ThisDay and New Telegraph.

In addition, Zenith Bank has received awards for corporate governance, sustainability, retail banking, trade finance, innovation, gender equality and corporate social responsibility from several international organisations and industry bodies.