Access Bank wins THISDAY’s ‘Global Bank of the Year’ award

Access Bank has won the ‘Global Bank of the Year’ award for 2024 at the THISDAY Award ceremony.

The event, which took place at Eko Hotels & Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, marked both the 30th anniversary of THISDAY Newspapers and the 12th anniversary of Arise News Channel.

The ceremony, themed ‘When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Rewarded,’ brought together ministers, political party chieftains, and entrepreneurs from various sectors.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, chairman of Access Holdings, received the THISDAY Titan of the Year award, recognising his outstanding contributions to the banking sector in 2024.

Following the achievements, Access Bank, in a statement on Wednesday, said it had consistently received multiple awards for excellence in digital banking and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.

Access Bank beat African Export-Import (AFREXIM) Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) to secure the award.

“THISDAY Newspapers highlighted Access Bank’s nomination, praising its strategic leadership, rapid expansion, and unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability,” the bank said.

“The bank’s leadership in digital banking was also recognised, with Access Bank receiving multiple accolades, including the 2024 Digital Jurist Award for Best Digital Bank.

“In addition to its achievements in digital banking, Access Bank has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, earning the 2024 Euromoney Award for Best Bank for ESG in Nigeria and Ghana.

“With an expanding international presence in the United Kingdom, Ghana, United Arab Emirates, China, and several African nations, Access Bank continues to solidify its position as a major global banking player.

“The bank’s innovative approach is further evidenced by its cutting-edge technological initiatives, including Facepay, Access Closa, the AccessMore mobile app, and Africa Fintech Foundry–further establishing Access Bank as a leader in technological advancements, and underscoring its deserving recognition as Global Bank of the Year.”

‘THE AWARD REPRESENTS 30 YEARS OF HARD WORK’

During his acceptance speech, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Access Bank’s chief executive officer (CEO), expressed his appreciation to the public, THISDAY Newspapers, and Arise Media Group for the honour.

“This award represents 30 years of hard work of doing things differently, and of building on the legacy of industry giants like Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Herbert Wigwe,” Ogbonna said.

“We are deeply grateful to our board, management, customers, and stakeholders, who have continuously supported us. This award is for you, and we accept it in your honour.”

In addition to Aig-Imoukhuede, 11 other influential figures received the ‘Titan of the Year’ award for 2024.

Reflecting on his journey, Aig-Imoukhuede said it was an incredible honour to stand with such esteemed colleagues.

“In 1991, Prince Obaigbena and I first met as customer and banker,” he recounted.

“He told me that anyone fortunate enough to manage his account would one day become a managing director of a bank, and I am thankful that God fulfilled that vision.”

Additionally, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom were honoured as ‘Governors of the Year’ at the ceremony.