Zenith Bank Plc has clinched Africa's Best Bank and Nigeria's Best Bank for the second year running at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, held in London. The accolade recognises the lender's robust financial performance, technological innovation, service delivery and role in driving economic growth across the continent.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence rank among banking's most prestigious honours, evaluating institutions on strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation and their broader impact on stakeholders. Zenith Bank's group managing director and chief executive, Dr.
Adaora Umeoji, hailed the recognition as proof of customer and stakeholder confidence in the institution.
"The awards reflect the hard work of our team and our resolve to build a world-class African bank," she said. She added that the honours will drive the lender to expand financial access, boost customer value and fuel business expansion across Africa.
Umeoji credited regulators in all countries where the bank operates for fostering a supportive landscape. She also dedicated the award to founder Jim Ovia for establishing the culture of excellence that propels the bank forward.
The bank posted strong results in 2025, posting gross earnings of N4.19 trillion and profit after tax of N1.04 trillion. It also shrank its non-performing loan ratio to 3.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent.
The latest wins build on a growing collection of international plaudits for Zenith Bank. The institution earned Nigeria's top bank ranking by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in The Banker's 2026 Top 1000 World Banks ranking.
