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FirstBank’s Firstmonie Agents Hits 100,000 – Impacting Hundreds of Thousands of Lives and Communities Across Nigeria
If you live in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt, or you reside in any of the other state capitals, you probably take for granted that you actually live in the better of the two worlds that make up Nigeria when it comes to banking. Take Lagos, for example, you would find a bank in almost any corner you turn. You have many streets in business or commercial areas in the city that are lined up by nothing but banks in all their glory and magnificence. If a count is taken, it could be established that there are probably more bank branches in Lagos than any other branded business outlets or branded activity centres – if street stores and religious centres are excluded.
Many people in city centres somehow assume that this situation of banks being in your face in cities is the same reality that prevails in most parts of the country. They have no idea that there are parts of Nigeria, especially the hinterland, where people take the absence of banks for granted the same way city dwellers take the preponderance of bank branches for granted. To get to the nearest bank, people in the hinterland who live this reality every day would have to travel many kilometres to get to their state capitals or some other large towns. These are the people living in the worse of the two worlds you find in Nigeria as far as having bank presence is concerned.
Imagine if the situation were reversed and city dwellers had to travel many kilometres to get to the nearest bank branch where they could do their transactions. It is not unlikely that such a situation would be accompanied by a ballooning of the stress levels in city dwellers, increased road rage on city highways and heightened frustration generally. How would people who spend multiple hours in traffic on a daily basis, work longer than counterparts elsewhere for far less remuneration, enjoy less sleep on their beds and less time with family and loved ones, cope with the additional burden of walking or driving endlessly in search of a bank to do their transactions? How? Just how?
So city dwellers should indeed be thankful for their world. And while at it, they as well as people in the hinterland, who live in the other world, should not be shy to extend appreciation to those working so hard and tirelessly to bridge the gap between the two worlds in Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) financial inclusion initiative geared towards bringing the unbanked and underbanked as well as communities in Nigeria’s hinterland into the formal financial ecosystem has been key to efforts to bridge the gap. The CBN’s mandate to ensure the availability of affordable financial products and services to all individuals and groups of people in Nigeria, regardless of location, literacy level, familiarity with technology or accessibility to modern infrastructural facilities, has been wholly embraced, supported and promoted by FirstBank.
FirstBank’s unmatched commitment to financial inclusion is informed by the bank’s undivided focus on making real impact across Nigeria. Hear Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the Chief Executive Officer of the premier bank in West Africa and the leading financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria for over 127 years: “The key strength of our franchise is our ability to look at gaps in the society and develop products and services that [address those gaps].” Continuing, he notes that as an integral part of the bank’s strategy, “We believe that by significantly working with the Central Bank to improve the financial inclusion index of the country, we would, as FirstBank, be assisting [the] country to address poverty, to address hunger, thereby also promoting security of life and property because when people are gainfully employed, the implication is that they think less of crime.”
It is therefore not surprising that FirstBank has driven the financial inclusion initiative much more vigorously than any other bank in Nigeria, with its Firstmonie Agent channel, which crossed the 100,000 Agents mark a few days ago, being among the bank’s many initiatives to expand financial access in the country. The 100,000 Agents feat in itself speaks volumes about the bank’s strides in the financial inclusion space. No other bank comes anywhere close to FirstBank in terms of number and spread of agents in their agent banking networks. FirstBank’s Firstmonie Agents and the thousands of staff they employ are in all the 774 local government areas in Nigeria save two and, in 2020 alone, processed over 295 million transactions with a total value of N6.65 trillion and opened more than 196,000 accounts. However, for FirstBank, it is not about number or competition with others or even being the largest bank-led network in Africa, but the impact the Firstmonie Agents channel it is creating, as Dr Adeduntan highlighted above. His deputy, Francis Shobo agrees, saying FirstBank is looking beyond numbers and considering impact. He makes a bold declaration, “We are trying to make those Agents the centre of the financial ecosystem in the country.” This probably explains why Firstmonie Agents are considered by the bank as community heroes that it is planting all over the nation. And this is the sense one gets in interviews with Agents and customers across the country.
Aiyetoro is a riverine community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. It has no banks, according to Stephen Adeleye, a Firstmonie Agent serving Aiyetoro community. He recounts how Firstmonie has impacted his community. Adeleye says Firstmonie has provided easy access to banking ensuring that “people in the community now have this kind of savings habit” – a reference to the growing savings culture in Aiyetoro. One of his customers, Tina Farodoye, who operates a grocery store in the community says Firstmonie has helped her business to grow. She can now buy her stock in bulk all the way from Lagos where they are relatively inexpensive (even with transport costs added) compared to her community, all because she is able to transfer funds through Agent Stephen to the wholesalers in Lagos. This has improved her business profitability by increasing the profit margin in her business.
Ephraim Osinachi, is a Firstmonie Agent in Obehie, Asa Ukwa West, Abia State. He serves customers across all ages, including the very aged, as all customers are assisted with their transactions, unlike the use of ATM where the customer is practically on their own. He says market traders take advantage of his presence in the community to make lodgements at the end of the day’s trade. He and his staff wait until traders are done at the market (unlike your regular banks which shut their doors to customers at four o’clock, generally). The advantage this offers the people is invaluable. He cites a case where a customer’s house was raided by robbers in their absence and all the robbers could find after ransacking the entire house was fifty naira cash and old phones valued at N3,000. His services are enabling his community to avoid keeping bulk cash at home and the consequent risk of being robbed and traumatised by men of the underworld.
Orode Hesse, Firstmonie Agent in Ubeji, Warri South, Delta State is both emphatic and ecstatic about impact Firstmonie has had on her life. She enthuses that it has really impacted and empowered her financially and enabled her to empower others, especially other women. She has six employees, five of whom are female. So she sees Firstmonie as a business or platform to employ and empower women. Interestingly, Orode is part of the 26 per cent of Firstmonie Agents that are women, a fact that points to the important role Firstmonie is playing in driving women economic empowerment.
Abubakar Aki Bolaji, is a Firstmonie Agent along Karishi Road, Orozo in FCT, Abuja. He points out that the nearest bank to his community is 15km away. He is pleased that his presence as an Agent in the community has cut out the costs of transportation his people would have continued to incur in order to access banking services. His sentiment and delight are shared by the teeming customers he serves. This situation is very common in the North given its landmass and the dispersed nature of human settlements. Dr Adeduntan relates how a senior government official in Jigawa State highlighted how important the presence of Firstmonie Agents was when he informed him that all across a 70km stretch from Gumel, where there was the branch of a bank, there were no banks anywhere in sight. All he saw were at least two Firstmonie Agents in that long stretch of 70km, no banks. Without those two Agents, all the people in the settlements along that 70km stretch would be without access to banking services.
Another Firstmonie Agent, Mohammed Tatari, serving Tudun Wada in Bununu, Bauchi State, says his services are helping to drive commerce in his community as traders are now able to transfer funds to the wholesalers elsewhere from whom they buy. His services are helping traders to avoid carrying large cash with them given the dire security situation. He noted that the people used to travel elsewhere just to access banking service. His presence has changed all that now. He concludes that Firstmonie is changing his community (for good). One woman who would agree with him is Halima, a housewife and petty trader in the outskirts of Abuja. She discovered Firstmonie through her co-tenant, during the recent lockdown due to COVID-19, and was excited that she could access funds at the Firstmonie Agent outlet close to her and send money to her mother in far away, Maiduguri in Borno State. She had been unable to move to Garki where her bank branch was because of the lockdown.
Besides ensuring that individuals in the suburbs do not have to travel for long hours to the city for their banking activities, Firstmonie Agents are also bridging the gap between the tech-savvy and the low-literacy clients as the Agent network represents the convenient and comfortable alternative for customers that are unacquainted with sophisticated digital channels. And as Firstmonie Agents give their best, FirstBank, on its part, has been doing everything to encourage the Agents. In its inaugural Firstmonie Agent Banking Awards, FirstBank rewarded 37 leading Agents that have promoted financial inclusion in the country. Thirty-one (31) Agents each won the sum of N250,000 at the state level while five Agents won the sum of N1,000,000 at the regional level. At the national level, the grand prize of N2,500,000 was won by Zayyanu Hassan Ishaq, an Agent from Abuja (North Central), who described it as a miracle and noted that it would spur him to work harder.
As further encouragement and to promote the business activities of Firstmonie Agents, the bank announced the provision of loan facilities of up to N1,000,000 to the Agents. This new credit scheme, which they can access 24 hours a day, can be processed in less than two minutes. The scheme means more empowerment and business expansion for Firstmonie Agents. And the expansion can go beyond Nigeria as Dr Adeduntan says FirstBank is looking beyond Nigeria to other African countries where FirstBank operates, like Ghana and DRC – a country with over 80 million people – to promote financial inclusion and begin to address poverty on the African continent through the Firstmonie plat.
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GTCO Plc Becomes the 1st Financial Services Institution in West Africa to Achieve Listing and Trading of its Ordinary Shares on the London Stock Exchange
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 1stFinancial 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 1stFinancial 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.
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ZENITH BANK RETAINS TOP SPOT AS NUMBER ONE BANK IN NIGERIA BY TIER-1 CAPITAL FOR THE SIXTEENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN THE 2025 TOP 1000 WORLD BANKS’ RANKING
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Zenith Bank Plc has retained its position as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital forthe sixteenth consecutive year, in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks’ Rankings, published by TheBanker,FinancialTimesGroup,UnitedKingdom.ThisrankingplacesZenithBankPlcasthe581st Bank globally, with a Tier-1 Capital of $2 billion.The global rankings, published inthe July 2025 edition of TheBanker, was based on the 2024year-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 theNumber One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 capital for the 16th consecutive year. This achievement isa reflection of the bank’s robust financial performance, prudent risk management and steadfastdedication to delivering exceptional value to our customers and stakeholders”. She thanked theFounder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his visionary and transformative leadership which hasplayedapivotalroleincultivatingaresilientandthrivinginstitution.Shealsoexpressedherdeepest appreciation to the bank’s esteemed customers for their continued loyalty to the Zenithbrand, the Board for the sound corporate governance, and the staff for their relentless & tirelessefforts in ensuring the bank’s success.Tier-1 Capital describes capital adequacy, the core measure of a bank’s financial strength from aregulator’sperspective.Accordingtotheranking,Tier-1Capital,asdefinedbytheBankforInternational Settlements(BIS) guidelines,includes loss-absorbingcapital, i.e.,common stock,disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and minority interests in the equity of subsidiaries that areless than whollyowned. A strongTier-1 capital ratio boostsinvestor and depositorconfidence,indicating the Bank is well-capitalised and financially stable.Accordingtotheaudited financialresultsforthe2024financialyearpresented totheNigerianExchange (NGX), the Bank recorded a double-digit growth of 86% in gross earnings, increasingfrom N2.13 trillion in 2023 to N3.97 trillion in 2024. This growth was driven by a 138% increase ininterest income, supported by investment in high-yield government securities, and growth in theBank’s loan book. Zenith Bank’s profit before tax (PBT) rose by 67%, reaching N1.3 trillion in 2024from N796 billion in 2023. This performance saw the bank record an unprecedented total dividendpayout 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 numerousawards including being recognised as the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of theYear 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 in2023.Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for four consecutive years from 2021to2024intheWorldFinanceBankingAwardsandMostSustainableBank,NigeriaintheInternationalBanker2023and2024BankingAwards.Additionally,ZenithBankwasacknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance CorporateGovernance 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 inNigeria in the Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year2023 and 2024 at the BusinessDayBanks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, andRetail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and in 2024 at the BAFIAwards.TheBankalsoreceivedtheaccoladesofBestCommercialBank,NigeriaandBestInnovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.ZenithBankwasalsonamedMostResponsibleOrganisationinAfrica,BestCompanyinTransparency and Reporting and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowermentat the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024; Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank oftheYear2024byNewTelegraphNewspaper;andBestinMSMETradeFinance,2023byNairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also adjudged ‘Rights Issue/ Public Offer of the Year’at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025
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Body of Bank CEOs Delivers Critical Relief to Flood Victims in Niger State, Pledges Continued Support
Pix 1 L-R: Registrar & Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Akin Morakinyo; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Hassan Imam; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Zenith Bank, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji; The Executive Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago; Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs and Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba; Managing Director Taj Bank Mr. Hamid Joda; and Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman during the donation of relief materials from the Body of Bank CEOs in Nigeria, aimed at supporting victims of the recent devastating floods in Mokwa Local Government Area held at the Niger State House in Abuja at the weekend.
The Executive Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago; Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs and Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba during the donation of relief materials from the Body of Bank CEOs in Nigeria, aimed at supporting victims of the recent devastating floods in Mokwa Local Government Area held at the Niger State House in Abuja at the weekend
Pix 3: L-R: Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Hassan Imam; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Zenith Bank, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji; The Executive Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago; Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs and Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba; and Managing Director Taj Bank Mr. Hamid Joda, during the donation of relief materials from the Body of Bank CEOs in Nigeria, aimed at supporting victims of the recent devastating floods in Mokwa Local Government Area held at the Niger State House in Abuja at the weekend.
In a heartwarming display of corporate social responsibility and solidarity, a consortium of Nigerian Bank CEOs, has pledged significant support to alleviate the suffering of flood victims in Niger State
The Executive Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on Saturday in Abuja received relief materials from the Body of Bank CEOs led by its Chairman, Mr Oliver Alawuba.
The gesture is aimed at supporting victims of the recent devastating floods in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state.
Oliver Alawuba who is also the Group Managing Director/CEO of United Bank for Africa(UBA), led the delegation to the Niger State Government house Abuja, where they presented essential relief items, including bags of rice, beverages, vegetable oil, and mattresses, valued at millions of naira.
The devastating floods, which have affected thousands of families in the region, have prompted the banking community to come together in a show of empathy and support to those displaced and affected by the disaster.
In his address, Alawuba expressed the banking industry’s deep sympathy for the affected communities and reaffirmed their dedication to sustainable support while pointing out that the gesture underscores the banking sector’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and humanitarian intervention especially in times of crisis.
He said, “Today, we stand with the people of Niger State in their time of need. We want you to know that we feel your pain and we give you our firm resolve to assist in rebuilding lives. This donation is just the beginning; we pledge continued collaboration with the Niger State Government to ensure long-term recovery and resilience.”
Other top CEOs and executives at the presentation included by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Akin Morakinyo, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Hassan Imam; Managing Director Taj Bank Mr. Hamid Joda; Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman senior government officials, banking executives, and media representatives, marking a significant step in public-private collaboration for humanitarian relief.
Governor Bago, who received the relief materials on behalf of the state, commending the banking sector for its timely intervention.
“This gesture reinforces the critical role of private-sector partnerships in disaster response,” Governor Bago stated. “We are grateful for this support and look forward to deeper collaboration in safeguarding our communities against future challenges. On behalf of the good people of Niger State, particularly the affected families in Mokwa, I extend our sincerest thanks for this timely and compassionate intervention,” Bago stated.
“The recent floods in the state brought immense hardship to the people, displacing families, destroying livelihoods, and disrupting communities and the banking sector, under the leadership of Alawuba and his esteemed colleagues, has demonstrated that beyond financial stewardship, they are true partners in national development and humanitarian service.
This donation is not just about the physical items; it is a symbol of hope, resilience, and the unwavering support of Nigeria’s financial institutions in times of need. It reassures our people that they are not forgotten, the governor stated.
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