Shares

The Banker’s 2025 Banker of the Year Awards has been announced with Absa Bank Kenya named Bank of the Year – Kenya.

Digital transformation remains a key differentiator, with many winners recognized for overhauling their technological infrastructure to improve efficiency and customer experience.

  • Ethiopia’s Dashen Bank secured the award for launching its comprehensive Dashen Super App, integrating payments, e-commerce, and lifestyle services, and achieving 700,000 downloads in five months.
  • Ghana’s Zenith Bank saw improvements in efficiency after adopting the Calypso treasury and risk management platform, leading to a 95% improvement in transaction processing speed.
  • In Nigeria, the continent’s most contested market, Access Bank was recognized, in part, for completing its core banking application upgrade to Flexcube v14.7, which reduced failure rates to $0.001%.
  • Tunisia’s Banque de Tunisie was awarded for implementing the Sopra Banking Platform (Core Amplitude), a major core banking system overhaul to optimize internal processes and enhance digital customer experience.
  • In smaller markets, these upgrades had immediate impact: Cape Verde’s Banco Interatlântico eliminated 90% of paper usage through its “Going Full Digital” project.

Several winners were lauded for bold strategic moves, including mergers, acquisitions, and critical infrastructure financing.

  • Nigeria’s Access Bank led with its ongoing acquisition strategy, notably finalizing the acquisition of AfrAsia Bank in Mauritius, which provides a key platform for scaling cross-border trade and wealth management.
  • South Africa’s Investec expanded its global footprint by opening an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to connect high-net-worth individuals to its international network.
  • In Tanzania, Stanbic Bank Tanzania committed approximately TSh2.6tn ($1.1bn) in development financing to the energy, logistics, and transport sectors, including a crucial $240mn facility for the bulk procurement system financing programme for petroleum suppliers.
  • Gabon’s Ecobank Gabon was recognized for its role as local leader in early buyback operations of a Eurobond, assisting the state in reorganizing its finances.
  • Rawbank in the DR Congo made history by structuring an international financing transaction, a $400mn bank syndication for the Kamoa-Kakula mine expansion, a first for a local bank in the country.

A strong theme for 2025 is the hyper-focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and initiatives to reach the unbanked.

  • Rwanda’s BPR Bank Rwanda secured up to $60mn in financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand credit access to SMEs, with $25\%$ specifically designated for women-owned SMEs, supported by the launch of their tailored solution, Ikamba.
  • In Mozambique, UBA Moçambique launched its SME Growth Programme, deploying a digital lending platform that reduced loan processing times from five days to less than 24 hours.
  • Absa Bank Kenya achieved its award by repositioning its business unit from a product-centric model to a segment-led, ecosystem-driven approach to better service entire value chains, driving market share gains in its corporate business.
  • UBA Liberia and UBA Chad both leveraged aggressive agent banking strategies to extend their footprints to rural and remote areas, deepening financial inclusion for underserved populations.
  • In Zambia, UBA Zambia supported the tobacco industry by providing prepaid cards to farmers via partnerships, enabling direct payments and improving traceability without needing traditional bank accounts.

From mobile apps to new credit solutions, banks introduced innovative products that met shifting customer demands.

  • Standard Bank Angola launched a digital buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) platform that disbursed over Kz1bn ($1.1mn) in short-term credit, showcasing fast adoption.
  • Investec South Africa rolled out a multicurrency account for private banking clients powered by Intelligent Routing technology and launched Clarity, a self-managed trading platform accessible to investors starting from as little as R25 ($1.43).
  • Ecobank Gambia was recognized for pioneering the country’s first cash deposit machine, promoting paperless transactions and financial inclusion beyond traditional hours.
  • UBA Senegal partnered with local fintech Keyzen to integrate a virtual pre-paid bank card platform, leading to a 30% increase in mobile app transactions and growth in customer acquisitions among young professionals.