Zenith Bank Plc has expanded its global footprints with the opening of Zenith Bank (UK), Paris Branch. The official commissioning, which took place on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 21 Rue de la paix, Paris, France was performed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun.
The opening of Zenith Bank, Paris, a Third-Country Branch (TCB) of Zenith Bank (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc, represents a key milestone in the bank’s global growth strategy and underscores its commitment to serving clients in the European region.
Dignitaries at the ceremony include Governor, Kwara State & Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu; Governor, Ogun State, Adedapo Abiodun, CON; Governor, Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah; Chairman, BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, GCON; Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite; Chief Executive Officer/Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Aisha Rimi and Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Nonye Ayeni.
The event highlighted the bank’s commitment to delivering exceptional financial solutions and fostering economic growth across the globe.
Paris branch opening underpins the need to serve our customers and bolster trade and finance relationships between our customers in France and other countries. Zenith Bank’s expansion into France is a very strategic move as Nigeria accounts for 20% of France’s trade with Sub-saharan Africa according to the Franco-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Having successfully dominated large parts of Anglophone Africa, we will leverage Zenith Bank Paris operations to lead the Francophone market starting from Ivory Coast and Cameroon where we will be establishing subsidiaries very soon. This will facilitate business and trade flows between the African region and France, which is a major business partner to several African countries.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, said, “I feel that one of the dividends of building trust for Nigerian institutions around the world is this event today, the opening of Zenith Bank in Paris. The presence of Zenith here can only but help to engender trust of the French business community. They can learn about the opportunities in Africa, and of course, the entry into Nigeria can be facilitated.
We are happy and we are glad that we are all here to participate in this historic occasion.”
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, congratulated the bank for the milestone achievement. Expressing his optimism for this strategic initiative, he said, “I really want to congratulate Zenith Bank for achieving this feat by opening a branch here in Paris. I can guarantee you, without the likes of Zenith Bank and other Nigerian banks, we as a group, wouldn’t have been where we are today because there is no country that can grow without a very strong banking sector.”
