The Rise and Rise of Heritage Bank - By Kola Adebayo
A story began in 2012; a story of hardwork and determination when IEI Investments Ltd acquired Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) after meeting all requirements by Nigeria’s apex bank. Heritage Bank Plc was born and began its operations in Nigeria as a regional bank on March 14, 2013.
As
wit acquired the license and structure of the old Societe Generale Bank
of Nigeria which was closed down by the CBN for failing to meet the new
capital requirements of N25 billion or $155 million for a national bank
in January 2006, Heritage Bank returned 100% of existing SGBN account
holders' money which were frozen at the closure of the SGBN. This move
brought a lot of smiles to the faces of former account holders and
inspired many of them to open new accounts with Heritage Bank.
This was the beginning of a success story.
A
year later after it began commercial operations, it became the center
of the biggest event in the Nigerian banking sector in October 2014
after the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) announced
that Heritage Bank had emerged winner of the bid for the acquisition of
the defunct Enterprise Bank. Heritage Bank had successfully met all the
terms and conditions set by the CBN and AMCON towards owning 100% shares
in Enterprise Bank.
Heritage
Bank which entered the market just a year before was able to withstand
the might of top established players like Access Bank, Fidelity Bank,
Skye Bank, Diamond Bank and others to win the bid for the acquisition of
Enterprise Bank which also saw it inherit over 160 branches, over 177
ATMS, 57 cash centres and 2000 POS terminals spread across major markets
and commercial centres in the country. This move automatically
transformed Heritage Bank from a regional bank to a national bank and
raised the bank from a tier-2 player to a strong tier-1 player. Still,
as big a move as it was, it remained just one of the many strategic
moves to change the banking industry and Heritage Bank has made a lot of
them since it began operations in 2013.
With
a management focused on innovation and a unique philosophy to create,
preserve and transfer wealth to its customers, Heritage Bank found
itself in a fiercely competitive banking environment but it remained
guided by passion, resilience, innovation and a brand architecture that
exuded quality service, performance and sheer excellence.
Heritage
Bank introduced a zero Cost of Transaction to its customers in April
2013, implying that there would be no hidden charges as it continued its
quest for 100% customer satisfaction. Heritage Bank also set a standard
when it launched its pilot 'Corner Shop' to cater to traders at the
Gbagada Plank Market in Gbagada Estate, Lagos to ease banking. The
'Corner Shop' was widely received and appreciated by the Gbagada traders
as it saved them the time and money to visit a bank branch kilometres
away.
Heritage
Bank was not done yet. The bank went further to prove its trend setting
profile by introducing Nigeria's first pioneer potable POS solution
named 'PortaPOS". The Heritage PortaPOS which is free to all Heritage
Bank customers can accept all EMV chip and PIN cards, MasterCard, Verve
and Visa cards. It is portable and light as a regular mobile phone and
has a long lasting and rechargeable battery. It also syncs to phones and
printers via Bluetooth technology!
Heritage
Bank had clearly surpassed all expectations and continued to grow
stronger every year. Heritage bank announced gross earnings of N24.2bn
for the operating year of 2015 in an audited financial statement.
This
represented the bank's first full operating year since the acquisition
of former Enterprise Bank in October 2014. The financial statement
showed that the bank recorded a profit before tax of N1.5bn, profit
after tax of N1.1bn and net interest income of N12.2bn.
The
bank also attracted N312bn as deposits from new and old customers
during the year which further indicated the confidence of the bank's
financial structure. The bank also stated that it supported businesses
and individuals with loans and advances to the tune of N175bn achieving a
total asset of N483.4bn for the year.
Pleased
by the outcome of the 2015 financial statement the MD/Chief Executive
of Heritage Bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo stated that "The result is a testimony
to the increased acceptability of Heritage Bank's products and services
by the banking public. It is also a reward for the diligent commitment
of staff and management to our mission to create, preserve and transfer
wealth across generations."
Heritage
Bank has found its feet quickly on the floor of the Nigerian Banking
sector and recorded over 200% increase in the number of customers since
2013. It remains committed to its customers and continues to search for
new heights to attain in the Nigerian banking sector. Heritage Bank is
by far the fastest growing bank in Africa and can only continue to
record new successes, whilst surpassing rivals. The story of Heritage
Bank’s increasingly rising profile is a case study in corporate
governance, leadership, vision and excellence.
In
the midst of the bank’s audacity to dare and succeed, industry watchers
have continued to ask; how are they doing it? The answers may not be
far from the fact that this is one bank whose leadership team continues
to exude the charisma of the Midas Touch. With Heritage Bank, Ifie
Sekibo has proven over and over again that whatever he touches, turns
into gold.
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