Zenith is 2014 Best Bank in Ghana

Zenith Bank Ghana has been named “Bank of the Year 2014 in Ghana” by The Banker magazine, the world’s most trusted resource for banking and finance intelligence and information.

The award was presented to Daniel Asiedu, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank at The Banker Awards 2014 ceremony, held on November 27 at the InterContinental Hotel, London Park Lane, in London, UK.

Zenith Bank received the admiration of the banking world at the black-tie event, which was attended by banking executives from over 140 countries.

The Banker magazine’s annual Bank of the Year Awards, widely regarded as the Oscars of the Banking Industry, recognise the best banks in over 140 countries and are among the industry’s most coveted honours.

The Awards are presented to banks that are delivering decent shareholder returns and meeting customer expectations through competitive products and services.

The judging committee of the Awards is noted for its adherence to high standards, such that banks that are awarded are the ones which have truly excelled and are outperforming their competitors on numerous fronts.

By picking up this year’s award for the Best Bank in Ghana, Zenith Bank has gained expert international recognition for its well-known attributes of strong financial performance, excellent service, innovative products and services, industry-leading state-of-the-art banking technology and professionalism.

Zenith is the only bank among its peers to win this award and has also secured a place in the top echelons of the industry in Ghana, having become part of a narrow, exclusive club of Banker Awards winners including GCB Bank (2013), Barclays Bank Ghana (2012) and Ecobank Ghana (2010).

Mr. Asiedu said the bank’s award is a dedicated to its customers, without whom it would not have been won. He further mentioned that the award is a testament to the bank’s solidity and a much-welcome endorsement of Zenith’s leadership in many spheres of banking in Ghana.

“This award recognises our rapid growth, significant value-creation for shareholders, innovative products and services, and our unique ability to deliver satisfaction for customers in a highly competitive environment,” he said.

“More importantly, it shows that we are a leader in satisfying all those benchmarks that have come to be expected of the Ghanaian banking industry.”

Zenith Bank continues to distinguish itself in the banking industry through its service quality and drive for the provision of a unique customer experience. At the Ghana Banking Awards recently held in Accra, the bank was voted Best Bank in Customer Care and 1st Runner-Up Best Growing Bank.

Zenith’s record financial performance in 2013, which has continued into 2014, contributed to its winning the award. The highlights of the 2013 performance include a 168 percent increase in profit before tax from GH¢40.3million to GH¢107.7million and 102 percent growth in assets from GH¢949million to GH¢1.92billion, which lifted Zenith to sixth-largest bank in Ghana from a previous position of eleventh.

In terms of product innovation, Zenith unveiled a potpourri of new products in 2013. One of them, the Global Travel Wallet Card, is a payment card specially designed for travellers who purchase dollars from Zenith Bank or utilise forex bureaux and load onto the card to spend abroad.

The money on the card can be accessed worldwide at Visa-enabled Points-of-Sale (PoS) terminals and ATMs, while the card can also be used for online transactions.

Zenith also launched Cruz-Card, a state-of-the-art multi-purpose card that serves as an ID, a library card as well as an access-control card for both students and staff of tertiary institutions. The card has a Visa-enabled chip and PIN which enable it to be used for payments on all Visa POS terminals and ATMs.

Mr. Asiedu said, altogether, the awards it has received are a source of inspiration to Zenith Bank and will bolster its efforts to remain at the forefront in the areas of innovation, strong financial performance, highly-skilled personnel, ICT and digital banking, and strategic distribution channels.

Zenith Bank Ghana is a subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc -- West Africa’s number-one bank according to The Banker magazine, and one of Africa’s biggest financial services success stories. Zenith Plc won The Banker magazine’s African Bank of the Year award in 2005 and was earlier this year named among the top-300 banks in the world by the same publication.