brand
UBA’s Leo Clocks 4, Set to Further Transform Digital Banking In Nigeria, Africa
….Remains Africa’s Leading Ai Chatbot
Africa’s global bank, United Bank for Africa has said that it has concluded plans to commemorate the 4th year anniversary of its flagship artificial intelligence Chabot, with new offerings set to further change the face of digital banking in Nigeria
“Birthed January 11, 2018, with a firm resolve to prioritise its customers as well as put the bank at the heart of disruptive technologies that will transform the experience of esteemed customers, UBA did the unthinkable by getting 3 million users hooked in less than three years of its inception.”
Leo, which the bank stressed, has proven to be the most formidable artificial intelligence chat bot till date; serving an ever-increasing customer base who now have less transaction hassles to worry about is currently available on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat
To further extend its reach, UBA has concluded plans to commence Leo services on Instagram and Google Business, terrains none of its peers can lay claim to.
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, affirmed that UBA customers indeed agree that Leo is one of the bank’s biggest investments in cutting-edge technology and has been steadily changing the face of banking in the continent.
“Three years later, and with over almost 4 million customers and counting, UBA’s Leo, has without a doubt, remained the smartest Banking Chatbot in Nigeria because of its speed and quick learning intelligence and has continued to evolve with plenty to offer its teeming customers”.
“While other financial institutions are still trying to find their feet as regards Artificial Intelligence, we can proudly say that our Leo has become a massive success as it continues to consolidate on its successes and accolades winning several awards in a short while of its existence, “he added.
Uzoka continued: “In just 4 years, Leo’s landmark achievements have been indeed overwhelming, covering 20 African countries as well as garnering over 10 prestigious awards globally, a feat that is exceptional by every standard, I must say we are proud of Leo’s intimidating achievements which is largely unbeatable”.
“With this in mind, we have ensured that, Leo continues to enjoy periodic and systematic upgrade with special emphasis on enhanced advancements and specialised unique features where necessary”.
“UBA’s vision has always been and will remain to be a dominating force in Africa’s digital banking space. Our resolve is to provide unparalleled experience across all channels. We are a technology-driven institution with vast knowledge in the business that we do and Leo, being a tested, dependable and intelligent personality, did well to replicate on WhatsApp the success it recorded on the Facebook Messenger platform where it started its journey and later on the IOS (iPhone Operating System) platform. It is a solution that is from the customer’s standpoint, easy to use by anyone regardless of demography. Leo is always ready and waiting to help with any form of banking service,” Uzoka said.
Uzoka further explained that Leo is already present in 20 African countries and in three languages and has a number of rich and robust features bound to mesmerise existing and potential customers with services that are extremely fast and secure as all transactions and enquiries are encrypted, end-to-end.
“Leo has the ability to do a wide range of things, including funds transfer, call card top-up, checking of account balance, retrieval of bank statements, instant account openings for new customers, statement to embassy/other banks/microfinance, purchase of airtime/ data, paying of bills (LCC, PHCN, Cable TV), effectively helping with savings and spend limit.
“The AI chatbot also boosts of remarkable innovative features that allows customers make banking Services – Request/stop/confirm Cheques, Block card, Log & track complaints, ATM/Branch Locator, Freeze accounts, and check weather etc. Other features include Customer Care complaint resolution, linking of new account, flight Payment, linking and Funding of Prepaid Card, Travel Notification, Wakanow services and Dubai Visa service, “he explained.
The GMD also pointed out that, customers who have engaged with Leo are more than delighted about their experience and credit it for automatically extracting account details without hassles, adding that “Testimonies abound about how it is generally easier to use Leo compared to its counterparts. For example, Leo automatically detects account numbers via a customer’s WhatsApp mobile number and goes ahead to seamlessly help customers check their account balance as well as top-up airtime”.
FirstBank, the West African premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider, has emerged as Nigeria’s Best Bank for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at the prestigious Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025, held recently in London. This marks FirstBank’s second consecutive win in the ESG category, affirming its leadership in sustainable finance and responsible banking across Nigeria.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are regarded as one of the most coveted accolades in the global financial industry. The highly competitive selection process involves rigorous analysis and assessment, measuring performance against strategic and impact-oriented criteria.
The Bank earned the award through its deepened sustainability commitments embedded across its operations and community initiatives. In 2024, FirstBank screened 237 transactions worth over ₦3 trillion for sustainability risks, integrating ESG considerations into its credit framework.
Among its flagship sustainability initiatives, FirstBank commenced a tree planting campaign in partnership with Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), planting over 30,000 trees in 16 locations across Nigeria. This was the first phase of its 50,000-tree initiative, projected to absorb approximately 720 tonnes of CO₂ by the end of 2025, contributing to climate resilience and supporting biodiversity preservation.
FirstBank has been proactive in gender inclusion through the Gender Market Strategy, disbursing over ₦43 billion FirstGem loans to women-led businesses in 2024. The Bank’s commitment to inclusive banking saw a significant increase in the worth of transactions facilitated by FirstMonie agents to over ₦9 trillion.
The Bank prioritises ESG/sustainability capacity building, evidenced by the training of over 9000 employees, and its webinars and workshops reaching over 2,000 SMEs and corporates. The bank’s investment in leadership for over 2,000 female employees through the FirstBank Women Network has demonstrated a dedicated structural commitment to cultivating a knowledgeable and diverse workforce catering to the dynamic ESG landscape.
Commenting on the award, the Chief Risk Officer of the Bank as well as the Chairman of the FirstBank Sustainability Committee, Patrick Akhidenor said, “We are honoured to receive this prestigious award for the second time in a row, which is a validation of our efforts to create a sustainable and inclusive future for all our stakeholders. Our approach to sustainability is hinged on three pillars: education, health and welfare; diversity and financial inclusion; responsible lending, procurement and climate initiatives”
He added: “We remain focused on driving impact through purposeful initiatives and inclusive growth, ensuring that our ESG efforts continue to create meaningful change in communities across Nigeria and beyond.”
The continued success in ESG and sustainability is driven by FirstBank’s vision to be Africa’s bank of first choice, leading with purpose, responsibility, and innovation.
-
Photo © 2025 – ASV Photography Ltd.
www.ASVphotos.comZenithBankPlchasbeennamed“Nigeria’sBestBank”attheEuromoneyAwardsforExcellence2025,emergingasNigeria’sstandoutperformer,andclinchingthebiggestandmost coveted country award. The award, which was presented to the bank on Thursday, July17,2025atThePeninsula,London,isatestament to its commitment to delivering exceptionalbanking services, innovative products and superior value to its customers and shareholders.Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence are one of the most highly coveted awards that matter tobanksandbankerswhomatter.TheannualAwardsforExcellencecelebratesfinancialinstitutions that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and resilience in their markets, with thisyear’seditionseeingarecordnumberofover770entriesfromworldclassfinancialinstitutionsincludingHSBC,MorganStanley,CitiBank,Barclays,StandardBankandDevelopment Bank of Singapore (DBS), amongst others.Commenting on the award, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc,Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON said, “We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized as Nigeria’sBestBankbyEuromoney.Thisawardisnotjustatestamenttoourrelentlesspursuitofexcellence, but also a validation of the unwavering trust and confidence our customers haveplaced in us. We are once again reminded that our success is not just about us, but about theimpact we continue to have on the financial ecosystem. We will continue to work tirelessly tosupportthegrowthanddevelopmentofoureconomyandupholdthehigheststandardsofgovernance, integrity and transparency that has earned us this recognition”.She dedicated the award to Zenith Bank’s customers across the globe for their loyalty, and tothe Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his visionary leadership and commitment toexcellencewhichformedthefoundationforthebank’ssuccesses.ShealsothankedtheBoardfortheirguidance,aswellasthestafffortheirunwaveringdedicationtobuildingaformidable and best in class global financial institution that will outlive generations.ZenithBank’strackrecordofexcellentperformancehascontinuedtoearnthebrandnumerous awards including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1Capitalforthesixteenthconsecutiveyearinthe2025Top1000WorldBanksRanking,publishedbyTheBanker.TheBankwasalsoawardedBankoftheYear(Nigeria)inTheBanker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020to2022, 2024and 2025,inthe GlobalFinance World’sBestBanks Awards;Best BankforDigitalSolutionsinNigeriaintheEuromoneyAwards2023;andwaslistedintheWorldFinance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years from2021 to 2025 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in theInternationalBanker2023and2024BankingAwards.Additionally,ZenithBankhasbeen -
acknowledgedastheBestCorporateGovernanceBank,Nigeria,intheWorldFinanceCorporateGovernanceAwardsforfourconsecutiveyearsfrom2022to2025and‘BestinCorporateGovernance’FinancialServices’Africaforfourconsecutiveyearsfrom2020to2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.The Bank’s commitment to excellence saw it being named the Most Valuable Banking BrandinNigeria inThe Banker’sTop 500Banking Brandsfor 2020 and 2021,Bank ofthe Year 2023and2024attheBusinessDayBanksandOtherFinancialInstitutions(BAFI)Awards,andRetail Bank of the Yearfor three consecutive years from2020 to 2022 and in2024 at the BAFIAwards. The Bank also received the accolades of Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and BestInnovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.ZenithBankwasalsonamedMostResponsibleOrganisationinAfrica,BestCompanyinTransparencyandReportingandBestCompanyinGenderEqualityandWomenEmpowerment atthe SERAS CSRAwards Africa 2024;Bank of theYear 2024by ThisDayNewspaper; Bank of the Year 2024 by New Telegraph Newspaper; and Best in MSME TradeFinance,2023byNairametrics.TheBank’sHybridOfferwasalsoadjudged‘RightsIssue/Public Offer of the Year’ at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025
FirstBank, a leading financial institution and provider of financial inclusion services in West Africa, announces the achievement of ₦1 trillion in cumulative instant digital loan disbursements. This accomplishment further consolidates the Bank’s reputation for innovation, leadership in financial inclusion, and commitment to customer empowerment within.
Since its inaugural digital loan in August 2019, FirstBank has developed an unconventional and robust digital lending ecosystem designed with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to improve access to finance, especially to the high-risk customer segment. The Bank created a multi- channel loan disbursement service that requires no collaterals, zero documentation and is void of human interactions. Through its FirstAdvance, FirstCredit and AgentCredit products, 1.5 million unique borrowers enjoyed instant and secure access to credit. This is irrespective of whether they are salary earners, non-salary earners, or micro business owners. They also have the convenient options of accessing these loans through platforms such as *894# (FirstBank’s USSD service), FirstMobile, LitApp and the FirstMonie Agent App.
Regarding this milestone, Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products at FirstBank, stated: “This success underscores our ongoing commitment to innovation and a customer-focused approach, which are central to FirstBank’s core values. Beyond achieving substantial figures, we remain dedicated to fostering opportunities for financial independence across Nigeria in particular, and in Africa at large.’’
He added, “We value the trust our customers place in us to support their financial aspirations. Our efforts to advance digital lending will persist, especially to the excluded and underserved customer segments, while effectively managing risks in the process.”
FirstBank currently disburses about N1 Billion daily in digital loans, demonstrating its commitment to fostering an inclusive, technology-driven future for Nigerians. By consistently investing in advanced technologies and developing customised financial solutions, the Bank seeks to improve the financial well-being of individuals and businesses across the nation.
-
news5 years agoUPDATE: #ENDSARS: CCTV footage of Lekki shootings intact – Says Sanwo – Olu
-
lifestyle5 years agoFormer Miss World: Mixed reactions trail Agbani Darego’s looks
-
health4 years agoChairman Agege LG, Ganiyu Egunjobi Receives Covid-19 Vaccines
-
lifestyle4 years agoObateru: Celebrating a Quintessential PR Man at 60
-
health5 years agoUPDATE : Nigeria Records 790 new cases of COVID-19
-
health5 years agoBREAKING: Nigeria confirms 663 new cases of COVID-19
-
news3 months agoBREAKING: Tinubu swears in new NNPCL Board
-
politics4 months agoBreaking : Oborevwori , Okowa others dumps PDP, defects to APC