Winners of the 2018 African Banker Awards have been announced at a prestigious Gala Dinner in Busan, South Korea.
The awards, held annually on the fringes of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank, celebrate excellence in banking and finance on the African continent.
East Africa dominated the awards this year.
The CEO of Equity Group Holdings Plc in Kenya, James Mwangi, won Banker of the Year. His bank has seen impressive growth through a series of innovations and diversified investment channels away from consumer loans.
Kenya’s Equity Group also beat off strong competition from four other shortlisted nominees to win the coveted ‘African Bank of the Year Award’.
Tanzania’s Dr Benno Ndulu, former central bank governor who finished his second term last year won Central Bank Governor of the year for his work in pushing for financial inclusion as well as for sound macroeconomic management. CRDB, also from Tanzania was named the ‘Best Regional Bank in East Africa’.
South African banks dominated the investment banking and deals of the year categories. Standard Bank Group swooped three awards, including the one for ‘Investment Bank of the Year’.
Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank in South Africa took the ‘Infrastructure Deal of the Year’ for the $5bn Nacala corridor rail and port project in Mozambique and Malawi, one of Africa’s largest private sector funded infrastructure projects.
The project covers 912km of railway running from the Tete province in western Mozambique to Nacala port on the east coast through a section of Malawi. A deep sea port at Nacala also features in the project. Rand Merchant Bank in South Africa was also recognized for the listing of Steinhoff Africa Retail that took place last year.
Veteran South African banker, Stephen Koseff, won the Lifetime Achievement Award. As the co-founder of Investec, he has built a global leader in banking and asset management.
The ‘Socially Responsible Bank of the Year’ title went to BMCE Bank of Africa Group in Morocco. The bank is widely regarded as a leader in sustainable finance and le Credit Agricole du Maroc won the award for financial inclusion.
Ecobank won the award for innovation and also for Retail Bank of the year largely for the way it has integrated technology to considerably widen its products and reach.
The 2018 African Banker Award winners
African Banker of the Year
James Mwangi, Equity Group Holdings Plc, Kenya
Lifetime Achievement Award
Stephen Koseff, co-founder Investec
African Bank of the Year
Equity Group Holdings Plc, Kenya
Best Retail Bank in Africa
Ecobank
Investment Bank of the Year
Standard Bank
Award for Financial Inclusion
Groupe Crédit Agricole (Morocco)
Socially Responsible Bank of the Year
BMCE Bank of Africa Group (Morocco)
Innovation in Banking
Ecobank
Deal of the Year – Equity
Steinhoff Africa Retail Listing – Rand Merchant Bank (South Africa)
Deal of the Year – Debt
$300m Diaspora Bond, Nigeria
Standard Bank / FBNQuest Merchant Bank (Nigeria)
Infrastructure Deal of the Year
Nacala Railway and Port Corridor
Standard Bank / Rand Merchant Bank (South Africa)
Best Regional Bank
East Africa – CRDB (Tanzania)
West Africa – BDM (Mali)
North Africa – CIB, Egypt
Southern Africa – State Bank Mauritius (SBM)
Central Africa – BGFI, Gabon
