FirstBank proudly sponsored the lately held Canada-Africa Fintech Summit (CAFS 2025), which happened from August 5–8 on the Sheraton Centre in Downtown Toronto. Convened by Dr. Segun Aina, President of the African Fintech Network, CAFS 2025 was a landmark occasion that united fintech leaders, regulators, startups, and traders from Africa and Canada to discover scalable digital options, encourage funding, and promote inclusive {economic} improvement throughout each continents.
As a legacy establishment with over 131 years of management in {financial} companies, FirstBank’s sponsorship highlights its dedication to fostering cross-border collaboration, {financial} inclusion, and forward-thinking innovation within the world fintech panorama. Olayinka Ijabiyi, Ag. Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications at FirstBank, acknowledged, “Our support of CAFS 2025 reflects our belief that collaboration between African and Canadian fintech ecosystems can lead to transformative innovations. FirstBank is proud to help shape that future.”
During a high-level panel dialogue with Rudy Cuzzeto, MPP for Mississauga–Lakeshore, and David Stevenson, Country Director for the United Nations World Food Programme (Nigeria), Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive for E-Business & Retail Products at FirstBank, pressured the importance of digital collaboration in Africa’s {financial} ecosystem. “We’re building APIs that understand regulatory bifurcation, who has access to what, and why. The technology is the easy part. The real challenge lies in maintaining security, consent, and performance,” he defined. “In Nigeria, fintech has evolved beyond disruption to convergence, integrating banks, fintechs, and regulators into an agile and accountable ecosystem.” He additional emphasised that regulatory readability is crucial for constructing public belief and attracting non-public funding in fintech, stating, “The more we collaborate, the more lessons we learn, and the greater the benefits for consumers.”
In a separate panel dialogue, Rachel Adeshina, Chief Technology Officer at FirstBank, shared insights on harnessing AI to reinforce credit score entry for the underbanked. “We’re addressing data poverty by using AI to interpret alternative data, allowing us to lend to individuals who might otherwise be invisible to the traditional credit system,” she famous. Adeshina highlighted that FirstBank has disbursed over ₦1 trillion in digital loans by this AI-driven mannequin, reaching a outstanding compensation price of over 99%. “This innovation was enabled not only by technology but also by a supportive environment, including API banking regulations, data privacy laws, and a shift from account-based to wallet-based banking,” she added. She additionally underscored the significance of scalability by collaboration, stating, “In a fragmented continent like Africa, digital scale will come from interoperability. Connecting the 54 markets is the next big challenge, and fintechs are ideally positioned to lead that initiative.”
The summit fashioned a part of Canada’s broader Africa Strategy, aimed toward fostering {economic} partnerships, digital cooperation, and innovation trade. As Africa’s digital finance ecosystem continues to develop and Canada develops its personal open banking framework, occasions like CAFS 2025 present a well timed platform to align methods and ignite collaborations
About FirstBank
First Bank of Nigeria Limited “FirstBank”, established in 1894, is the premier {bank} in West Africa, a number one {financial} inclusion companies supplier in Africa, and a digital banking large.
FirstBank’s worldwide footprints minimize throughout three continents ─ Africa, Europe and Asia, with FirstBank UK Limited in London and Paris; FirstBank in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone; FBNBank in Senegal; and a FirstBank Representative Office in Beijing, China. All the subsidiary banks are absolutely registered by their respective Central Banks to offer full banking companies.
Besides offering home banking companies, the subsidiaries additionally interact in worldwide cross-border transactions with FirstBank’s non-Nigerian subsidiaries, and the consultant workplaces in Paris and China facilitate commerce flows from Asia and Europe into Nigeria and different African nations.
For over 13 a long time, FirstBank has constructed an impressive repute for stable relationships, good company governance, and a powerful liquidity place, and has been on the forefront of selling digital fee within the nation with over 13 million playing cards issued to clients (the primary {bank} to attain such a milestone in Nigeria). FirstBank has continued to make vital investments in expertise, innovation and transformation, and its cashless transaction drive has been steadily accentuated with just about over 25 million energetic FirstBank clients signed up on digital channels together with the USSD Quick Banking service by the nationally famend *894# Banking code.
With over 43 million buyer accounts (together with digital wallets) unfold throughout Nigeria, UK and sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank gives a complete vary of retail and wholesale {financial} companies by greater than 820 enterprise workplaces and over 280,000 agent places unfold throughout 772 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
In addition to banking options and companies, FirstBank gives pension fund custody companies in Nigeria by First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited and nominee and related companies by First Nominees Nigeria Limited.
FirstBank’s dedication to Diversity is proven in its insurance policies, partnerships and initiatives reminiscent of its staff’ ratio of feminine to male (about 41%:59%; and 37% girls in administration roles) in addition to the FirstBank Women Network, an initiative that seeks to deal with the gender hole and improve the participation of girls in any respect ranges throughout the organisation. In addition, the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate coverage that’s in step with UN Women’s Women Empowerment’s Principles (WEPs) ─ Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Nondiscrimination.
For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” by the globally famend The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” eight instances in a row, 2011 – 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.
Significantly, FirstBank’s Global Credit Rating was A+ with a constructive outlook whereas scores by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s had been A (nga) and ngBBB+ respectively each with Stable outlooks as at September 2023. FirstBank maintained the identical stage of worldwide credit score scores because the sovereign; a milestone that was achieved in 2022 for the primary time since 2015.
In 2024, FirstBank obtained notable worldwide awards and accolades. Some of those embody Nigeria’s Best Bank for ESG 2024 and Nigeria’s Best Bank for Corporates 2024 each awarded by Euromoney Awards for Excellence; Best SME Bank in Africa and in Nigeria by The Asian Banker Global Awards; Best Private Bank in Nigeria and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa by Global Finance Awards; Best Corporate Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best CSR Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best Retail Bank in Nigeria 2024, Best SME Bank in Nigeria 2024 and Best Private Bank in Nigeria 2024 all awarded by the Global Banking and Finance Awards.
FirstBank has continued to achieve vast acclaim on the worldwide stage with a number of worldwide awards and recognitions obtained to this point in 2025 which incorporates Best SME Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best SME Bank in Africa 2025 by The Asian Banker; Best Private Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2025 by Global Finance Awards; SME Financier of the Year in Nigeria 2025 by The Digital Banker Global SME Banking Innovation Awards; Best Retail Bank in Nigeria 2025 and Best Bank for Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria 2025 all by The Annual Global Economics Awards.
Our imaginative and prescient is “To be Africa’s Bank of first choice” and our mission is “To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible”. This dedication is anchored on our core values of EPIC – Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer-Centricity. Our strategic ambition is “To deliver accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution.”
Olayinka Ijabiyi
Ag. Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
First Bank of Nigeria Limited
