Zenith Bank Plc has been named Africa’s Best Bank and Nigeria’s Best Bank—the latter for the second consecutive year—at the prestigious Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, securing the most coveted continental and national honours in the banking industry.

The awards were presented to the bank on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel in London. The dual recognition underscores Zenith Bank’s sustained excellence in financial performance, customer service, digital innovation, and its contribution to economic development across Nigeria and the wider African continent.

The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are among the most respected honours in the global financial services industry, with banks assessed on criteria including strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation, and stakeholder impact. Winning a Euromoney Award is widely regarded as one of the highest distinctions in international banking.

This year’s competition attracted a record more than 770 entries from leading financial institutions worldwide, including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank, and DBS Bank of Singapore.

Commenting on the achievement, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, said:

“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 unicorn workforce, and our unwavering commitment to building a truly African global financial institution. These awards inspire us to do even more to deliver superior value, drive financial inclusion, and support the growth of businesses across Africa.”

Dame Dr. Umeoji also commended regulators across the jurisdictions in which Zenith Bank operates for providing an enabling regulatory environment that has supported the bank’s achievements.

She dedicated the awards to the Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, expressing gratitude for his vision and unwavering pursuit of excellence, which she said have been instrumental to the bank’s enduring success.

Zenith Bank has continued to post strong financial results while accelerating investments in technology, artificial intelligence, and digital banking solutions. During the 2025 financial year, the bank increased gross earnings by six per cent year-on-year to ₦4.19 trillion and recorded a profit after tax of ₦1.04 trillion. It also reduced its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent.

In line with its dividend policy, Zenith Bank rewarded shareholders with a record total dividend of ₦10.00 per share, amounting to ₦410.69 billion, for the 2025 financial year. This represented a 100 per cent increase from the ₦5.00 per share paid for the 2024 financial year.

The bank has also strengthened its pan-African footprint while expanding its trade and transaction banking capabilities to facilitate cross-border business and connect enterprises across key African markets.

Euromoney is regarded as a leading authority on global banking and financial markets, and the latest recognition adds to Zenith Bank’s growing portfolio of local and international accolades, further reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s foremost financial institutions.

The bank’s consistent performance has earned it numerous industry recognitions. It was recently ranked Nigeria’s Number One Bank by Tier-1 Capital for the 17th consecutive year in The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks Ranking 2026. It also won Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025.

Zenith Bank was named Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards in 2020, 2022, and 2024, and received the Best Bank in Nigeria award in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards from 2020 to 2022, and again in 2024 and 2025. It also won Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria at the Euromoney Awards 2023 and was listed among the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.

Additional honours include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria, for six consecutive years (2021–2026) in the World Finance Banking Awards, and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria, in the International Banker Banking Awards for 2023, 2024, and 2026.

The bank has also been recognised as Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for five consecutive years (2022–2026), as well as Best in Corporate Governance – Financial Services, Africa, by Ethical Boardroom for four consecutive years (2020–2023).

Zenith Bank’s commitment to excellence also earned it recognition as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021. It was named Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards from 2023 to 2025, and Retail Bank of the Year for 2020 to 2022, and again in 2024 and 2025.

Other accolades include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria, and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, at the International Banker Banking Awards 2022; Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank of the Year 2024 by New Telegraph Newspaper; Best in MSME Trade Finance 2023 by Nairametrics; and Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year for its Hybrid Offer at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.

Beyond financial performance, Zenith Bank has also received several non-financial honours, including Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, Best Company in Transparency and Reporting, and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024.