Keystone Bank Limited has been named the “Most Friendly SME Bank of the Year 2024” at the Champion Newspapers Annual Awards held over the weekend in Lagos, in recognition of the bank’s support and strategic interventions in Nigeria’s small and medium enterprises sector.

The award, presented by the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, celebrates Keystone Bank’s leadership in expanding access to funding, capacity building, and delivering tailored financial solutions for small businesses across the country.

Dabiri-Erewa, while presenting the award to Keystone Bank’s Executive Director, South and Corporate Bank, Nnenna Anyim-Okoro, praised the bank’s commitment to driving SME growth and sustainability in Nigeria.

She said, “The reward for hard work is more work. This award is a testament to the remarkable efforts Keystone Bank has made in empowering Nigeria’s small and medium-sized businesses. It shows that there is more work to be done, but this recognition affirms that the bank is on the right path.”

In her acceptance speech, Anyim-Okoro expressed gratitude to the organisers for the honour and reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to providing innovative support for SMEs.

“We are truly honoured to receive this award, which reinforces our mission to be a dependable partner in the growth journey of SMEs across Nigeria,” she said. “At Keystone Bank, we understand that SMEs are not just a sector—they are the engine room of national development and a key driver of employment, innovation, and grassroots empowerment.”

She added that the recognition reflects the strategic investments the bank has made in creating bespoke financial products, enabling access to finance through digitised loan platforms, and implementing sector-specific training initiatives for entrepreneurs.

According to her, “We have rolled out several impactful programmes targeted at unlocking the potential of SMEs in diverse industries. From retail and agriculture to tech and manufacturing, our goal is to support value creation, scalability, and resilience.”

Also present at the event were senior officials of Keystone Bank, including Directorate Head, Lagos Mainland, Emmanuel Ntomchukwu; Group Head, Industrials & Emerging Sectors, Chinyelu Ogufere; and Department Head, Retail Products & Value Chain Management, Tina Ebuehi.