Allen Harry
“I needed a new banking experience when I floated my company. Someone close to me recommended Premium Trust Bank. I was sceptical at first, but I became willing when I remembered that the person who made the recommendation was good at always making the right choices. I walked into their branch on Gana Street in Maitama, Abuja, and from the moment I stepped in, I felt the warmth. The customer service was topnotch, everything oozed of class, style, and professionalism. It was indeed a whole new experience for me. Since then, I have been enjoying seamless transactions, and every issue is escalated and resolved immediately.”
This highly effective testimonial from a maritime skilled displays the breath of contemporary air Premium Trust Bank has dropped at the Nigerian {financial} trade. In just below 4 years of operations, the {bank} has turn out to be the toast of shoppers and trade watchers, redefining the essence of business banking and setting a brand new benchmark in service supply, innovation, and group impression.
Licensed as a business {bank} with regional authorization in 2021 and commencing operations in April 2022, Premium Trust Bank wasted no time in distinguishing itself. Barely a yr into operations, its license was upgraded to that of a business {bank} with nationwide authorization, a feat many others took a long time to realize.
By December 2023, in its very first full {financial} yr, the {bank} had posted a powerful ₦14.10 billion pre-tax revenue. As of December 2024, it recorded a stability sheet dimension of ₦1 trillion and a revenue earlier than tax of ₦57.30 billion. This stellar development trajectory has cemented its place as Nigeria’s quickest rising business {bank}.
As of at the moment, the {bank} has met the ₦200 billion capital requirement stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for nationwide banks, greater than six months to the March 2026 deadline. This newest milestone has positioned it as a strong participant within the unfolding recapitalization period that’s reshaping the nation’s banking panorama.
Recall that the CBN had in 2023 issued a directive requiring Nigerian banks to extend their minimal capital base by as much as tenfold, relying on their license class. Specifically, the recapitalization coverage requires business banks with worldwide licenses to boost their minimal capital base to ₦500 billion, nationwide banks to ₦200 billion, and regional banks to ₦50 billion.
According to the apex {bank}, the transfer is anticipated to reshape the aggressive panorama of the Nigerian banking trade. It can also be geared toward reinforcing {financial} sector resilience amid macroeconomic headwinds like rising inflation, naira depreciation, and international change volatility.
It is instructive to notice that on the coronary heart of this meteoric rise is the clear-headed management led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Emefienem, whose imaginative and prescient has been to construct a {bank} that’s not solely worthwhile but additionally trusted by clients for long-term stability.
At totally different public occasions, stakeholders have counseled Emefienem and the {bank}’s emphasis on professionalism, customer-first service, and innovation.
The Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on the inauguration of the second department of the {bank} in Effurun mentioned “Mr. Emefienem possesses the potential, tenacity, and passion for excellence. He is a typical ‘Warri boy’ full of ideas, energy, drive, and confidence.”
He added that “The institution of this department shouldn’t be solely a welcome addition to the retail banking sector but additionally offers a big enhance to the native economic system of the dual cities of Effurun and Warri, which function business hubs of Delta State.
“I am upbeat about the prospects this bank presents for job creation. Many of our qualified youths can now be employed whether as professionals or in other staff categories. Likewise, contractors and suppliers will benefit from the bank’s presence.”
Beyond {financial} metrics, Premium Trust Bank has made its mark in sports activities growth, significantly in soccer. In August 2024, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) endorsed it as its official {bank} in addition to that of the National Male and Female Teams, after a vibrant signing ceremony in Abuja which sealed a progressive 4 years partnership deal between each entities.
The {bank} has additionally invested closely in grassroots sports activities growth. For occasion, in Bayelsa, it serves as the important thing sponsor of the annual Prosperity Cup, Nigeria’s largest grassroots soccer event, which goals to establish and nurture younger abilities whereas curbing youth restiveness within the oil wealthy state.
The {bank}’s backing of tournaments that give younger athletes the chance to showcase their expertise is a deliberate effort in youth empowerment and nationwide sports activities growth and it aligns with its dedication to foster a powerful group engagement by means of sports activities.
Additionally, Premium Trust Bank was the headline sponsor for the 2022 version of the National Sports Festival in Delta State and the 2024 version tagged “Gateway Games” in Ogun State. It can also be set to sponsor the upcoming 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu.
In athletics, the {bank} is the proud sponsor of the Abuja International Half Marathon, a fast-rising occasion that has attracted each native and worldwide individuals. This dedication to sports activities has additional demonstrated Premium Trust Bank’s sturdy help for sports activities growth in Nigeria and elevated its profile and admiration for being greater than a {financial} establishment however a nationwide pleasure, deserving of its flowers.
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Little surprise, inside this brief interval, it has bagged quite a few awards for excellence in customer support, innovation, and company social duty. These accolades additional validate its repute as a {bank} that’s not solely bold however deeply dedicated to high quality and impression.
At the 2024 BusinessDay Banking Awards, it was named “Bank of the Year (Emerging Category)”. Similarly, on the Marketing Edge Awards, it was acknowledged for “Excellence in Sports Sponsorship”. These recognitions, amongst many others, stand as a testomony to its pioneering function in mixing {financial} development with social impression.
With 26 branches nationwide, strategically positioned in main cities and business hubs, the {bank} is increasing quickly to cowl extra areas throughout the nation.
Today, Premium Trust Bank’s journey underscores the facility of imaginative and prescient, technique, and execution. For clients, it represents a brand new period of stability, innovation, and world-class service supply. For the Nigerian banking sector, it indicators a daring future the place banks are usually not solely worthwhile but additionally socially related.
With its strengthened capital base, unmatched customer support, and investments in youth and sports activities, Premium Trust Bank has confirmed that it isn’t simply one other {financial} establishment, it’s a model redefining the way forward for banking in Nigeria.
Coupled with cutting-edge digital platforms, the {bank} has endeared itself to many purchasers as they’ll entry seamless companies wherever, anytime.
The assurances of Emefienem on this regard are additionally cheering. “We want to be the number one Digital bank in Nigeria by rolling out digital solutions like you have not seen in the history of banking in Nigeria. These solutions would give our discerning customers access to financial services around the clock and from the comfort of their homes.”
But past the bodily push backed by tenacity and the starvation to succeed, which has resulted within the tangible fruits, Emefienem believes strongly and rightly so that there’s the “God Factor” behind Premium Trust Bank’s supersonic pace to enviable stardom in these few years.
