FCMB Recognised as Nigeria’s Best SME-Focused Bank for 2025, Strengthening Its Leadership in Small Business Financing
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has secured a major industry honour after being named Nigeria’s Best SME Focused Bank for 2025 by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). The award, presented at the 60th Annual Bankers Dinner held in Lagos on November 28, highlights the bank’s dominant role in financing small and medium-sized enterprises—backed by its commanding 24% share of the banking sector’s ₦1.8 trillion SME disbursement in 2024.
The recognition is rooted in data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which monitors lending patterns across the financial sector. FCMB’s lending footprint mirrors Nigeria’s top-performing economic segments as captured in the Nigerian GDP Report for Q3 2024. The bank has channelled financing into high-growth sectors including Crop Production, Trade, Telecommunications, Real Estate, and Food, Beverage and Tobacco—areas widely acknowledged as central drivers of national output and employment.
Beyond loans, FCMB has built a broad support framework for entrepreneurs, offering training, advisory services, and strategic partnerships to help SMEs scale sustainably. This ecosystem approach, the bank says, reflects its commitment to strengthening the businesses that form the backbone of the Nigerian economy.
Speaking on behalf of Managing Director and CEO Yemisi Edun, Executive Director of Wholesale Banking Obaro Odeghe described the award as an affirmation of FCMB’s mission. He said the bank remains committed to providing accessible finance, technology solutions, and expert guidance to millions of Nigerian entrepreneurs whose growth contributes directly to national development.
“We are truly honoured to be recognised by the CIBN, based on data from the Central Bank of Nigeria. This recognition affirms our purpose as an institution committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of Nigerian entrepreneurs, who are the backbone of our economy. We will continue to support SMEs with the accessible finance, technology, and expert advice they need to grow. By strengthening these businesses, we drive productivity and contribute directly to national development.”
The CIBN used this year’s awards to spotlight resilience and progress in Nigeria’s financial sector. FCMB’s accolades extended beyond the SME category, with staff member Tooritsemoshe Ojei receiving the Next Generation Class of 2025 Award for exceptional performance and leadership potential.
A subsidiary of FCMB Group Plc, the bank continues to position itself as a champion of inclusive growth by connecting people, capital, and markets within Nigeria and across its global diaspora. The new CIBN recognition adds to an expanding list of honours from local and international institutions, underscoring FCMB’s longstanding commitment to financial inclusion and enterprise development.