Zenith Bank Plc has been awarded the title of “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the 2025 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, securing the most prestigious national honour of the event. The award was presented on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at The Peninsula in London and recognises the bank’s outstanding commitment to customer service, innovation, and value creation for stakeholders.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are widely regarded as one of the most important global accolades in the banking sector. The 2025 edition saw over 770 entries from some of the world’s most respected financial institutions, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank, DBS, and BNP Paribas. The awards celebrate institutions that demonstrate strong leadership, resilience, and innovation within their respective markets.
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, described the win as a reflection of the bank’s dedication to excellence. “Being named Nigeria’s Best Bank by Euromoney is not just an honour but a reaffirmation of the trust our customers place in us. This recognition highlights the transformative impact we are making in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem. We remain committed to supporting economic growth and upholding the highest standards of governance, transparency, and integrity,” she said.
Dr. Umeoji dedicated the award to Zenith Bank’s loyal customers worldwide and expressed gratitude to the bank’s Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his visionary leadership. She also acknowledged the Board’s guidance and the dedication of the bank’s workforce in building a world-class institution that will endure for generations.
Zenith Bank’s consistent performance has earned it numerous accolades over the years. In 2025, the bank was ranked Nigeria’s Number One Bank by Tier-1 Capital for the sixteenth consecutive year in The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks Ranking. Other notable recognitions include:
Bank of the Year (Nigeria) by The Banker in 2020, 2022, and 2024
Best Bank in Nigeria by Global Finance in 2020–2022, 2024, and 2025
Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria at the Euromoney Awards 2023
Listed among the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023
The bank also received the Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria award from 2021 to 2025 in the World Finance Banking Awards, and was named Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the 2023 and 2024 International Banker Banking Awards.
Zenith Bank’s leadership in corporate governance has been widely recognised, winning Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria from 2022 to 2025 in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards, and Best in Corporate Governance – Financial Services, Africa from 2020 to 2023 by Ethical Boardroom.
Further accolades include:
Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands (2020, 2021)
Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay BAFI Awards (2023, 2024)
Retail Bank of the Year (2020–2022, 2024)
Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria at the 2022 International Banker Awards
Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, Best in Transparency and Reporting, and Best in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the 2024 SERAS CSR Awards Africa
Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay and New Telegraph newspapers
Best in MSME Trade Finance 2023 by Nairametrics
Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year for its Hybrid Offer at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025
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