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Zenith Bank History

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 about one 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.

Zenith Bank also has subsidiaries in: Ghana, Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited; Sierra Leone, Zenith Bank (Sierra Leone) Limited; Gambia, Zenith Bank (Gambia) Limited. The bank also has representative offices in South Africa and The People’s Republic of China. The Bank plans to take the Zenith brand to other African countries as well as the European and Asian markets.

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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, skillful 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 in 1990, has since grown astronomically to become one of the leading financial institutions in Africa. Zenith Bank Plc currently ranks as the 6th biggest bank in the continent. The Bank grew its shareholder’s fund of ₦20million in 1990 to ₦704.50billion as at year end 2016. 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

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 and Investment 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

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 impressive growth pattern and performance over the years have earned it excellent ratings, recognitions and endorsement from local and international agencies and institutions: The Banker Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times of London in a 2013 survey, rates Zenith as the Biggest bank in Nigeria by tier-1 capital. In 2012, Zenith Bank was recognized as one of the 30 Outstanding Global Brands making sustainable impact on their operating environment. This recognition was prelude to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. KPMG rated Zenith bank as the Best Customer-Focused Bank in Nigeria.

Corporate Performance

Within twenty-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.

Customer Base

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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 1.6 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
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