United Bank for Africa earns double recognition at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, highlighting its retail growth, digital innovation and sustainability efforts
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has received a double recognition at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, emerging as Nigeria’s Best Bank for Retail and Best Bank for Sustainability Leadership (ESG) at a ceremony held at The Peninsula London in the United Kingdom on Thursday, July 17, 2026.
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The UBA wins retail and ESG awards recognition places the pan-African financial institution among the year’s notable banking performers, with Euromoney highlighting its progress in sustainable finance, customer-focused retail banking and digital innovation.
The double honour also comes as UBA continues to deepen its presence across Africa, combining its growing retail franchise with initiatives aimed at supporting clean energy adoption, entrepreneurship and broader financial inclusion.
In its assessment, Euromoney pointed to UBA’s launch of a Green Financing Facility designed to help households and businesses transition to renewable energy.
The publication also highlighted a ₦5 billion financing programme established in partnership with the Bank of Industry to support women-owned businesses, alongside the bank’s long-term commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
UBA’s sustainability drive extends beyond financing, with solar-powered energy solutions deployed across 50 branches and ESG capacity-building programmes that have trained more than 16,000 employees across the Group.
In the retail banking category, Euromoney recognised the bank’s continued expansion as one of Africa’s largest retail banking franchises.
UBA’s customer base grew to more than 37 million by the end of 2025, while retail revenue more than quadrupled to ₦429.5 billion, reflecting the scale of its expansion and the increasing contribution of retail operations to the Group’s business.
Digital innovation was another significant part of the recognition, particularly the continued development of LEO, UBA’s AI-powered banking chatbot.
LEO became Africa’s first artificial intelligence banking platform to facilitate cross-border money transfers in local currencies through the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), reinforcing the bank’s push to make financial services more accessible across the continent.
Reacting to the awards, UBA’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, said the recognition demonstrated that commercial growth and sustainable banking could advance together.
“To be recognised as Nigeria’s Best Bank for both ESG and Retail Banking in the same year sends a powerful message that sustainable banking and commercial success are mutually reinforcing,” Alawuba said.
He added that UBA remained focused on financing Africa’s future, supporting businesses and communities, promoting financial inclusion and developing banking solutions capable of improving customers’ lives.
Alawuba also dedicated the recognition to UBA’s customers and employees, saying their confidence and commitment had helped the bank pursue its broader vision.
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing, Brand and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, said the awards also reflected the bank’s emphasis on putting customers at the centre of its operations.
“These awards are a powerful affirmation of our Customer First philosophy,” Ladipo said.
She noted that the bank’s investments in entrepreneurship, digital payments, clean energy financing and financial inclusion were driven by its desire to deliver meaningful value to customers across its markets.
The latest recognition builds on UBA’s broader evolution as a pan-African financial institution with operations in 20 African countries, alongside a presence in the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Serving more than 45 million customers, the bank has continued to position technology, sustainable finance and customer-focused services as central pillars of its growth strategy.
The Euromoney awards therefore offer a notable snapshot of UBA’s progress at a time when banks across Africa are under increasing pressure to balance financial performance with environmental responsibility, inclusive growth and rapidly changing customer expectations.
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For UBA, the double recognition signals the growing intersection between those priorities, with the bank’s retail expansion and sustainability ambitions increasingly presented as complementary parts of its long-term strategy.
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
