First City Monument Bank clinched the title of Nigeria’s Best SME Focused Bank for 2025 at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria’s 60th Annual Bankers Dinner in Lagos. The award celebrated the bank’s top role in lending to small and medium enterprises. Obaro Odeghe, its Executive Director of Wholesale Banking, accepted the honour on behalf of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Yemisi Edun.
The recognition drew from Central Bank of Nigeria data on industry-wide loans. FCMB claimed a 24 per cent share of the N1.8 trillion total SME disbursements in 2024. It targets key sectors like crop production, trade, telecommunications, real estate, and food processing, which topped the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report for the third quarter of 2024.
Odeghe hailed the win as proof of the bank’s drive to aid entrepreneurs, the true engine of Nigeria’s economy. He pledged continued access to loans, technology, and guidance for these businesses. “By strengthening them, we boost productivity and national growth,” Odeghe said.
The bank runs training, advisory services, and partnerships to foster lasting success. It also eyes inclusive progress by linking people, funds, and markets at home and abroad.
FCMB staffer Tooritsemoshe Ojei earned the Next Generation Class of 2025 Award for strong performance and promise.
Other recent nods include:
– Excellence Award for Promoting Financial Inclusion for Grassroots Entrepreneurs in Nigeria from the Mastercard Foundation
– SME Financier of the Year (Africa) from the Global SME Finance Forum/IFC
– Best Bank with the Highest Impact on MSMEs Accessing Credit for the First Time in Nigeria from the Development Bank of Nigeria
These triumphs spotlight FCMB’s quiet hand in lifting small ventures that feed families and fuel dreams across Nigeria.
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