UBA Group shines at 2025 Banker Awards, named Africa’s Bank of the Year for the third time in five years
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has once again solidified its position as one of Africa’s most innovative and resilient financial institutions, earning the prestigious title of Africa’s Bank of the Year 2025 from The Banker, a Financial Times publication.
This marks the third time in five years that UBA has claimed the top continental honour.
In addition to the overall award, the bank also secured Best Bank of the Year titles in nine of its twenty African subsidiaries, bringing its total wins to ten.
The awarded subsidiaries include UBA Benin, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Zambia—demonstrating the bank’s far-reaching strength across West, Central, and Southern Africa.
The awards ceremony took place at The Peninsula in London, where UBA UK’s CEO, Deji Adeyelure, received the honours on behalf of Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba.
He was joined by senior executives from the bank’s business development and financial institutions teams.
The Banker emphasised that UBA consistently performs beyond expectations, competing strongly with larger African banks. It noted that UBA’s nine country-level wins—a step up from its previous continental win—represented about a quarter of all awards given across Africa, the highest for any banking group on the continent. The publication also highlighted the geographical diversity of UBA’s victories, spread across major regional economic blocs.
UBA’s strong financial performance also contributed to its recognition. In 2024, the bank reported a 46.8% rise in assets and a 6.1% increase in pre-tax profits (in local currency), while making continued investments in technology and talent.
West Africa remains the bank’s strongest region, recording an 87% growth in operating revenue and an 89% increase in profit in the first half of 2025.
The bank’s digital innovations played a major role as well. UBA expanded its Advance Top-Up buy-now-pay-later service via its 919# USSD platform and saw a 29% year-on-year increase in transactions through its AI chatbot, Leo. Notably, Leo became the first African banking chatbot to enable cross-border payments through the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).
Reacting to the awards, Group Managing Director/CEO Oliver Alawuba said the recognition reflects UBA’s consistent strategy and customer-focused approach.
According to him, “Winning Africa’s Bank of the Year for the third time in five years shows the strength of our Pan-African operations and the commitment of our people. It is a testament to discipline, innovation, and deep market understanding.”
He added that the nine country-level wins demonstrate impactful growth across the continent, reaffirming UBA’s commitment to financial inclusion, economic development, and technology-driven banking.
UBA remains one of Africa’s largest financial employers, with around 25,000 staff and over 45 million customers worldwide.
The bank operates in 20 African countries as well as the UK, USA, France, and the UAE, offering a wide range of retail, commercial, and institutional banking services supported by cutting-edge technology.
