December 03, (THEWILL) – Zenith Bank Plc has executed different Memoranda of Understanding in recent times which indicate its unchallenged industry leadership grip as Nigeria’s largest financial services institution by market capitalization (N1,1 trillion).
Analysts predict that this will put the bank far ahead of its peers as it begins to reap the benefits of the massive investment in technology which is the anchor of these MOUs.
Zenith Bank successfully held a Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 3.0”, on November 23-24, 2023, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos;
From the over 500 contestants that participated in the Zenith Hackathon (Zecathon), Sync, a team collaboration and workflow management platform that provides synergy, enables project management, task planning, messaging, payments, scheduling and people operations, emerged as the overall winner, taking home the grand prize of N20 million.
“This is in addition to a mentorship programme with Seedstars, a company dedicated to implementing high-quality capacity-building programmes for entrepreneurs in emerging markets,” the bank said in a statement.
The two-day Tech Fair which was described as a huge success by participants, featured presentations on the leading technological innovations that cut across different aspects of life, such as Artificial Intelligence, Contactless Payments, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, FinTech, Data Analytics, Financial Intelligence, and communication technologies, with the keynote address,” “Artificial Intelligence – Application & Bias“, delivered by Chris Lu, the renowned IT Specialist, business strategist and Managing Director for Huawei Technologies, Nigeria.
The MOU Zenith Bank recently signed with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat for the development of the SMARTAfCFTA Portal was another milestone.
Zenith Bank Plc strongly believes that AfCFTA, among other benefits, would expand intra-Africa trade and provide real opportunities for Africa and Nigeria in particular.
Also, the financial institution remains committed to promoting the non-oil export sector in Nigeria by identifying emerging opportunities which help stimulate non-oil exports and develop robust financial products and incentives for operators in the sector.
The SMARTAfCFTA Portal which has the capacity to provide information like trade indicators, market trends, custom tariffs, trade agreements, rules of origin, market access requirements of relevant jurisdictions, export potentials, export diversification indicators and contact details of business partners in target markets and other trade-related information about Africa, would help to unlock the vast opportunities for trade on the African continent.
The MOU was signed by the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu and the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, during the 8th Annual Edition of the Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export themed “Nigerian Non-Oil Export Industry: The Present, The Future,” held recently in Lagos.
“It requires expanding the array of the country’s value-added products that are exported to foreign markets. When combined with the promise of the AfCFTA, more non-oil exports translate into enterprise and industry level competitiveness with positive implications for job creation and technological development while enabling the country to earn and save much-needed foreign currency,” Onyeagwu explained.
Zenith Bank Plc has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute to promote efforts and activities that support formation, training and updating of human capital in finance and investment for the overall development of the financial services sector.
The MOU was signed by the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Dr Ebenezer Onyeagwu; President/CEO of the CFA Institute, Margaret Franklin and the President of CFA Society Nigeria, Ibukun Oyedeji’.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Onyeagwu commended the CFA Institute and the CFA Society for their laudable programmes in developing finance and investment professionals in Nigeria.
He said: “As a good corporate citizen, Zenith Bank remains committed to furthering the economic, cultural and social development of the society. As such, we continue to support projects and initiatives that have long-term social and economic benefits for our various publics and stakeholders.
“Partnering with the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Nigeria is, therefore, a demonstration of our commitment to building professional excellence in the finance services industry in Nigeria”.
Zenith Bank Plc has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Government to establisha subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc in France. The MoU was signed by the founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, and the French Minister for Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad,
Olivier Becht on Friday, 24 November, 2023. The agreement 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, Mr Ovia 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.
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.
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