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ADESOLA ADEDUNTAN, CEO, FIRSTBANK – HOW TO DO WELL BY DOING GOOD

Published

6 years ago

March 9, 2020

I travel to meet Dr Adesola Adeduntan in Edinburgh, where he has been invited to give a keynote address at the Edinburgh School of Business about the role of financial institutions in driving financial inclusion.Fittingly, as you land in Edinburgh, you are greeted by billboards from different investment funds advertising their credentials in responsible and sustainable investment and how environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations underpin their activities.

With economists and politicians questioning capitalism and the Western liberal model, today the emphasis is very much on a stakeholder-based approach, whereby growth and prosperity is more equally attributed and takes into consideration the needs of the wider community. Sustainable investment has become de rigueur among corporate jargon.

Dr Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan, CEO of First Bank of Nigeria, is a veteran in the Nigerian banking and corporate world. His overriding message, clearly expressed throughout his interview responses, and also at the various talks he gave during the day (at the Business School and at a law firm), is on the importance of doing good if you’re to do well – financially – in Nigeria and indeed, Africa.

A telling sign

FirstBank is actually the oldest bank in Africa. It was established in Lagos in 1894 as the Bank of British West Africa. Last year it celebrated its 125th anniversary. It is also the biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of assets and branch network.

For Adeduntan, a veterinary doctor by training, it becomes clear, once we have settled down for our discussion, that the institution’s longevity is a telling sign: it not only proves the bank’s resilience, it also shows that it has the right structures in terms of governance and the right business model, with the country’s development at its core. The theme of the anniversary celebrations was about how the bank has been woven into the fabric of Nigerian society.

The clear message to the industry is that while it is possible to make a quick buck, you can only enjoy the sort of longevity it has if you conduct your business with the interests of the country at heart.

Nonetheless, it’s apparent Adeduntan does not want to dwell too long on past glories. Using the analogy of a car, he says that there is a reason why the windshield is large whilst the rear-view mirror is small.

The challenge of fintech

As in most sectors, traditional ways of doing business have been coming under increasing disruption from ever-evolving technology. The banking industry is no exception and seems to be under siege from an expanding fintech onslaught.

I ask him if he is worried that non-financial companies will be entering the banking sector, especially given the recent change in regulation by the Central Bank that allows non-traditional finance institutions, namely mobile operators, to enter the fray.

He says he is not worried as his bank has one of the best defined strategies when it comes to financial inclusion and that it has the largest digital banking network in Nigeria.

Much of this has been developed through the bank’s FirstMonie Agents system: 46,000 agents represent the bank across the country. Currently, 9m customers transact on their USSD platform (by mobile phone, both smart and analogue) in addition to 3m customers transacting on the FirstMobile platform.

The agent network, the biggest of its kind in the country, enables the bank to provide services to the most remote rural communities; and because it doesn’t need to have an extensive branch network, it means that these services can be supplied at a fraction of the cost of a ‘legacy’ banking model.

Financial deepening

Adeduntan prefers to use the phrase ‘financial deepening’ when talking about the unbanked. Financial inclusion has increased from the low 20s to approximately 40% in Nigeria over the past seven years and is expected to double to the mid-80s within the next five years.

He says ‘financial deepening’ occurs when financial inclusion starts playing an important role in economic development. It’s about layering additional products on the current agency banking network – services such as micro-credit, micro-insurance and micro-pension.

The aim is to provide value-added services whilst at the same time increasing the savings rate; this aspect, which is critical in driving investment rates, has been one factor behind Asia’s rapid growth.

It is in this area, he says, that the bank has a vital role to play and a distinct advantage over new entrants. Technology, he emphasises, will play a crucial part in broadening financial inclusion. In addition, it is important to partner and collaborate with different stakeholders such as NGOs and other organisations dealing with the bottom of the pyramid, to help them reach out to different groups and also improve financial literacy.

Last year saw a boom in venture capital investment into Nigeria. For example, $400m was invested in a number of fintech start-ups during November alone. Is he not worried that these fintech players, with their lower cost base and ability to use technology, AI and big data to overcome traditional hurdles, are going to take the majority share of the pie when it comes to servicing the unbanked?

He says that will only be the case if the banks do not manage to reinvent themselves. In Edinburgh, he actually spent a large part of his day visiting tech hubs around the university in the city and speaking to fintech companies. FirstBank, he adds, has a number of partnerships with fintechs as well as its own Digital Laboratory developing new solutions for the bank.

Nevertheless, he firmly believes that the ‘legacy banks’ will still continue to play a very central role, especially “in this part of the world where banks are quite dominant and they have significant buying power”.

In terms of settlements and deposits, he sees many of these new players as partners they can work with, even if in some areas they will be competitors.

Scope for growth

Despite the impressive strides made by the banking sector in Nigeria, Adeduntan believes there is still a massive scope for growth for the sector. He points out that none of the country’s top banks have made the Top 10 Banks in Africa list, despite Nigeria being the continent’s largest economy.

He thinks that with the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, “we are entering a very interesting period for the banking sector, not only in Nigeria but Africa in general”.

On the domestic front, does he expect further consolidation? “Within certain thresholds,” he answers. “Anything that would allow the strengthening of the entire banking sector, I am sure the Governor of the Central Bank would be positive about.”

He also points to demographics and the high rate of the unbanked as great opportunities for the growth of the sector continentally. “According to UNICEF, two billion babies will be born in Africa in the next 30 years,” he says. “And in places like DRC [where FirstBank has a presence] financial penetration is as low as 5%.” Put the two sets of figures together and, in theory at least, you get vast opportunity. But he adds the all-important caveat that demographics are only good if managed properly.

Supporting national champions

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the bank, however. Adeduntan inherited a bank with several large exposures in the oil & gas and energy sectors, at a time when the oil & gas prices fell considerably, resulting in the devaluation of the naira against the dollar.

He says his management weathered the storm, reduced NPL levels to under double digits, and has strengthened the risk infrastructure, thus enabling the bank to better deal with cyclical downturns in future.

Discussing the role of large companies in the commercial landscape, Adeduntan says it is essential to have big banks like FirstBank, just as it is vital to have national champion companies that have the scale and wherewithal to make transformative investment. Such companies require financial institutions of similar scale to support them. The Dangote Group’s investment into what will become the continent’s largest oil refinery is a case in point, he adds.

Role of the Central Bank

We move on to the regulator and the role of the Central Bank. Does he think that it is too interventionist, dictating how much banks should lend, where they should place their assets?

Adeduntan refused to be drawn into criticism of the regulator, with whom he says he, and other bank CEOs, have a strong relationship. But he did say that the role of a central bank in the development of an emerging economy is clearly different from the role of a central bank in a developed economy.

“It is not unusual that the Central Bank intervenes in critical sectors allied to the loan to deposit ratio. It’s about economic growth; it’s about development; it’s about channelling credit in sectors that are very important for the national economy.

“Let us take agriculture – again, we are one of the biggest lenders into that sector. We found the Central Bank intervention in some of those critical sectors extremely useful and not just for us as a bank, but for the country as a whole. When you look at intervention in agriculture, you have to put it in the context of the size of the population. Nigeria is a country of 200m people today. The business of feeding 200m people is a strategic business. Everything that is being done to ensure that at least we are self-sufficient in food production is strategically important. We find the Central Bank intervention in those areas quite useful and of national importance.”

He reflected the positive attitude of many Nigerian entrepreneurs to the country’s future. He says he has a lot of time for the Economic Advisory Council – composed of credible business leaders and economists – that has been put together by President Muhammadu Buhari. And despite reports that the government is not economy-minded, he thinks that it is a pro-business government.

Ethical banking

It is nearly 10.00 in the evening when we finish our talk, his day having started at 07.30am. We go back to sustainability and the role of financial services to make sure they are lending to institutions that are ethical about their business and operating in a sustainable manner.

He says that the journey has started even if it is still early days. “But ultimately,” he says, “this is where we are headed. The Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principle speaks to this particular question. I think it’s evident from the points that I’ve made today, you can say that FirstBank is a bank that is happy to forego a few basis points in terms of its net margins, if that means it is contributing to development in a more ethical and sustainable way.

“We’ve always made a point that profitability is very important for us at FirstBank, but economic growth and national development is equally very important and speaks to the sustainability question.”

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ZENITH BANK TO BRING GLOBAL TRADE LEADERS TOGETHER AT 10TH INTERNATIONAL TRADE SEMINAR ON NON-OIL EXPORTS

Published

4 days ago

August 18, 2026

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Zenith Bank Plc will host the 10th edition of its International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, bringing together leading policymakers, regulators, exporters, manufacturers, investors and other key stakeholders to explore practical strategies for unlocking value and accelerating growth in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

Themed “Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth in Non-Oil Export”, the virtual seminar will examine how Nigeria can move beyond exporting raw commodities to build globally competitive value chains, expand market access, strengthen trade infrastructure and financing, and deepen the contribution of non-oil exports to sustainable economic growth.

The high-level event will feature an impressive line-up of guest speakers, including the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene; the Chief Executive Officer of Plot Enterprise Ghana Limited, Mrs Patricia Poku-Diaby; and the immediate past President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Professor Benedict Oramah.

The seminar will also convene leading voices from the public and private sectors in two panel discussions. The first panel, dedicated to public sector perspectives, will bring together key stakeholders driving Nigeria’s trade, export, investment and economic development agenda. It will feature the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), Mr Abba Bello; the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Adewale Adeniyi; the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ms Aderinola Shonekan; the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs Aisha Rimi; and the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs Nonye Ayeni.

The second panel, focused on private sector perspectives, will feature the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Starlink Global & Ideal Limited, Alhaji Adeniji Adeyemi; the Group Executive Director, Dangote Group, Alhaji Sada Ladan-Baki; Senior Consultant at 3T Impex Trade Centre, Mr Bamidele Ayemibo; the Managing Director of Terra Aqua Environmental Consultancy Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Mobolaji Salako; the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of RMM Global, Mr Ramzi Taher; and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lelook Nigeria Limited, Chief Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa.

The discussions will offer practical perspectives on trade facilitation, export financing, customs and port efficiency, regulation, market access, and the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses in regional and global markets.

A key focus of the seminar will be the African Continental Free Trade Area and its potential to open up a larger market for Nigerian goods and services while deepening intra-African trade. With the AfCFTA offering businesses access to a market of more than one billion people, the discussions will examine how Nigerian enterprises can leverage regional integration, build competitive value chains and seize emerging opportunities across the continent.

Zenith Bank has consistently championed conversations around trade and economic development. It remains at the forefront of efforts to support businesses seeking to participate more effectively in regional and international commerce. The Bank has also partnered with the AfCFTA Secretariat on initiatives to facilitate cross-border trade and expand access to opportunities across Africa.

Now in its 10th edition, the Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar has evolved into a leading platform for high-level dialogue on Nigeria’s trade and export ecosystem. Over the years, the seminar has brought together government, regulators, businesses, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to examine emerging trends, identify challenges, and proffer practical solutions to strengthen Nigeria’s position in global commerce.

The 2026 edition will build on this legacy, convening some of the most influential voices shaping Nigeria’s trade, investment and economic landscape around one critical question: how can Nigeria unlock greater value from its non-oil exports and translate its vast productive potential into sustainable economic growth?

The seminar will be held virtually and streamed live on Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok, enabling participants in Nigeria and around the world to join the conversation. Interested participants can register at www.zenithbank.com/exportsem

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Sterling Financial Grows H1 2026 Profit 20% … Balance Sheet Nears ₦5 Trillion

Published

3 weeks ago

July 30, 2026

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Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc (“St Financial” or “the Group”) today released its unaudited results for the half-year ended 30 June 2026, posting broad-based growth across key performance indices.

The Group’s gross earnings rose 31.5% to ₦279.6 billion over the corresponding period in 2025, led by a 33.7% jump in interest income to ₦223.6 billion as the loan book expanded and asset yields improved. Net interest income climbed 41.0% to ₦137.4 billion, while non-interest income grew by 23.3% to ₦56.0 billion, supported by notable increases in fee income and other operating income lines.

Sterling Financial continued to strengthen its balance sheet with total assets expanding by 19.3% to ₦4.67 trillion, supported by a 21.1% growth in customer deposits to ₦3.62 trillion and disciplined expansion in the loan portfolio. The Group’s profit before tax (PBT) rose 21.9% to ₦55.5 billion while profit after tax (PAT) rose 20.4% to ₦50.3 billion.

Return on average equity stood at 20.6% and return on average assets improved to 2.35% from 2.05%.

Sterling Financial’s shareholders’ funds increased 27.8% to ₦547.7 billion in the period under review, primarily reflecting the ₦96.6 billion raised through a public offer of 13.8 billion ordinary shares. The Group’s share price has also appreciated over 15% from its year-opening position, reflecting renewed investor interest in the franchise ahead of the results release. Basic earnings per share stood at 77 kobo, reflecting the enlarged share base following the public offer.

The Group’s performance is anchored by its ongoing modernisation of its technology stack and operating model across its commercial (Sterling Bank), non-interest (AltBank), and wealth management (SterlingFI) arms. That work is showing up in faster service turnaround, tighter unit economics, and greater headroom to absorb rising customer activity without loosening the Group’s risk posture.

The combination of a reinforced capital base, expanding deposit franchise, and broader earnings mix leaves Sterling Financial positioned to compound growth in the second half of the year, channelling capital where it earns most and continuing to lend into the real economy.

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ZENITH BANK NAMED AFRICA’S BEST BANK & NIGERIA’S BEST BANK AT THE 2026 EUROMONEY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

Published

1 month ago

July 23, 2026

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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, clinching the biggest and most coveted national and continental awards in banking. The awards were presented to the Bank on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel, London. This dual recognition is a testament to the 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 in the global financial industry, evaluating banks on criteria including strategy, profitability, risk management, digital transformation and impact on stakeholders. Victory at the awards is regarded as a mark of the highest distinction in global banking. This year’s edition attracted a record of over 770 entries from world-class financial institutions including HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Barclays, Standard Bank and DBS Bank of Singapore.

Commenting on the awards, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. AdaoraUmeoji, OON, said, “We are deeply honoured by theserecognitions 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.”

The GMD commended the regulators across the various jurisdictions where the Bank has footprints for the enabling regulatory environment which has supported the Bank in achieving this feat.

She dedicated the award to the Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, thanking him for his vision and excellence which have been instrumental to the Bank’s success.

Zenith Bank has continued to deliver strong financial results while accelerating investments in technology, artificial intelligence, and digital banking solutions. In the 2025 financial year, the Bank grew gross earnings by six per cent year on year to ₦4.19 trillion and delivered profit after tax of ₦1.04 trillion, while reducing its non-performing loan ratio from 4.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent. In keeping with its dividend policy, Zenith Bank rewarded its investors with a record-breaking total dividend of N10.00 per share (totaling N410.69 billion) for the 2025 financial year. This represents a 100% increase over N5.00 per share paid in 2024. The Bank has also deepened its pan-African presence and expanded trade and transaction banking capabilities to connect businesses across key markets.

Euromoney is the leading authority for global banking and financial markets, and this latest recognition adds to Zenith Bank’s growing list of local and international accolades, and further cements its position as one of Africa’s leading financial institutions.

The Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards, including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the seventeenth consecutive year in the 2026 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker and “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the EuromoneyAwards for Excellence 2025. The Bank was also awarded 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 was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for six consecutive years from 2021 to 2026 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023, 2024 and 2026 Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for five consecutive years from 2022 to 2026 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 led to Zenith being also named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year 2023 to 2025 at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Retail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025. The Bank also received the accolades of Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards, Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank of the Year 2024 by New Telegraph Newspaper; and Best in MSME Trade Finance, 2023 by Nairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also adjudged ‘Rights Issue/Public Offer of the Year’ at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.

Zenith Bank has also earned several non-financial awards, 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.

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