The Bank of Industry (BoI) has bagged four international awards in recognition of its developmental impact, commitment to sustainable banking principles and innovative capital raising activities.
The bank received the ‘Best Development Bank – Africa 2022’ award at the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards; ‘Most Sustainable Bank 2022, Nigeria’ at the World Finance Banking Awards; ‘Best SME Partner Bank of the Year’ and ‘CEO of the Year’ at The European Magazine Global Banking and Finance Awards. The awards were presented in the heart of London’s financial centre, according to a statement on Thursday.
It said the top honours came on the back of BoI’s impressive capital raising streak that has resulted in a total of $5 billion raised in the last five years, under the leadership of Olukayode Pitan, its managing director/chief executive officer.
The statement said Pitan’s achievements were also recognised by The European Magazine Global Banking and Finance Awards with the ‘Banking CEO of the Year’, which he won for the second time. It was first received in 2019.
“We are committed to driving impact in Nigeria’s industrial sector by supporting micro, small, medium and large enterprises to achieve sustained growth that generates considerable multiplier effects such as industrialisation, job creation, and poverty alleviation for the economy” said Pitan.
“Our dedication to building a resilient organisation that can respond to the needs of our customers and operating challenges is unwavering.”
He said in the past five years, BoI had raised over $5 billion from the international debt market towards enhancing its capital base to support its customers and the real sector in Nigeria.
“This has significantly strengthened the bank’s capacity to continue to provide the much needed finance required by Nigerian enterprises to thrive and scale-up their business operations” Pitan added.
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Between 2015 and June 2022, BoI has provided funding of over $3.1 billion (N1.36 trillion) to over 4.3 million enterprises in Nigeria through direct and indirect interventions, resulting in the creation of an estimated 9.6 million jobs, according to the statement.
It said the International Banker Banking Awards were established to identify the leading organisations that represent the benchmarks of achievement, corporate governance and technological development.
It said the World Finance Banking Awards celebrates institutions working to a higher purpose and empowering their customers, while the European Awards celebrates achievement, innovation and excellence through its annual awards.
