Service

For us at Zenith Bank, the customer is the reason we are in business, and this is not a mere mantra. Exceptional service delivery is our flagship.

Vision

Vision

To build the Zenith brand into a reputable international financial institution recognized for innovation, superior performance and creation of premium value for all stakeholders.

Mission

To establish a presence in all major economic and financial centres in Nigeria, Africa and indeed all over the world; creating premium value for all stakeholders.

Core Values

Integrity, Professionalism, Excellence, Ethics, Commitment, Transparency, Service.

People, Technology, Service

Zenith Bank Plc was established in May 1990, and commenced operations in July of the same year as a commercial bank. The Bank became a public limited company on June 17, 2004 and was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on October 21, 2004 following a highly successful Initial Public Offering (IPO). Zenith Bank Plc currently has a shareholder base of more than half a million and is Nigeria’s biggest bank by tier-1 capital. In 2013, the Bank listed $850 million worth of its shares at $6.80 each on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).



Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Zenith Bank Plc has over 500 branches and business offices in prime commercial centres in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In March 2007, Zenith Bank was licensed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of the United Kingdom to establish Zenith Bank (UK) Limited as the United Kingdom subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc.

Other operational subsidiaries set up over the years are Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited, Zenith Bank (Sierra Leone) Limited, Zenith Bank (The Gambia) Limited and the Bank’s representative offices in the United Arab Emirates and The People’s Republic of China. In 2024, the Bank commissioned Zenith Bank Paris, France after receiving approval from the Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution (ACPR).

The Bank plans to take the Zenith brand to other African countries as well as the European and Asian markets.

Zenith Bank Plc blazed the trail in digital banking in Nigeria; scoring several firsts in the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to create innovative products that meet the needs of its teeming customers.



The bank is verifiably a leader in the deployment of various channels of banking technology, and the Zenith brand has become synonymous with the deployment of state-of-the-art technologies in banking. Driven by a culture of excellence and strict adherence to global best practices, the Bank has combined vision, skilful banking expertise, and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that anticipate and meet customers’ expectations; enable businesses to thrive and grow wealth for customers.

Zenith Bank Plc, founded by Jim Ovia CFR, in 1990, has since grown astronomically to become one of the leading financial institutions in Africa. Zenith Bank Plc currently ranks as the 10th biggest bank in the continent. The Bank grew its shareholder’s fund of ₦20 million in 1990 to ₦4.03 trillion as at Financial Year End 2024. Today, the Bank continues to thrive on the strong values, brand equity, corporate culture of professionalism and service excellence which are the foundations upon which the bank was built.

Business

Business

Zenith Bank will continue to offer specialised financial services such as Pension Management but would discontinue services in Insurance, Capital Market dealings, Trusteeship, Registrar, Mortgage and financial advisory services in line with its decision to adopt the commercial banking license with international authorisation. Zenith Bank’s core businesses include:

  • Corporate, Investment and Retail Banking
  • Commercial and Consumer Banking
  • Personal and Private Banking
  • Trade Services and Foreign Exchange
  • Treasury and Cash Management Services
  • Other Non-Bank Financial Services mainly through subsidiaries

Superior Service Quality

Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the banking industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience, and sound financial indices. These have become part of our corporate culture to the extent the bank is easily associated with the following attributes; Best-in-class customer experience, creativity, excellent financial performance, good asset quality, stable management, dedicated and highly skilled work-force, cutting-edge Information and Communication Technology, efficient and effective distribution channels. The bank’s strategy of assessing and managing its impact on the industry forms an integral part of our strategic objective. Specifically, the bank considers how the present and future capital requirements will be met and managed in view of projected capital requirements based on its assessment and against the regulatory capital requirement.

Our Strategic Objective

The strategic objective of Zenith Bank also includes a continuous improvement of our capacity to meet the customers’ increasing and dynamic financial needs as well as sustain high quality growth through investments that impact the quality of service to our existing and potential customers, constant upgrade of our ICT infrastructure, unwavering investment in training and re-training of our people and regular reinforcing of our Customer Services delivery charter with regards to continually changing customer needs. Zenith Bank places high premium on the pivotal role of Exceptional Service Delivery in our drive to consistently exceed expectations. The bank has in place a well-articulated strategy to not only meet and surpass customer expectation but also ensure that plans are fine-tuned to address the changing taste and sophistication of the customer. The underlying philosophy is for the bank to remain at all times, a Customer-centric institution with a clear understanding of its market and environment.
Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance

The Bank remains committed to promoting good corporate governance and best practices in the conduct of its business. This is because we believe that good Corporate Governance engender public trust and ultimately ensures that the company meets the expectation of all stakeholders.

Endorsements & Recognitions

Zenith 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 sixteenth consecutive year in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker. 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, 2023 & Best Bank in Nigeria, 2025 in the Euromoney Awards; and was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.

Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023 and 2024 Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025 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’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year 2023 and 2024 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 in 2024 at the BAFI Awards. 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.

Zenith Bank was also named 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; 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.

Corporate Performance

Within thirty-two years, Zenith bank has demonstrated rare resilience and has witnessed exponential growth in virtually all areas. Today, Zenith is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s strongest financial services institutions and one of the country’s largest banks by market capitalization, shareholders fund and profitability. The bank’s growth momentum has increased over time and impacted positively on its standing as a market leader. In essence, Zenith Bank continues to make remarkable success on the sustainability agenda which is at the heart of its strategic and business models. As a result, Zenith bank is better positioned to continue on its growth trajectory and our desire to be a vital part of people’s lives and businesses. Excellent service delivery and development of superior asset quality, strong capital base, professionalism and corporate governance have provided the grounds for consistent high returns to stakeholders. The bank maintains sound risk management and corporate governance culture in line with global best practices. The bank’s liquidity profile remains very strong and our risk management practices give assurance that the profile will be sustained on the short-run and improved upon over time.

ISO Standard Policy Statements

   

BCMS Policy Statement (ISO 22301:2019)

Zenith Bank’s Business Continuity Policy is to maintain the continuity of its activities, facilities, systems and processes and where these are disrupted by any event, to enable it to return to ‘normal’ operations as soon as possible. Any external party dealing with Zenith Bank no matter their status (eg; employee, contractor, or consultant), must comply with the Business Continuity Policy of the bank. Zenith Bank is committed to implementing Business Continuity Management (“BCM”) based on International best practices and international standard ISO22301:2019.
 

ISMS Policy Statement (ISO 27001:2022)

Zenith Bank’s Information Security Policy is to provide a security framework that will ensure the protection of Information from unauthorized access, loss or damage while supporting the open, information-sharing needs of the bank. Any external party dealing with Zenith Bank no matter their status (e.g.; employee, contractor, or consultant), must comply with the Information Security Policy of the bank. Zenith Bank is committed to implementing Information Security Management (“ISMS”) based on International best practices and international standard ISO 27001:2022.

SMS Policy Statement (ISO 20000:2018)

Zenith Bank is committed to surpassing service requirements and expectations of our customers by consistent delivery of all Information Technology services and solutions in accordance with contractual agreement, best practices and applicable legal requirements. The service management system and its components are continually enhanced for effectiveness in line with global technological advancements and based on the International Standard 20000:2018.

Customer Base

Customer Base

The Bank’s customer base comprises mainly corporate entities many of which are subsidiaries of multinational corporations and large indigenous companies. Our lending strategy stresses rational procedures and transparency. As a result of this approach, the Bank’s credit portfolio has about the best asset quality in the Nigerian banking industry. The Bank’s non-performing loans to total loans ratio has always been less than industry average since inception and through the thick of the global financial crises in 2008/2009.

The Bank’s customer base, which is well in excess of 30 million accounts, cuts across the following sectors:

  • Oil and Gas
  • Power and Infrastructure
  • ICT and Telecommunications
  • Real Estate, Building and Construction
  • Transport, Shipping and Aviation
  • Commodities and General Commerce
  • Entertainment