Only GTB, Ecobank, FirstBank made list of 2018 African Banker Awards nominees
Yearly organizers of African Banker Awards, the African Banker magazine, on Thursday announced nominees for the 2018 awards with only three out of 25 commercial banks in Nigeria making the list of nominees in different categories of the honours.
Whereas the shortlist reflects another strong year in African banking driven by innovation and resilient markets, the Nigerian banks on the radar of possible awards include Guaranty Trust Bank, Ecobank and Firstbank.
Details in a statement sent to Business Hilights from the organizers showed that the CEO of GTBank, Mr. Segun Agbaje is shortlisted for the choice African Banker of the Year alongside bank MDs from one bank in Morocco and two from Kenya.
On the prestigious African Bank of the Year list of nominees, GTB also made the list alongside banks from Mauritius, Morocco and Kenya.
Ecobank braced the tape on the list of nominees for the Best Retail Bank in Africa alongside banks from Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique and Mauritius.
Another award category that has a Nigerian institution is the Socially Responsible Bank of the Year which has Ecobank and banks from Kenya, Morocco and Zambia.
There is also the award category for Investment Bank of the Year which has Nigeria’s FNBQuest Merchant Bank alongside other banks from the continent.
While no Nigerian bank made the list of Award for Financial Inclusion, Award for Innovation in Banking, Deal of the Year – Equity, for $300m Diaspora Bond; Standard Bank/FBNQuest Merchant Bank, Nigeria made the list of Deal of the Year – Debt, alongside Viathan – Renaissance Capital, Nigeria
On the last but not the least award category, the Infrastructure Deal of the Year, Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund processed by Chapel Hill Denham made the list with financial services institutions from Namibia and South Africa.
The Awards, which are hosted by African Banker magazine, will be held during the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) at the end of May in Busan, South Korea. The finalists, selected by an expert judging panel of bankers and business leaders will be announced at the African Banker Awards ceremony which will take place on Wednesday 22nd May.
Chair of the Awards Committee, Omar Ben Yedder, the Group Publisher and Managing Director of IC Publications Group which publishes African Banker, said that he was once again impressed by the quality and breadth of entries this year.
He averred that “We saw McKinsey earlier in the year releasing a very positive report analysing the banking landscape in Africa. The entries reaffirm their findings when they say Africa’s banking market are amongst the most exciting in the world. The categories that caught my eye were innovation in banking – and this year’s entries reflect the transformative role of fintech and also blockchain technology – as well as deal of the year, which is every year a very competitive category. Equity markets were a little slower in 2017, but we saw some interesting deals on the debt side and also transformative infrastructure financing structures. The quality of the entries, and sophistication of the solutions being presented, reflect a buoyant sector in continuous evolution.”
Business Hilights gathered that the awards which are held under the high patronage of the African Development Bank and, are sponsored by The African Guarantee Fund, Banco Nacional de Investimento (BNI), Groupe Crédit Agricole du Maroc and the Bank of Industry. Ecobank will be the hosts of the African Banker Awards cocktail reception prior the awards. The Gala Dinner and Awards presentation will take place at the Paradise Hotel, Busan in South Korea this month.
