The Bank was incorporated as a limited liability company on March 31, 1894, with Head Office in Liverpool by Sir Alfred Jones, a shipping magnate

First Bank of Nigeria Plc for over a century has distinguished itself as a leading financial institution and a major contributor to the economic advancement and development of Nigeria.

The Bank was incorporated as a limited liability company on March 31, 1894, with Head Office in Liverpool by Sir Alfred Jones, a shipping magnate. It started business in the office of Elder Dempster & Company in Lagos under the corporate name of the Bank for British West Africa (BBWA) with a paidup capital of 12,000 pounds sterling, after absorbing its predecessor, the African Banking Corporation, which was established earlier in 1892. In its early years of operations, the Bank recorded an impressive growth and worked closely with the Colonial Government in performing the traditional functions of a Central Bank, such as issue of specie in the West African sub-region.

To justify its West African coverage, a branch was opened in Accra, Ghana in 1896 and another in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1898. These marked the genesis of the Bank's international banking operations. The second branch of the Bank in Nigeria was in the old Calabar in 1900 and two years later, services were extended to Northern Nigeria. To reposition and take advantage of opportunities in the changing environment, the Bank had at various times embarked on restructuring initiatives. In 1957, it changed its name from Bank of British West Africa to Bank of West Africa. In 1969, the Bank was incorporated locally as the Standard Bank of Nigeria Limited in line with the Companies Decree of 1968. Changes in the name of the Bank also occurred in 1979 and 1991, to First Bank of Nigeria Limited and First Bank of Nigeria Plc, respectively. In 1985, the Bank introduced a decentralised structure with five regional administrations.

To further enhance the Bank's operational efficiency, this was reconfigured into sixteen Area Offices in 2003. In view of the foregoing, it was therefore, a natural progression when in 2001, the Bank began the process of transforming its corporate identity to reflect its rejuvenated focus. The transformation process which began in earnest in 2001 gained momentum in 2003 and was launched on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 with the introduction of a new corporate identity.

FirstBank got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in March 1971 and has won the NSE President's Merit Award eleven times for the best financial report in the banking sector.

In line with the Bank's mission statement "remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible" and its brand essence, "dependably dynamic", the Bank will consistently transform itself as it forges ahead in its second century of qualitative banking to the nation. . For more information