…Zenith emerges ‘Bank of the Year,’ Premium Trust Bank earns ‘CEO of the Year’
Lagos Continental Hotel glowed in golden light on October 11, its grand ballroom alive with the smooth pulse of Blue Note Entertainment’s live jazz ensemble – the perfect overture to an evening of glamour, intellect, and industry triumph.
Beneath crystal chandeliers and waves of applause, the 13th annual BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards (BAFI 2025) unfolded – a night where strategy met soul, and finance found its rhythm.
Biggest Winners
Five institutions defined the tone of excellence.
Zenith Bank was crowned Bank of the Year and Retail Bank of the Year, reaffirming its Tier-1 dominance through scale, capital resilience, and unmatched retail depth. Premium Trust Bank, with its innovative Blayzz product, claimed Bank Product of the Year and Dr Emmanuel Efe Emefienim, FCIB CON.(MD/CEO, PremiumTrust Bank) was awarded the CEO of the Year, fusing lifestyle with financial ingenuity.
OPay swept three categories – Mobile Payment Solutions Provider, Business Solutions Provider, and Fintech Security Innovation of the Year – underscoring its reach across payments, technology, and trust. Polaris Bank was honoured as Best Bank for MSMEs and Digital Bank of the Year, reinforcing its growing stature in small business empowerment and digital transformation.
Digitvant Microfinance Bank was named Digital Payments Disruptor of the Year and celebrated for redefining convenience, inclusion, and payment simplicity.
Finance at a Crucial Crossroads
In an era of currency shifts and tightening regulation, this year’s winners distinguished themselves not by scale alone but by strategy – growing responsibly, anchoring credit quality, and advancing inclusion. Their recognition represents more than profitability; it signals resilience, clarity, and innovation amid turbulence.
Other Trailblazers
Across the evening, applause rang for the industry’s finest: CSCS, for Capital Market Infrastructure Developer of the Year, modernised settlement systems and deepened investor confidence. Globus Bank, twice honoured for Fastest-Growing Commercial Bank and Gold Standard in Credit Quality, doubled assets and sustained zero non-performing loans – a rare feat in volatile times.
Cornerstone Insurance impressed shareholders and regulators alike, earning Best Insurance Company – Shareholder Returns through disciplined underwriting and rewarding performance. STL Trustees, Trustee Company of the Year, reaffirmed its reputation for fiduciary excellence and estate planning innovation. Development Bank of Nigeria, celebrated as MSME Growth Engine of the Year, was recognised for its catalytic role in powering thousands of small enterprises.
RMB Nigeria and RMB Asset Management dominated the merchant and sustainable finance segments, advancing ESG-driven advisory and asset growth with distinction.
(And so the list of leaders continued – from Zenith Pensions and Cedrus Trustees to Leadway Assurance, Fidelity Bank, Providus Bank, Pathway Advisors, FSDH Merchant Bank, and others – all raising the standard of trust, innovation, and performance in Nigeria’s financial services.)
Strategic Significance in a Changing Landscape
Against a backdrop of inflationary pressure, FX volatility, and evolving regulation, BAFI 2025 celebrated banks and financial institutions that pursued sustainable growth with conscience. These are the organisations redefining what competitive advantage means – blending innovation with inclusion, and balancing profit with purpose.
A Night of Triumph, A Future in Motion
As Blue Note Entertainment’s final chords lingered in the air, the room swelled with a sense of optimism. The 2025 BAFI Awards proved once again that Nigeria’s financial sector is not standing still – it is evolving, inventing, and inspiring. For every winner, the night was not a culmination, but a call to keep reimagining finance in Africa’s most dynamic market.
(In print: Visit www.businessday.ng for a full list of the 57 award categories and their respective recipients.)
