BY NGOZI ONYEAKUSI

Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria’s biggest bank by Tier-1
Capital, has assured shareholders  and investors of its readiness to satisfy all relevant conditions to exit the Central Bank of Nigeria’s
(CBN) regulatory forbearance byJune 30,2025.
The bank also expressed confidence  in meeting shareholders’ dividend expectations in the 2025 financial year.
The clarification comes on the back of heightened scrutiny of Nigerian banks’capitalhealth
following the new CBN directive that suspends dividend payments and tightens oversight for
banks withoutstanding forbearance-related loans or breaches of theSingle Obligor Limit (SOL).
In a statement presented to the Nigeria Exchange (NGX) Group on Tuesday, June 17, 2025,
the Bank stated that its exposure under the Single Obligor Limit (SOL) for bearance relates
solely to a single obligor, pointing out that this exposure will be brought within the applicable regulatory limit on or before June30,2025.
The bank also confirmed that the forbearance
granted no the rcredit facilities applies to only two (2)of itscustomers, notingthat ithas made substantial provisions in respect of these facilities and taken appropriate and comprehensive steps to ensure full provisioning by June 30, 2025.
The bank further emphasized its strong financial footing, stating that it has successfully raised
and surpassed the new regulatory capital requirement of N500Billion, and is therefore well positioned to continue delivering value to all its key stakeholders.
Zenith Bank has continued to distinguish it self in the Nigerian financials services industry through superior service offering, unique custom erexperience and sound financial indices.
The bank has remained a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment
of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure onvenience, speed and safety of transactions.
The Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the fifteenth consecutive year in the 2024 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The
Banker Magazine. TheBank was also awarded Bank of the Year (Nigeria) inThe Banker’s
Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020 to 2022,
2024 and 2025, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Bank for Digital
Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023; and was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.
Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank.