Keystone bank wins ‘retail bank of year 2024’ award

Keystone Bank Limited, has emerged as the ‘Retail Bank of the Year’ at the just concluded Africa Industrial and Development Conference and Awards 2024.

The bank was presented with the prestigious award during the Nigeria Middle East Investors Expo and Awards ceremony held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, over the weekend.

The African Industrial and Development Conference and Awards is an annual event dedicated to promoting industrial development, economic growth, and sustainable best practices across the African continent.

Speaking on the award, Managing Director and CEO of Keystone Bank, Mr. Hassan Imam, expressed his gratitude for the recognition, stating, that the award is a testament to the effectiveness of the Bank’s various transformation programmes aimed at raising the bar in developing and delivering unique retail financial products to all levels of customers.

According to the bank’s CEO, “Keystone Bank has in place a robust retail banking strategy that enables us to review our retail products and processes to ensure that the needs and lifestyles of customers are met.

“We are grateful for this recognition and dedicate the award to our customers who rely on us to provide the right support for operating effectively in their businesses.

“As a bank, we remain committed to our goal of growing together with our customers. We operate from a position of financial strength, consistently meeting our obligations as well as all regulatory requirements. Our focus is on building a lasting relationship with our customers and continually enhancing their banking experience” he concluded.

It would be recalled that KPMG, a leading audit and consultancy firm, rated Keystone Bank high in the retail and SME segments in the country in 2023.

In the 2023 edition of the Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience Survey released by the agency, Keystone Bank topped other Nigerian banks moving up from its fourth position in 2022 to second in retail banking with 76.4 points. The lender’s customer experience performance in SME banking also improved significantly as it moved from fifteenth position in the last survey to third in 2023 with 73.5 points.

According to the survey report, customers commended user-friendliness and reliability of Keystone Bank digital platforms as well as its efficiency of payment services, superlative relationship management and swift resolution of complaints.

It’s worthy of note that Keystone Bank has invested substantially in technology and developed fully integrated service models that enable its customers to enjoy banking services through a wide range of channels. The effort is in the bank’s determination to take financial services to every household in order to drive effective inclusion and participation in the recovery and growth of Nigeria’s economy.

The upgraded Keystone Bank digital platforms provide a truly customer-centric experience. The bank believes in innovation, creativity, and the use of technology to enhance the lives of its customers.

The bank’s upgraded digital platforms which include: the Keystone Bank Mobile Application, known as KeyMobile; Keystone Internet Banking platform and its *7111# Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) solution, are seamless, secure, fast, reliable and easy to use at convenience.

On SME, Keystone Bank has been a major supporter and promoter of the segment in the country.

The bank has embarked on several initiatives to train SMEs on financial literacy and bookkeeping to enable them to take control of their financial future and tap into the opportunities in the financial industry. Thousands of SMEs across the nation have benefitted from the bank’s programmes and initiatives.

The retail lender’s SME financing strategy is delivered through a multi-faceted approach that includes robust business advisory, practical handholding, and guidance of aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to building sustainable businesses. Its SME package leverages partnerships, value add offerings, and cost saving banking services to support its customer’s business growth.

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.