ZENITH BANK PLC - DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE POPULAR BANK

Zenith Bank Plc: over the years, Zenith has through strategic deployment of its people information and communication technology (ICT) redefined customer service standards and created diverse service delivery channels. The bank was incorporated as Zenith International Bank Limited on 30 May 1990, a private limited liability company and was licensed to carry on the business of banking in June 1990. The name of the bank was changed to Zenith Bank Plc on 20 May 2004 to reflect its status as a public limited liability company. The bank’s shares were listed on the Nigeria stock exchange on 21st October 2004 following a highly successful initial public offering (IPO). Nigerian individuals and institutions numbering over 700,000 shareholders currently own the bank.

            Over the years the Zenith brand has become popular with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in banking and general innovation in the Nigeria banking industry. The groups main service delivery channels remain its local and foreign subsidiaries and its business offices (Branches and cash offices); which currently stand at over 315 while offering electronic banking services, such as internet banking, bills payment, and telephone banking services amongst others. These business offices are located in prime business and commercial cities in each state of the Nigeria and they are easily accessible to all the central bank of Nigeria’s clearing zones all over Nigeria.
            Within the first decade of commencing operations, the bank made its mark in profitability and all other performance indices in Nigeria and has maintained this prime position to data.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Zenith Banks Service: offerings, cover most aspects of banking needs of our customers that cut across the entire public and private market spectra with emphasis on the following major market segments and lines of business:
Corporate and investment banking
Commercial and consumer banking
Personal and private banking
Trade services and foreign exchange
Treasury and cash management services
Other non bank financial services mainly through subsidiaries

VISION OBJECTIVE
From inception zenith bank clearly set out to distinguish itself in the banking industry through its service quality, drive for a unique customer experience and the caliber of its customer base. Today. It is easily associated with the following attributes in the Nigerian banking industry:
Innovation
Good financial performance
Stable and dedicated management team
Highly skilled personnel
Leadership in the use of information and communication technology
Strategic distribution channels
Good asset quality.

THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE OF ZENITH BANK
Includes the continuous improvement of its capacity to meet the customers increasing and dynamic banking needs as well as sustain high quality growth in a volatile business environment through:
Continuous investment in branch network expansion and thus brining quality banking services to our teaming existing and potential customer base. 
Continuous investment and deployment of lip to date state of the art technology and ICT platform.
Continue to seek and employ the best hands available.
Continuous investment in training and re-training of our personnel
Maintain and reinforce our core customer service delivery charter

TARGET MARKET
            Zenith bank continues to play in the top-tier of all sectors of the economy as we have done since inception. Our focus before now has mainly been at the top-tier of the market comprising large multinational corporations (MNCs), large Nigerian conglomerates and virtually every company classified in the top layer of its market, however, we will target companies in the middle-tier market with good growth prospects going forward. The following sectors/industries will be targeted to develop these groups of customers:
Telecommunication and information communication technology
Consumer products, healthcare and pharmaceuticals
Fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs)
Infrastructure development civil construction, housing and real estate development, etc.
Power and energy
Oil and gas
Transport and aviation
Agriculture
Logistics
Entertainment

GROWTH AREAS AND NEW PRODUCTS LINES
            Efforts will be focused and sustained on developing the appropriate product liens to build and optimize relationships in the following areas of business within the bank or through subsidiaries:
Fixed income securities
Oil and gas
Mortgage and real estate financing commercial banking
Export and import financing
Consumer credit
Infrastructure development
Telecommunication and information communication technology
Agriculture and Agro allied products and services
Asset management and custody. This will involve partnering where beneficial with reputable global player in the chosen areas. We believe that strategic development and deployment of e-business products and platforms is a key competitive factor in the banking industry. Therefore, our target is to dominate the market by continuously introducing new e-banking products for specific industry/customers. We will continue to focus on the following market and products:
Corporate customers
Retail customers and the un-banked population
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
New business and client capture group financial rep.
Educational sector
Card services
Deployment of ATMs and point of sale (pos) terminals

The market penetration approach will be to focus on critical issues and concerns guiding decision of each sector or market segments. In this regards we will continue to evolve products, processes and strategies to address the following:
1.                           Large corporate MNC Customers: Prompt and excellent service delivery financial support operational and sales collections support though adequate deployment of necessary ICT platform value chain support through adequate support for KDs – Excellent international Trade services –Appropriate pricing of products and services.
2.                           Retail Markets: Convenience through proper branch network and deployment of ATMs and cards –safety-appropriate pricing of products and services
3.                           SMEs: financial support: financial advisory services pricing.

The group will continue to partner with costumers (existing and prospective in major focus areas of telecommunication, oil and gas, power and energy, aviation, schools FMCGs, churches, insurance and healthcare, we would continue to court the key distributors (KDs) of major conglomerates and producers of consumer goods and services.
One of the main thrust of our strategy in the last five years was to expand our business beyond the shores of Nigeria. This was largely accomplished commencing with expanding into the west Africa sub-region (Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia), while consolidating our position as a leading financial services provider in Nigeria with branch network expansion from about 100 in 2004 to 315 as at date. Within the next five yeas the bank will continue to pursue organic growth in the short to medium-term. In the longer term period we intend to improve (through creation and enhancement of new markets and products and services), consolidate (through superior customer services), the local and international acceptance of our brand. Our growth and marketing plans will seek to optimize our strengths to maximize available opportunities, minimize identified threats while taking steps to mitigate the effects of observed weaknesses. The outline of our plans will be as follows:
 
THE KEY STRATEGIES
1.                  To deliver superior service experiences to all our customers at all times:- We would employ the best information and communication technology platform and banking innovation available to crate convenient banking channels and products for our customers.  Continually enhance our processing, procedures and systems platforms to deliver new capabilities and improve operational efficiencies and achieve economies of scale. We will strive to have more products offering in the traditional banking areas than any bank in our key markets.
2.                  Develop deeper and broader relationship with clients and strive to understand their individual and industry peculiarities customers with a view to developing specific solutions for each segments of our customer base:- We would focus on enveloping all our markets by creating products and services that are industry specific to serve the needs of our key customers. Ensurewe are bankers to all key officers of our key corporate customers.
3.                  Significant expand our operations by adding new distribution channels and entering into new markets:- significantly expand our branches and business office in Nigeria to rank among the biggest players in the market. The branch network should adequately cover every state in Nigeria and key commercial cities and town. Target new markets will commence with entry into key countries in west Africa. (see more explanation in 4 below)
4.                  Maintain our position as a leading service provider in Nigeria while expanding our operations internationally in west Africa and the financial capitals of the world:- Trade flows within the sub-region is currently routed through Europe, non of the big banking/financial institution operating in the sub-region is focusing on financing the import and export trade in the sub-region and/or channeling these transactions through its operations. We will target this market as well as positioning ourselves to take advantage of other emerging opportunities in the sub-region.  

CONCLUSION
            Given our commitment to service excellence, robust information technology platform, and the resource fullness of our work force as well as our huge balance sheet size and sound financial rations, we are confident that Zenith Bank Plc is in a good position to sustain and consolidate its growth trajectory and market share as well as take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the economy.
            We are confident that our overall strategic objectives and envisaged financial growth would be achieved and that Zenith Bank would remain the forefront amongst bank in the country and the African continent in terms of profitability, size, assets quality and all other performance parameters. We are also confident that the Zenith brand would remain strong in the local and international market. The bank would continue to meet the personal needs of the staff members in terms of remuneration and training to motivate them to greater performances and results. 



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