First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) has attributed its achievements including many awards in 2017 to its steady transformation for excellent service in the financial industry.

The bank, in a statement signed by Mrs Folake Ani-Mumuney, the Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications on Monday said the awards in various sectors showed its sustained relevance to customers.

Ani-Mumuney said the avalanche of awards the bank received in 2017 was in recognition of its activities and interventions in the financial services industry.

She said the bank for the second time was named the winner of the ‘Digital Bank of Distinction in Nigeria’ for the same year by the globally recognised Global Finance Magazine for its prudent utilisation of slim budget to achieve sustainable profit optimisation.

She said the bank achieved the feat in recognition of its steady transformation, increased brand value and excellent service delivery through several years.

“First Bank was reaffirmed ‘Best Retail Bank in Nigeria’, an award it had previously won five times in a row by the Asian Banker due to the robust portfolio and exceptional performance in Nigeria’s retail marketing.

“To reinforce its position as the number one Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) bank in Nigeria, the bank was acknowledged as the ‘Best Bank in SME Banking in Nigeria 2017 by BusinessDay Media Ltd. based on its support for SMEs.

“First Bank also won ‘Excellence in Retail Banking’ by New Age Banking Awards following its consistent demonstration of excellence in the Retail Banking industry,’’ she said.

Ani-Mumuney remarked that the awards reflect the bank’s commitment to deliver the ultimate gold standard of value and excellence to its customers.

She also said it was in recognition of FirstBank’s efforts in making banking services a continuous journey of ease and convenience.

“We have been in business for 124 years, and we are not resting on our oars but would continue to provide value-adding services to delight our customers.

“The bank was also recognised as the first financial institution in Nigeria and the second bank in Africa to issue 10 million payment cards to customers across the country.

“It won three Interswitch awards in Electronic Payment as the fastest mobile penetration bank across Africa, the highest card transacting bank and the highest issuer of Verve Cards,’’ she said.