Zenith Bank Plc has made history on the Nigerian capital market, crossing the ₦5 trillion market capitalisation threshold to become the first bank in Nigeria to achieve the milestone.
Data from the Nigerian Exchange Limited showed Zenith Bank’s shares rose 0.9 per cent to ₦124 at the close of trading on Wednesday, lifting its market capitalisation to ₦5.09 trillion from ₦4.72 trillion.
Businessday NG further reports that the bank has since held above the threshold, climbing further to ₦5.22 trillion with its share price reaching ₦127 as of Monday, April 20. The development places Zenith ahead of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, which had a market value of ₦4.75 trillion, although GTCO’s share price remained higher at ₦129.9.
The landmark achievement follows an extraordinary rally in the bank’s share price between December 2025 and March 2026, during which the stock surged from ₦61.80 to an all-time high of ₦113.30.
The achievement goes beyond stock market performance. Zenith’s rapid valuation growth also reflects its strong response to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapitalisation requirements, having raised over ₦350 billion through rights issues and public offers and reaching a capital base of ₦614.65 billion by October 2025 comfortably above the regulatory requirement.
According to Marketing Edge, investor sentiment has also been buoyed by Zenith’s plans to list on the London Stock Exchange by 2027, a move aimed at expanding access to global capital and reinforcing its international credibility mirroring GTCO’s 2025 listing which raised approximately $105 million.
