FirstBank has emerged multiple-award winner at the 2024 Asian Banker Global Excellence Retail Awards.
The bank won the Best SME Bank in Africa and Best SME Bank in Nigeria awards.
The Excellence in Retail Finance Awards Programme, which includes the Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards and The Annual Digital Bank Awards, are two of the most established awards in the global financial sector as it recognises exceptional innovation, leadership, management, and performance in the financial sector.
The Asian Banker’s Strategic Business Intelligence for highlighting why the bank won the awards said, “FirstBank demonstrated exceptional performance, notably in its SME sector, by achieving more than 100 per cent revenue growth while maintaining a reduced cost-to-income ratio of 16.5 per cent. Small and medium-sized enterprises contributed 26 per cent of overall bank revenue.
“Furthermore, the institution’s SME customer base grew by seven per cent, reaching a total of more than one million. For its significant growth in the SME business, the award for Best SME Bank in Nigeria and in Africa goes to FirstBank.”
In a statement issued on the development, the Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Ms Folake Ani-Mumuney, expressed her delight at the recognition.
She noted, “We thank the Asian Banker Awards for the recognition and dedicate these awards to our esteemed SME customers that have progressively impacted the socio-economic growth of not just Nigeria but also the African continent, given their critical role as the engine of any economy.
“For 130 years, FirstBank has continued to enable the giants in our customers, including our SMEs as well as other stakeholders, and we remain committed to delivering the ultimate ‘gold standard’ of value and excellence,” she concluded.
Other awards that FirstBank recently won included Best Private Bank in Nigeria and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investment in Africa by Global Finance, for its exceptional leadership in integrating sustainable practices into its banking operations.
Punch