Fidelity Bank Plc has won the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Service Ambassadors Award for recording the highest impact in expanding access to formal credit for first-time Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
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.
The award recognises the deposit money bank that has successfully onboarded previously unbanked or credit-excluded MSMEs into the formal financial system.
Speaking on the recognition, the Divisional Head, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises Banking at Fidelity Bank, Mrs Ugochi Osinigwe, described the award as an affirmation of the bank’s commitment to improving access to finance for small businesses.
“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,” she said.
Osinigwe said the recognition would further motivate the bank to deepen its interventions in the SME sector by providing practical solutions that help entrepreneurs overcome barriers to growth.
She said the award builds on Fidelity Bank’s long-standing partnership with DBN and its support for Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem.
According to her, the bank received the DBN Innovation Award in the Deposit Money Bank category in 2025 for developing innovative financial products and services for MSMEs.
She added that the bank also won the 2020 DBN Service Award for the highest disbursement to DBN-focused locations.
Osinigwe said Fidelity Bank had continued to implement initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses beyond access to finance.
She listed some of the initiatives to include the Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada, Lagos, which provides entrepreneurs with training facilities, business advisory services, networking opportunities and creative studios.
She also highlighted the Fidelity Quarterly Business Forum, designed to connect entrepreneurs, policymakers and industry experts to discuss business growth, innovation, trade and sustainability.
According to her, the bank’s SME Masterclass Series provides practical training on pricing, product quality, digital marketing, business visibility and export readiness.
She added that Fidelity Bank also supports the disbursement of the Federal Government’s MSME Intervention Funds administered by the Bank of Industry, with particular attention to women-owned enterprises.
Osinigwe said the bank had expanded support for exporters through the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect initiative, which links Nigerian businesses to international markets, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
She noted that the bank also partners with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and Lagos Business School on the Export Management Programme to equip entrepreneurs with skills required for regional and global trade.
According to her, Fidelity Bank’s collaboration with the National Credit Guarantee Company has also strengthened access to finance for MSMEs by reducing lending risks while providing financial literacy and business management training for beneficiaries.
She said the bank remained committed to supporting entrepreneurs through financing, advisory services, capacity building, digital solutions, market access and strategic partnerships.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a commercial deposit money bank serving 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 several local and international recognitions for its support to SMEs, retail banking, export finance, innovation and community development.
