FirstBank, the West Africa premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider, has strengthened its partnership with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to reaffirm its commitment to driving sustainable finance and unlocking capital for development. This ongoing partnership was reinforced at the recently concluded Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) hosted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in Seville, Spain.

 The FfD4 Conference brought together global leaders, policymakers, and private sector experts to discuss innovative solutions to address the growing SDG financing gap and unlock capital for development in fragile and underserved regions.

FirstBank’s Chief Risk Officer, Patrick Akhidenor, represented the bank at the conference and highlighted two FirstBank flagship initiatives driving resilience finance in Nigeria: The Solar Equipment Financing initiative and the revamped FirstGem Fund. The Solar Equipment Financing initiative offers tailored financing options for the purchase and installation of solar power systems, ensuring access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy solutions. The FirstGem Fund, a women-focused proposition, provides single-digit interest loans to women entrepreneurs without collateral requirements, targeting funding gaps in critical sectors.

‘’We are committed to driving sustainable finance and unlocking capital for development,” said Patrick Akhidenor. “Our partnership with UNGC and participation in the FfD4 Conference demonstrate our dedication to innovative finance solutions that address the SDG financing gap.”

Sanda Ojambo, CEO of UNGC, emphasized the need for innovative, inclusive financial models for underserved regions. “The private sector must play a central role in shaping fit-for-purpose, scalable finance solutions,” she said. “De-risking tools and blended finance can help unlock capital and drive meaningful impact.

FirstBank’s partnership with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and its SMEConnect hub demonstrate its capacity to lead efforts in sustainable finance. The bank provides training, networking, and tailored financing to SMEs across various sectors, including education, healthcare, and retail

 Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc), Africa’s leading and most profitable Financial Services Group, has recorded a significant milestone in its growth and expansion journey with the successful admission of its Ordinary Shares to the Equity Shares (International Commercial Companies Secondary Listing) category of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange.

This historic achievement makes GTCO Plc, the 1^stFinancial Services Institution in West Africa to dual list its Ordinary Shares on both the Nigerian and London stock exchanges, and subject to certain criteria, it is expected that the Shares will be transferrable between the two exchanges.

The admission follows the successful pricing of its fully marketed offering (The Offering) on the London Stock Exchange to raise gross proceeds of $105million in exchange for 2.29 billion of new ordinary shares in the company, which was supported by a strong book of high-quality, long-term institutional investors.

Concurrent with the Offering, the Company also gave notice of its intention to cancel the listing of its existing GDRs on the certificates representing certain securities (depositary receipts) category of the Official List of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) and the admission to trading of GDRs on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities.

Building on the momentum of the successful first tranche of its equity capital raise programme in July 2024, which secured ₦209 billion, GTCO will deploy the proceeds from the Offering to strengthen its capital base, meet its recapitalization target, and fund strategic expansion across high-growth markets and priority sectors within and outside Nigeria.

It is expected that Admission and unconditional dealing in the Shares will become effective on or before 8.00 a.m. (UK time) on 9 July 2025 under the ticker “GTHC”. Following the cancellation of the GDRs listing, the Company intends to change the ticker symbol for the Shares from “GTHC” to “GTCO” and will issue a separate announcement in due course to that effect.

Commenting on the LSE Listing, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said: “Today marks a major milestone—not just for GTCO, but for the future we see for African financial institutions on the global stage. We are incredibly proud to be the 1^stFinancial Services Institution in West Africa to list our ordinary shares on London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities, and even more honored by the trust placed in us by the investing community. For us, this was not just about raising capital. It was about validating the strength of our franchise, the clarity of our strategy, and the discipline with which we execute.”

He further said; “I would like to thank everyone who made this possible—our advisors and legal teams, our longstanding shareholders, the regulators both in Nigeria and in the UK, as well as the Nigerian government for creating an environment that supports our bold ambition and vision to be Africa’s leading financial services institution.”

GTCO’s fully marketed offering attracted long-term institutional capital, reflecting investor confidence in the Group’s fundamentals, governance, and strategic outlook. It also signals improving market sentiment, buoyed by ongoing economic reforms by the Federal Government and a return to traditional orthodox monetary policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which have gone a long way to stabilising the macroeconomic environment and gradually restoring investor confidence in Nigeria’s long-term prospects.

• Zenith Bank Plc has retained its position as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for

  the sixteenth consecutive year, in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks’ Rankings, published by The

  Banker,FinancialTimesGroup,UnitedKingdom.ThisrankingplacesZenithBankPlcasthe

  581st Bank globally, with a Tier-1 Capital of $2 billion.

  The global rankings, published inthe July 2025 edition of TheBanker, was based on the 2024

  year-end Tier-1capital ofbanks. Thisis theprimary basisformost internationalorganizations’

  assessments of banks.

  Commenting on this achievement, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame

  (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, OON, said, “We are thrilled to have retained our position yet again as the

  Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 capital for the 16th consecutive year. This achievement is

  a reflection of the bank’s robust financial performance, prudent risk management and steadfast

  dedication to delivering exceptional value to our customers and stakeholders”. She thanked the

  Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his visionary and transformative leadership which has

  playedapivotalroleincultivatingaresilientandthrivinginstitution.Shealsoexpressedher

  deepest appreciation to the bank’s esteemed customers for their continued loyalty to the Zenith

  brand, the Board for the sound corporate governance, and the staff for their relentless & tireless

  efforts in ensuring the bank’s success.

  Tier-1 Capital describes capital adequacy, the core measure of a bank’s financial strength from a

  regulator’sperspective.Accordingtotheranking,Tier-1Capital,asdefinedbytheBankfor

  International Settlements(BIS) guidelines,includes loss-absorbingcapital, i.e.,common stock,

  disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and minority interests in the equity of subsidiaries that are

  less than whollyowned. A strongTier-1 capital ratio boostsinvestor and depositorconfidence,

  indicating the Bank is well-capitalised and financially stable.

  Accordingtotheaudited financialresultsforthe2024financialyearpresented totheNigerian

  Exchange (NGX), the Bank recorded a double-digit growth of 86% in gross earnings, increasing

  from N2.13 trillion in 2023 to N3.97 trillion in 2024. This growth was driven by a 138% increase in

  interest income, supported by investment in high-yield government securities, and growth in the

  Bank’s loan book. Zenith Bank’s profit before tax (PBT) rose by 67%, reaching N1.3 trillion in 2024

  from N796 billion in 2023. This performance saw the bank record an unprecedented total dividend

  payout of N195.67 billion at N5.00 per ordinary share in the 2024 financial year.

  Zenith Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous

  awards including being recognised as the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the

  Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020 to 2022, 2024 and 2025,

  in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria in the
• Euromoney Awards 2023; and being listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in

  2023.

  Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for four consecutive years from 2021

  to2024intheWorldFinanceBankingAwardsandMostSustainableBank,Nigeriainthe

  InternationalBanker2023and2024BankingAwards.Additionally,ZenithBankwas

  acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate

  Governance Awards from 2022 to 2024 and ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’

  Africa for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.

  The Bank’s commitment to excellence saw it being named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in

  Nigeria in the Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year

  2023 and 2024 at the BusinessDayBanks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and

  Retail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and in 2024 at the BAFI

  Awards.TheBankalsoreceivedtheaccoladesofBestCommercialBank,NigeriaandBest

  Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.

  ZenithBankwasalsonamedMostResponsibleOrganisationinAfrica,BestCompanyin

  Transparency and Reporting and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

  at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024; Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank of

  theYear2024byNewTelegraphNewspaper;andBestinMSMETradeFinance,2023by

  Nairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also adjudged ‘Rights Issue/ Public Offer of the Year’

  at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025