L -R: Nneoma Onuoha, Acting Team Lead, Development Finance & Intervention Funds, Fidelity Bank Plc; Anthony Asonye, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Impact Credit Guarantee Limited (ICGL); Ugochi Osinigwe, Divisional Head, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises Banking; Imaobong Nkanta, Product Manager, SME Banking; and Chiwuike Okere, Team Lead, SME Banking, (all of Fidelity Bank Plc); at the Development Bank of Nigeria Service Ambassadors Award which held recently in Lagos.
By Peace Udugba
Fidelity Bank Plc has been honoured with the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Service Ambassadors Award for recording the highest impact in providing first-time access to credit for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), reinforcing its leadership in SME banking and financial inclusion.
The award recognises the Deposit Money Bank that successfully onboarded previously unbanked or credit-excluded MSMEs into Nigeria’s formal financial system, reflecting Fidelity Bank’s sustained commitment to expanding access to finance and supporting enterprise growth.
Speaking on the recognition, the Divisional Head of Small and Medium-scale Enterprises Banking at Fidelity Bank Plc, Ugochi Osinigwe, expressed appreciation to the DBN and reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to empowering small businesses across the country.
She said the award validates the bank’s efforts in helping MSMEs gain access to formal credit for the first time.
“We sincerely thank the Development Bank of Nigeria for this recognition, which affirms the impact of our work in expanding access to finance for MSMEs, especially businesses accessing formal credit for the first time. At Fidelity Bank, we remain devoted to supporting SMEs with the right mix of funding, advisory services, capacity building, market access and digital solutions that enable them to grow, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the economy,” Osinigwe said.
According to her, the recognition will further motivate the bank to deepen its interventions in the SME sector by providing practical solutions that help entrepreneurs overcome growth challenges.
The latest award adds to Fidelity Bank’s growing list of recognitions from the Development Bank of Nigeria. In 2025, the bank won the DBN Innovation Award in the Deposit Money Bank category for developing innovative financial products and services tailored to MSMEs. It had earlier received the 2020 DBN Service Award for achieving the highest disbursement to DBN-focused locations across the country.
Beyond providing credit, Fidelity Bank has implemented several initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s SME ecosystem. One of such initiatives is the Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada, Lagos, which serves as a dedicated centre for entrepreneurs, offering training facilities, networking spaces, business advisory services, meeting rooms and creative studios for content production.
The bank also recently launched the Fidelity Quarterly Business Forum, a strategic platform that brings together SME owners, business leaders, policymakers and industry experts to discuss business growth, innovation, trade and sustainability. The maiden edition, held in Port Harcourt, focused on scaling trade and distribution businesses while providing participants with networking and advisory opportunities.
Through its SME Masterclass Series, Fidelity Bank continues to build the capacity of entrepreneurs by offering practical training on pricing, product quality, online marketing, business visibility and strategies for international expansion.
The bank also plays a significant role in disbursing the Federal Government’s MSME Intervention Funds administered by the Bank of Industry, with particular emphasis on supporting qualified businesses and women-owned enterprises. Leveraging its nationwide branch network, digital banking platforms and relationship managers, the bank provides structured financial support to entrepreneurs in both urban and rural communities.
Its SME support strategy further includes export development and international market access programmes. Through the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect initiative, the bank links Nigerian businesses with opportunities in the United Kingdom and the United States. It also collaborates with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and Lagos Business School on the Export Management Programme, equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in regional and global markets.
In addition, Fidelity Bank’s partnership with the National Credit Guarantee Company is helping reduce lending risks while expanding access to finance for MSMEs. The collaboration also provides financial literacy and business management training to ensure beneficiaries build sustainable enterprises.
Through these interventions, Fidelity Bank has continued to demonstrate a comprehensive approach to SME development by combining access to finance with advisory services, capacity building, digital solutions, market access and strategic partnerships.
Ranked among Nigeria’s leading commercial banks, Fidelity Bank Plc serves more than 10 million customers through its digital banking platforms, 255 business offices across Nigeria and its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The bank has received numerous local and international accolades, including the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria Innovation Award for MSME support, the Best Retail and SME Bank Award by Independent Newspapers, Best Bank for Export and Trade Finance and Most Innovative Bank of the Year at the 2025 BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, Nigeria’s Best Private Bank at the 2025 Euromoney Awards, the inaugural Most Improved Commercial Bank of the Year by Nairametrics, SME Bank of the Year by NewsDirect, the Straight-Through Processing (STP) Excellence Award by Citi Group, and the Excellence in Community Empowerment Award by Global Brands Magazine.
