UBA

Founded in 1949 and incorporated in its present form in 1961, UBA has grown from one of Nigeria's oldest banks into a genuine pan-African financial services group, serving more than 45 million customers worldwide through physical branches, digital platforms, and innovative financial products under its 'Africa's Global Bank' positioning.

2025 was a year of balance sheet expansion tempered by margin pressure: total assets grew 9.4% to ₦33.2 trillion and customer deposits rose 11.8% to ₦27.2 trillion, but profit after tax fell to ₦404.7 billion from ₦766.6 billion as management took ₦331 billion in loan loss provisions, a deliberate repositioning for sustainable long-term growth. UBA also raised ₦395 billion in additional capital, including a ₦239.4 billion rights issue, to meet the CBN's recapitalisation requirements, closing the year with a capital adequacy ratio of 23.2%.

UBA's pan-African diversification remains a defining strength, with operations outside Nigeria contributing over 50% of total assets, revenue, and profit in 2025: West Africa delivered 53% profit growth and East and Southern Africa 61%. The bank continues to lead on digital innovation through its Leo AI-powered chatbot and USSD banking, appointed Loknath Mishra as CEO of UBA UK in February 2026 to strengthen the subsidiary as a compliance and trade-banking hub, and the UBA Foundation's National Essay Competition continues to provide scholarships across Africa. For the third time in five years, the Group was named Africa's Bank of the Year for 2025 by The Banker.