Zenith Bank is Bank of the Year.

From Customer service to top-notch banking operation using cutting-edge technology, Zenith Bank Plc, has broken all barriers to become not just Nigeria’s leading Bank but one of Africa’s leading banking institutions.

Zenith Bank Plc has in 29 years grown to become the biggest Tier-1 bank and one of the most profitable banks in Nigeria. The bank has greatly impacted banking in Nigeria, literally lifting the sector from the era of over-conservatism to one of dynamism, characterized by a culture of excellence and global best practices. This was achieved through the power of vision, skillful union of banking expertise and cutting-edge technology with which it met and anticipated the varied and changing appetites of its existing and potential customers.

The bank is a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment ofalternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions. The bank has shaped and continues to influence certain critical aspects of development in Nigeria, and has a knack for setting the pace and raising benchmarks especially in the deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) in the nation’s financialindustry.

Founded by Jim Ovia (CON), Zenith Bank Plc was established in May 1990 and commenced operations in July of the same year as a commercial bank. The Bank became a public limited company on June 17, 2004, and was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on October 21, 2004, following a highly successful Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Zenith Bank Plc has over 500 branches and business offices in prime commercial centres in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The bank has since inception grown astronomically to become one of the leading financial institutions in Africa. Zenith Bank Plc currently ranks as the 6^th biggest bank in the continent and has a shareholder base of about one million. The Bank grew its shareholder’s fund from ₦20million in 1990 to ₦815billion as at year end 2018. Today, the Bank continues to thrive on the strong values, brand equity, corporate culture of professionalism and service excellence which are the foundations upon which the bank was built.

In a strategic expansionary move, the Bank was licensed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of the United Kingdom to establish Zenith Bank (UK) Limited as the UK subsidiary of the bank. The bank’s shares are freely traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) following a listing of $850 million worth of its shares at $6.80 each in a major step at improving liquidity in the stock through Global Depository Receipts (GDR). The bank also has presence in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, with representative offices in South Africa and The People’s Republic of China. In another strategic move that is targeted at the Asian and Middle-Eastern markets, Zenith Bank UK opened a subsidiary in Dubai on January 30, 2016.

Zenith Bank’s management team is made up of seasoned professionals led by Mr Peter Amangbo, the Group Managing Director and CEO, who has been on the board for over a decade. He took over the reins in July 2014 from Mr Godwin Emefiele, who was appointed the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He is handing over in June 2019 to another egg-head and Oxford University trained Financial expert, Ebenezer Onyeagwu.

Having been honed by its founder, Mr Jim Ovia, successive leaderships of the bank drew upon its superior people, excellent service culture and continuous deployment of state-of-the-art technology to keep the institution at the forefront of Nigeria’s banking industry.

The seamless transition at the bank is clear evidence of a well-planned institution and is consistent with the bank’s tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within.

In its 29-year existence, Zenith bank has demonstrated rare resilience and has witnessed exponential growth in virtually all areas. Today, Zenith is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s strongest financial institutions and one of the country’s largest banks by market capitalization, shareholders fund and profitability. The bank’s growth momentum has increased over time and impacted positively on its standing as a market leader.

Clearly, Zenith Bank continues to make remarkable success on the sustainability agenda which is at the heart of its strategic and business models. As a result, the bank is better positioned to continue

on its growth trajectory and its desire to be a vital part of people’s lives and businesses through its excellent service delivery, superior asset quality, strong capital base, professionalism and corporate

governance which have provided the grounds for consistent high returns to stakeholders. The bank maintains sound risk management and corporate governance culture in line with global best  practices. The bank’s liquidity profile remains very strong and its risk management practices give assurance that the profile will be sustained on the short-run and improved upon over time.

Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices. People and talent are two equalizers in the bank’s value chain and the institution has leveraged these to create innovative solutions that often exceed customers’ expectations. The bank’s commitment to create, build and nurture value amongst its stakeholders is further enhanced by its sound credit risk model and operational risk management

system.

“To become the leading Nigerian, technology-driven, global financial institution, providing a distinctively unique range of financial services”

“To build the Zenith brand into a reputable international financial institution recognized for innovation, superior performance and creating premium value for all stakeholders”. Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Excellence, Best corporate governance, Commitment, Transparency and Service”

Zenith Bank Plc has made tremendous progress in its vision to entrench sustainability principles into its business operations, including product offerings, credit and loan administration, vendors’ relations, and employee management.

For Zenith Bank, having a workforce that is increasingly aware and passionate about the wellbeing of the physical environment and the less-privileged in the society is the natural first step towards achieving our overall sustainability objectives.

Zenith Bank remains the biggest corporate social responsibility (CSR) spender in the Nigerian financial services industry. Its sustainability and CSR initiatives are hinged on the belief that today’s business performance is not all about the financial numbers – we believe that institutions’ social investments, contributions to inclusive economic growth and development as well as improvements in the condition of the physical environment, all constitute the balanced scorecard.

In clear demonstration of its commitment to the ideals and tenets of corporate sustainability and responsibility principles, hinged on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, the bank regularly make donations towards the setting up of ultramodern ICT centres in several educational institutions across the country. It also supports various developmental projects and healthcare delivery causes across the country, including the provision of disaster relief materials and personal care consumables to victims of flood in several states of the federation as well as educational and skills empowerment for internally displaced children in North-East Nigeria.

The bank equally contributes to the development of sports in Nigeria through its sponsorship of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Zenith Women Basketball League (for 14 years running), and the Zenith Bank Delta Principals’ Cup, to name a few.

At Zenith Bank, we remain committed to furthering the economic, cultural and social development of host communities, particularly through community-based initiatives and philanthropy. As a good corporate citizen, we continue to deliver projects that have long-term social and economic benefits for the communities because we believe that our business is only as strong as the communities in which we operate. We make every effort to understand the needs of the communities and how to address them. Through robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes and strategic partnerships, we ensure that we create value and improve the quality of life in communities where we do business.