Access Bank Plc has received 16 honours at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, recording one of the strongest performances by an African financial institution in this year’s awards.
The recognitions cover customer experience, digital banking, sustainable finance, corporate responsibility, small and medium-sized enterprise banking, and overall market leadership across several African countries.
According to the bank, the awards reflect the results of its long-term strategy centred on innovation, customer service, sustainability, financial inclusion and responsible growth.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence are regarded as an important international benchmark for the banking industry. Established more than three decades ago, the awards evaluate financial institutions on factors including performance, governance, leadership, innovation, customer outcomes, strategic execution and long-term value creation.
Access Bank’s honours include corporate-responsibility awards in Angola, Botswana and Nigeria, as well as recognition for digital-banking leadership in Cameroon. The bank also received customer-experience honours in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya through National Bank of Kenya.
Its operations in Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia were recognised for SME banking, while Rwanda and Zambia received honours relating to sustainable finance and environmental, social and governance leadership. Access Bank was also named Best Bank in The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Zambia.
The geographical spread of the awards highlights the scale of Access Bank’s expansion and the growing importance of its African network. It also indicates the bank’s efforts to establish common standards of service, governance and innovation across markets with different regulatory and economic conditions.
Access Bank has invested in digital platforms, operational resilience, risk management and customer-experience systems as it expands across Africa and develops international banking corridors. These corridors are intended to facilitate trade, investment and financial flows between Africa and other global markets.
The bank’s strategy also places emphasis on SME development, women-led businesses, youth entrepreneurship and access to digital financial services. Through its sustainability initiatives, Access Bank says it is supporting businesses and communities seeking to achieve more inclusive and resilient growth.
Commenting on the awards, Access Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Roosevelt Ogbonna, attributed the achievement to the confidence of customers and partners and the commitment of employees across the bank’s network.
“These awards are a tribute to the trust our customers place in us, the dedication of our employees and the strength of the communities and markets we serve,” Ogbonna said.
He added that the recognition affirmed the bank’s focus on innovation, customer excellence, sustainability and responsible growth, while demonstrating that African institutions could compete successfully at the highest international standards.
“We are deeply grateful to our customers, partners and employees whose confidence and commitment make achievements such as this possible,” he said. “While we celebrate this milestone, we remain focused on the future, committed to raising the bar for excellence, creating long-term value and supporting Africa’s transformation through world-class financial services.”
For Access Bank’s customers, the recognition is expected to reinforce confidence in the institution’s digital services, security systems and international connectivity. For investors, regulators, correspondent banks and development-finance institutions, the awards provide further evidence of the bank’s expanding scale and visibility within the global financial system.
The achievement also represents a wider statement about the growing capacity of African financial institutions to develop internationally competitive banking models while responding to the continent’s distinctive economic and social priorities.
As African economies deepen regional integration and strengthen their participation in global value chains, banks with extensive networks, digital capabilities and sustainable-finance expertise will play an increasingly important role. Access Bank’s latest Euromoney honours position it among the institutions seeking to lead that transformation.
Published by Nigerian CEO Magazine — www.nigerianceomagazine.com