At 2025 Banker’s Award: Ecobank Cameroon wins Bank of The Year Award.

The award was officially presented on December 3, 2025, at the Peninsula, London. 

The event is widely regarded as the Oscars of the global banking industry. It is organised by The Banker Magazine, a leading global finance news publication owned by the Financial Times. 

Experts in the financial sector said the awards are a standard for banking excellence, recognising top performers across various countries, regions, and specialties 

At the gala night in London, Ecobank Cameroon shone on the global stage alongside six of the group's affiliates that is; Ecobank Guinea Equatorial, Ecobank Gabon, Ecobank Gambia Limited, Ecobank Guinee, Ecobank Togo. 

The distinction was later shared with the Cameroonian media during a press dinner Thursday, December 11, in Douala. It was attended by top executives of the bank and leading journalists.

Among those present was; Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon and Head of the CEMAC Cluster. She described the recognition as a powerful validation of the bank’s transformation journey. 

Abunaw said it further consolidates Ecobank Cameroon’s position as a leader in innovation, customer-centered banking and financial inclusion in Cameroon.

“This is more than just a trophy. It is an affirmation of our unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and, above all, customer experience,” Abunaw told journalists.

It should be noted that, Ecobank Cameroon won the same award in 2024, making the 2025 honour a rare back-to-back achievement. 

According to Abunaw, the consecutive wins demonstrate the Bank’s ability to sustain performance and strategic consistency of the staff through years and over time.

She explained that The Banker’s evaluation goes well beyond profitability. She detailed that, it relied on a rigorous methodology that examined four key pillars amongst which includes; strategic initiatives, technological innovation, customer value and community impact.

“The judges reviewed hundreds of submissions globally and found Ecobank Cameroon outstanding among its peers,” she said.

Transformation Squad delivers results

A key differentiator highlighted during the press briefing was the creation of an internal Transformation Squad, a small, team tasked with identifying and resolving customer pain points.

Through the squad, Ecobank Cameroon, it was revealed, achieved a 65 percent reduction in account opening time. Officials said it also cut the average processing time for retail credit applications from six days to three.

The operational gains, the Bank's executives noted, significantly improved customer experience and positioned the bank as a frontrunner in digital banking in the country.

Another major innovation stride cited by The Banker was the Ecobank’s Single Market Trade Hub. It was launched in 2023 to support African businesses under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. 

The platform, it was said, connects buyers and sellers across Africa, enabling Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, SMEs, to access new markets beyond national borders. 

In Cameroon alone, user registrations, officials revealed, rose sharply, increasing from 219 in 2024 to 885 in 2025, with the platform also integrated into Afreximbank’s Mansa digital repository.

Executives said the initiative contributed not only to business growth but also to reducing Africa’s trade deficits by promoting intra-African commerce.

Ellevate programme’s strong focus on women, community impact

Ecobank’s commitment to financial inclusion, particularly for women, also came up prominently in the assessment, officials noted. 

Through its Ellevate programme, the Bank, it was said, expanded access to finance for women-led businesses across retail, commercial and corporate banking.

Statistics, Bank official disclosed show that since June 2024, more than 2,000 women-owned enterprises have subscribed to the programme. They added that FCFA 4.8 billion was disbursed in loans, reinforcing female entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth.

Ecobank Cameroon, journalists were told, has continued to invest in social development through its flagship Ecobank Day initiative, supporting education, healthcare, water access and community development projects. 

In the past 11 years, the Bank, the media was told, has committed more than 540,000, United States Dollars to supporting over 3,000 students and their families in recent years alone.

The Managing Director said, the Bank remains focused on innovation, deposits growth and deeper partnerships with the media and other stakeholders. 

She thanked the staff who have worked rigorously to see that success is achieved. Looking forward, she said they are planning ahead to secure a third win in 2026.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3657 of Tuesday December 16, 2025