ZENITH BANK SIGNS MOU WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO ESTABLISH A SUBSIDIARY IN FRANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That Zenith Bank Plc has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Government to establish a subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc in France. The MoU, which was signed by the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, and the French Minister for Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Mr. Olivier Becht on Friday, November 24, 2023, will enable Zenith Bank, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Zenith Bank (UK) Limited, to seek and secure the requisite regulatory approval from the Autorite’ de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution (ACPR) to establish a strategic presence in France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Nigeria and Zenith Bank. I am indeed very delighted about the signing of this MoU with France. For me, it is an honour to do this on behalf of the bank, and we look forward to securing the licence and starting operations in early 2024”. He thanked the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann and her colleagues at the French Embassy in Nigeria for their efforts towards improving French-Nigerian business relations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also speaking during the ceremony, the French Minister for Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Mr. Olivier Becht, said: “I want to thank you very much for your decision to open a branch of Zenith Bank in Paris. We are thrilled to welcome in France Zenith Bank’s first office inside the European Union. For us, that’s a very good signal, and it is undoubtedly a demonstration of mutual confidence. No doubt also that your vision on international finance guided you to decide to open this branch and this decision in many respects can also be regarded as a milestone in French-Nigerian economic relations and an illustration of our friendship”. He noted that the government of President Macron had adopted a pro-business agenda in order to make France more attractive by undertaking several reforms in labour law, simplifying a lot of procedures and cutting business taxes, corporate taxes and production taxes by more than 25 billion Euros, adding that “we hope that the opening of the branch of Zenith Bank in France will also be an occasion to boost the French-Nigerian business in order to have more French companies investing in Nigeria and also to have more Nigerian companies investing in France”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zenith Bank has continued to distinguish itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service offerings, unique customer experience and sound financial indices. The bank remains a clear leader in the digital space, with several firsts in deploying innovative products and solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed, and safety of transactions. Zenith Bank also has subsidiaries in Ghana, Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited; Sierra Leone, Zenith Bank (Sierra Leone) Limited; The Gambia, Zenith Bank (Gambia) Limited. The Bank also has a Representative Office in The People’s Republic of China.

 

GTCO Plc Releases Q3 2023 Unaudited Results……..Reports Profit Before Tax of ₦433.2billion

 

 

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has released its Unaudited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the period ended September 30, 2023, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group reported profit before tax of ₦433.2billion, representing an increase of 155.2% over ₦169.7billion recorded in the corresponding period ended September 2022. The Group’s loan book (net) grew by 17.7% from ₦1.89trillion recorded as at December 2022 to ₦2.22trillion in September 2023, while deposit liabilities increased by 37.9% from ₦4.61trillion in December 2022 to ₦6.36trillion in September 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group’s balance sheet remained well structured and resilient with total assets and shareholders’ funds closing at ₦8.6trillion and ₦1.3trillion, respectively. Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very strong, closing at 25.1%, while asset quality was sustained as IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans improved to 3.8% in September 2023 from 5.2% December 2022, however, Cost of Risk (COR) closed at 4.1% from 0.6% in December 2022 owing to Management’s conservative stance on provisioning as macros worsened y-o-y, weighing negatively on the ECL variables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said; Our 3rd Quarter performance underpins our strategic positioning as a leading Financial Holding Company and reaffirms our strong capabilities to successfully navigate the challenges in our operating environment. Going into the final quarter of the year, we will continue to leverage the strengths within our growing financial services ecosystem to improve our products and service offerings, enhance customer experience, and maximise shareholder value.”

He further said; “We are proud of our work towards Promoting Enterprise across the African continent over the years and remain committed to helping indigenous small businesses thrive through our consumer-focused fairs. The 6th Edition of the GTCO Fashion Weekend is scheduled to hold in Lagos, Nigeria, on 11/12 November 2023, and will give entrepreneurs in the Nigerian fashion retail space a free-business platform to showcase their diverse talents and creativity to a global audience.”

Overall, the Group continues to post one of the best metrics in the Nigerian Financial Services industry in terms of key financial ratios i.e., Pre-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 52.4%, Pre-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 7.7%, Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 25.1% and Cost to Income ratio of 29.7%.

GTCO is a leading financial services group with banking operations in Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, and the United Kingdom alongside new businesses in Payment, Funds Management and Pension Fund Administration. Its leadership in the banking industry and efforts at empowering people and communities has earned it many prestigious awards over the years. Recently, Guaranty Trust Bank was recognized as Nigeria’s Best Bank and Best Bank in CSR at the 2023 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, Best Banking Group in Nigeria by World Finance, and Best Bank in Nigeria by Global Finance. GTCO’s Guaranty Trust Bank is featured in the Top 1000 Banks in the World and Top 100 Banks in Africa rankings by The Banker

#CustomerServiceWeek: Unity Bank Rolls Out Rewards to Celebrate Frontline Staff, Customers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That To mark the 2023 Customer Service Week, Unity Bank Plc customers will win prizes while participating in engagement activities lined up for the week-long celebration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From October 2 – 6, the Bank will also celebrate the exceptional teams in its over 200 branches nationwide rewarding outstanding staff members, while reflecting on the theme of this year’s event – Team Service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make the week memorable and exciting, all branches of the Bank will engage in several activities that reflect the importance of teams in delivering outstanding customer service in the Bank, while customers will receive cash rewards by taking part in online and offline special offers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commenting on this year’s Customer Service Week celebration, Unity Bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Tomi Somefun while congratulating frontline teams and our customers reenacted the “Bank’s Service Charter which provides the benchmarks, culture and values as well as performance standards for upholding service excellence and commitment to our customers.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While describing the customers as the Bank’s lifeblood, Somefun said: “We celebrate our frontline teams for strongly and meaningfully reinforcing service excellence and on this score, our Bank does not take for granted your choice to Bank with us as we understand that choosing us is because of our shared values, commitment to excellence and exceptional service to you at all times.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“As we look to the future, we pledge to remain customer-centric, embracing innovation to serve you better and therefore make your satisfaction our top priority,” Somefun added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also speaking on this year’s celebration, Chief Customer Service Officer, Unity Bank Plc, Titilayo Abraham said: “This year’s theme, “Team Service” which incidentally is one of the bank’s core values could not have come at a better time with all the challenges being experienced in the banking sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“As a result of this, we plan to have team-focused initiatives to laud and acknowledge the spirit of teamwork across the Bank. The intent is to endear our customers and cultivate a positive work environment among staff where every team’s contribution is not only recognized but deeply valued and applauded. In addition to our team-building sessions, we will have the team appreciation Wall of Fame, photo booths and themed backdrop banners at selected branches.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She added that “a significant highlight of this year’s celebration is the recognition of outstanding teams” because of the Bank’s firm belief “that investing in the development of our teams is essential to our collective success. The recognition serves as a small token of the Bank’s gratitude, designed to acknowledge the invaluable contributions and camaraderie that exists among teams”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bank has continued to prioritise the customer over the past few years through its increasing focus on digital strategy. For instance, over the past three years, it has maintained its commitment to customer service excellence by introducing innovative digital products such as the USSD banking *7799# in local languages, and mobile banking solution, UniFi which have boosted customers’ access to the Bank’s services, while facilitating convenience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These electronic banking channels are constantly updated with new and exciting features to put the customers first and make their banking experiences top-notch in the industry.