Zenith Bank Plc has been named “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025, emerging as the top-performing financial institution in the country.
The award, presented on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at The Peninsula in London, recognizes the bank’s consistent delivery of exceptional banking services, groundbreaking innovations, and sustained value to both customers and shareholders.
Regarded as one of the industry’s most coveted honours, Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence celebrate financial institutions that exemplify leadership, innovation, and resilience in their markets.
The 2025 edition attracted a record-breaking 770+ entries from top global banks including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank, and Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), among others.
Commenting on the achievement, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, expressed delight at the recognition:
“We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized as Nigeria’s Best Bank by Euromoney. This award is not just a testament to our relentless pursuit of excellence, but also a validation of the unwavering trust and confidence our customers have placed in us. We are once again reminded that our success is not just about us, but about the impact we continue to have on the financial ecosystem. We will continue to work tirelessly to support the growth and development of our economy and uphold the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency that has earned us this recognition.”
Dr. Umeoji dedicated the award to Zenith Bank’s global customer base for their enduring loyalty and to the Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his visionary leadership:
“I thank our customers, the foundation of our success, and our Founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, whose commitment to excellence laid the groundwork for all we have achieved. My appreciation also goes to the Board for their guidance and to our dedicated staff whose hard work continues to shape Zenith Bank into a world-class financial institution built to stand the test of time.”
Zenith Bank’s reputation for stellar performance has attracted numerous accolades. In the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking by The Banker, the bank retained its position as Nigeria’s number one bank by Tier-1 Capital for the sixteenth consecutive year.
The bank has also won: Bank of the Year (Nigeria) by The Banker in 2020, 2022, and 2024
Best Bank in Nigeria in Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards in 2020–2022, 2024, and 2025
Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023
Recognition in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023
Other recent honours include: Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five straight years (2021–2025) – World Finance Banking Awards
Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria – International Banker Banking Awards 2023 & 2024
Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria – World Finance Corporate Governance Awards (2022–2025)
Best in Corporate Governance – Financial Services, Africa – Ethical Boardroom (2020–2023)
Additionally, Zenith Bank was named: 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 in 2023 & 2024
Retail Bank of the Year at BAFI Awards in 2020–2022 and 2024
Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria – International Banker Awards 2022
At the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024, the bank was honoured as the Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, along with awards for Transparency and Reporting, and Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. It also secured the Bank of the Year 2024 title from both ThisDay and New Telegraph newspapers.
Zenith Bank’s Hybrid Offer earned the ‘Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year’ at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025, and it was recognised for Best in MSME Trade Finance in 2023 by Nairametrics.
These recognitions reinforce Zenith Bank’s enduring legacy as a leader in financial services across Africa and its unwavering pursuit of excellence in governance, innovation, and customer service.
