Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has once again cemented its position as one of the continent’s most innovative and resilient financial institutions, winning the prestigious African Bank of the Year 2025 award by The Banker for the third time in five years.
Newsonspot reports that in addition, UBA claimed Best Bank of the Year awards in nine of its 20 African subsidiaries – UBA Benin, UBA Chad, UBA Republic of Congo, UBA Liberia, UBA Mali, UBA Mozambique, UBA Senegal, UBA Sierra Leone, and UBA Zambia, bringing its total awards this year to ten. This achievement underscores the bank’s pan-African strength and its leadership across West, Central, and Southern Africa.
The awards were presented at a ceremony held at The Peninsula, London, on Wednesday. The CEO of UBA UK, Deji Adeyelure, received the awards on behalf of Group Managing Director/CEO Oliver Alawuba, accompanied by the bank’s Head of Business Development, Mark Ifashe, and Head of Financial Institutions, Shilpam Jha.
The Banker described UBA as “punching above its weight against larger African rivals,” highlighting the bank’s broad geographic success and strong performance in highly competitive markets such as Benin and Mozambique.
UBA’s impressive financial results further reinforce its leadership. In 2024, the group recorded a 46.8% increase in assets and a 6.1% rise in pre-tax profits, while H1 2025 saw operating revenue and profit in West Africa grow by 87% and 89%, respectively. The bank also continued to invest heavily in talent and technology, launching innovative solutions such as the Advance Top-Up buy-now-pay-later feature on the 919# USSD platform and expanding its chatbot Leo, which saw transaction volumes rise 29% year-on-year and became the first African banking chatbot to enable cross-border payments via PAPSS.
Commenting on the awards, UBA Group Managing Director/CEO Oliver Alawuba said:
“This honour reflects the strength of our pan-African network, the trust of our customers, and the dedication of our people. Winning Africa’s Bank of the Year for the third time in five years is a testament to disciplined execution, innovation, and a deep understanding of the markets we serve. Our nine country awards show that UBA is not just growing, but growing with impact.”
UBA employs 25,000 staff globally, serving over 45 million customers across 20 African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates. The bank continues to lead in financial inclusion and technology-driven banking solutions.
