FIRSTBANK CLINCHES ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION; RANKED SECOND
MOST ADMIRED FINANCIAL SERVICES BRAND IN AFRICA
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider,
has been ranked the second ‘most admired financial services brand’ in Africa – for the second
straight year – at the 2021 Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands Event, held on Africa day,
25th May 2021.
Brand Africa is an intergenerational movement to inspire a great Africa through promoting a
positive image of Africa, celebrating its diversity and driving its competitiveness. It is a brand-led
movement which recognizes that in the 21st century, brands are an asset and a vector of
image, reputation and competitiveness of nations.
With over 127 years of being woven into the fabric of society, FirstBank has been at the
forefront of promoting growth and development in the country, extending its financial services
footprints – through its subsidiaries – to over half a dozen countries across 3 continents. The
Bank’s international business presence includes FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris,
FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal,
as well as a Representative Office in Beijing.
Through the years, the Bank’s leading digital banking services and innovative products like
FirstMobile, USSD, Firstmonie Agent amongst many others, have been essential to promoting
cashless transactions in today’s digital age. FirstBank’s digital savviness extends to the social
media platforms where it has been ranked by Financial Brand as the number one on Instagram
in Nigeria and second globally based on the highest number of fan base/followers and it’s
clearly poised to reclaim number 1 position across all parameters.
Appreciating the recognition on behalf of the Bank, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adesola
Adeduntan, said, “we are grateful to Brand Africa for the back-to-back recognition as
the ‘Second Most Admired Financial Services Brand in Africa’. This is a testament to the
impactful role we are playing in promoting socio-economic development in Africa, which
includes being at the forefront of bridging the financial inclusion gap as well as our commitment
to supporting Small and Medium Enterprises because of the critical role they play in economic
growth and development”. He further noted that FirstBank has created a functional ecosystem
for SMEs to thrive through various value adding solutions and value propositions.
Only recently, First Bank of Nigeria Limited was awarded the 2021 ‘’Retail Banking CEO of the
Year Nigeria’’, ‘’Most innovative Retail Banking App Nigeria’’ and ‘’Best CSR Bank Nigeria’’
awards by Global Banking and Finance magazine.
About FirstBank
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is the premier Bank in West Africa and the leading
financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria for over 127 years.
With over 750 business locations and over 100,000 Banking Agents spread across 99% of the
774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, FirstBank provides a comprehensive range of retail
and corporate financial services to serve its over 30 million customers. The Bank has
international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris,
FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal,
as well as a Representative Office in Beijing.
The Bank has been handy at promoting digital payment in the country and has issued over
10million cards, the first bank to achieve such a milestone in the country. FirstBank’s cashless
transaction drive extends to having more than 10million people on its USSD Quick Banking
service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code and over 4.5 million people on
FirstMobile platform.
Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers
focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimised risk
management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private
investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the
Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach,
FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that
are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial
partner.
FirstBank has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row (2011 –
2016) by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; “Best
Retail Bank in Nigeria” for seven consecutive years (2011 – 2017) by the Asian Banker
International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards and “Best Bank in Nigeria” by
Global Finance for 15 years. Our brand purpose is always to put customers, partners and
stakeholders at the heart of our business, even as we standardise customer experience and
excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand vision
“To be the partner of the first choice in building your future”. Our brand promise is always to
deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence. This commitment is anchored on
our inherent values of passion, partnership and people, to position You First in every respect.
Folake Ani-Mumuney
Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
www.firstbanknigeria.com
