FirstBank of Nigeria Limited, the country’s leading financial services institution, has announced a phased corporate name change for its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The first set of subsidiaries to effect the name change are FBNBank UK, FBNBank Sierra Leone, FBNBank Gambia, and FBNBank DRC, which are now known and addressed as FirstBank UK, FirstBank Sierra Leone, FirstBank Gambia, and FirstBank DRC.
The name change is part of a wider effort to align the subsidiaries with the parent brand and benefit from the strong heritage and brand equity built by FirstBank Nigeria over its 129 years of banking leadership.
The move is expected to enhance the quality-of-service delivery, resulting in better brand clarity, uniformity, and consistency across all the markets where the bank operates.
Commenting on the name change, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO of FirstBank Group, said, “the name change, which coincides with FirstBank’s 129th founding anniversary (March 31st, 2023), is indeed a milestone reflective of our resolve to continuously provide the gold standard of excellence and value as we put our customers First. The new identity of the subsidiaries contributes to an enhanced brand presence. It helps our customers and stakeholders better appreciate the value of the diversified product suites, competitive pricing, and extensive business networks the FirstBank Group offers.”
In addition, the bank has received several awards and recognitions for its commitment to financial inclusion and outstanding performance.
The Global Finance Awards named FirstBank Group as the Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2023, while the Global Banking & Finance Awards recognized the bank as the Best Corporate Bank in Western Africa 2022.
The bank was also named the Best CSR Bank Africa by International Business Magazine in 2022 and ranked number one in Nigeria in terms of Overall Performance, Profitability, Efficiency, and Return on Risk by The Banker Magazine’s Top 100 African Bank Rankings 2022.
Furthermore, the bank was recognized in Euromoney Market Leaders as a Market Leader in Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR), Market Leader in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Highly Regarded in Corporate Banking and Digital Solutions, and Notable in SME Banking.
These achievements demonstrate the bank’s commitment to its nation-building goal and its unique growth trajectory through partnerships and constant reinvention.
The Ghana, Senegal, and Guinea subsidiaries will be next in the phased name change implementation. The move is expected to further enhance the quality-of-service delivery and improve brand clarity, uniformity, and consistency across all the markets where the bank operates.