Wallets/first-bank-nigeria
First Bank of Nigeria (FirstMobile)
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Overview
First Bank of Nigeria (FirstMobile) is Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 + 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + *16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users + 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 [1, 2, ng-cro]. 2025 baseline: First Bank of Nigeria 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking *894# users; 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 distinctive Nigerian banking app penetration; First Bank of Nigeria Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 distinctive Nigerian banking heritage.
Distinctive First Bank of Nigeria positioning:
- Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 (Bank of British West Africa heritage)
- 15M+ customers distinctive Nigerian banking scale
- 8M+ FirstMobile App users distinctive Nigerian mobile banking penetration
- *16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users distinctive Nigerian USSD banking financial inclusion
- 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 distinctive Nigerian banking app penetration
- First Bank of Nigeria Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 distinctive Nigerian banking heritage
- 1894 First Bank of Nigeria founding as Bank of British West Africa distinctive colonial Nigerian banking heritage → 1979 First Bank of Nigeria renaming
History
1894 — First Bank of Nigeria founded as Bank of British West Africa as colonial Nigerian commercial bank.
1969 — Bank of British West Africa renamed Bank of West Africa.
1979 — Bank of West Africa renamed First Bank of Nigeria post-Nigerian banking heritage.
2012 — FBN Holdings IPO on NGX (Nigerian Stock Exchange) distinctive Nigerian banking holding company.
2015 — FirstMobile mobile banking app launches as Nigerian mobile-first banking.
*2025 — First Bank of Nigeria 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users + 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads [1, 2, 3].
Ownership & operator
Operating entity: First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN Holdings; NGX: FBNH; Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894).
Major shareholders: Femi Otedola (Geregu Power Plc + Forte Oil Plc Nigerian businessman) largest shareholder ~9-11% + Nigerian retail + institutional + foreign investors.
Regulators: CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) + NDIC (Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation).
Technical integration
FirstMobile mobile banking app (iOS + Android; 8M+ users; 10M+ Google Play downloads 2025) + USSD banking *894# (16.9M+ users) + firstbanknigeria.com online + First Bank of Nigeria branch network Nigeria + Ghana + Gambia + Guinea + Sierra Leone + Senegal + DRC + Netherlands + France + UK + China + First Bank of Nigeria Visa + Mastercard cards; Nigerian Instant Payment + NIBSS NIP + NQR.
Users & growth
2025: First Bank of Nigeria 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking *894# users + 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads.
Use cases
Nigerian + West African retail + private + SME + commercial + USSD banking via FirstMobile mobile + USSD banking *894# + firstbanknigeria.com online + First Bank of Nigeria branch network Nigeria + Ghana + Gambia + Guinea + Sierra Leone + Senegal + DRC + Netherlands + France + UK + China + Visa/Mastercard cards; Nigerian Instant Payment + NIBSS NIP + NQR.
Implementations & partners
Operator: First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN Holdings; NGX: FBNH; Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894); Femi Otedola (Geregu Power Plc + Forte Oil Plc Nigerian businessman) largest shareholder ~9-11% + Nigerian retail + institutional + foreign investors.
Major Nigerian banking competitors: [[gtbank]] (Guaranty Trust Bank Plc; GTCO; NGX: GTCO; one of Nigeria's leading commercial banks; ~20M+ customers; GTWorld app) + [[zenith-bank]] (Zenith Bank Plc; NGX: ZENITHBANK; one of Nigeria's largest commercial banks by assets) + [[access-bank]] (Access Bank Plc; NGX: ACCESSCORP; Nigeria's largest commercial bank by assets post-2019 Diamond Bank merger; ~60M+ customers; African banking expansion across 17 countries) + [[uba]] (United Bank for Africa Plc; NGX: UBA; Nigerian + 20 African countries pan-African bank) + [[stanbic-ibtc]] (Stanbic IBTC; NGX: STANBIC; Standard Bank Group South African parent) + [[ecobank]] (Ecobank Transnational Inc; NGX: ETI; pan-African banking 33+ countries) + [[opay]] (Nigerian super app + neobank; OPay; 30M+ users) + [[palmpay]] (Nigerian neobank; PalmPay; 35M+ users) + [[kuda-bank]] (Nigerian neobank; Kuda Bank; 7M+ users) + [[carbon]] (Nigerian digital bank; Carbon; 1M+ users) + [[moniepoint]] (Nigerian business banking + agent network; Moniepoint; 16M+ users) + [[cellulant]] (Nigerian + pan-African payments platform).
Regulators: CBN + NDIC.
Fun facts
- Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 (Bank of British West Africa heritage).
- 15M+ customers distinctive Nigerian banking scale.
- 8M+ FirstMobile App users distinctive Nigerian mobile banking penetration.
- *16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users distinctive Nigerian USSD banking financial inclusion.
- 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 distinctive Nigerian banking app penetration.
- First Bank of Nigeria Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 distinctive Nigerian banking heritage.
- 1894 First Bank of Nigeria founding as Bank of British West Africa distinctive colonial Nigerian banking heritage → 1979 First Bank of Nigeria renaming.
Comparison
| Feature | First Bank of Nigeria | [[gtbank]] (Guaranty Trust Bank Plc rival; one of Nigeria's leading commercial banks; ~20M+ customers; GTWorld app) | [[zenith-bank]] (Zenith Bank Plc rival; one of Nigeria's largest commercial banks by assets) | [[access-bank]] (Access Bank Plc rival; Nigeria's largest commercial bank by assets post-2019 Diamond Bank merger; ~60M+ customers) | [[opay]] (Nigerian super app + neobank rival; 30M+ users) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN Holdings; NGX: FBNH; Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894) | Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (NGX: GTCO; LON: GRTB) | Zenith Bank Plc (NGX: ZENITHBANK) | Access Bank Plc (Access Holdings; NGX: ACCESSCORP) | OPay (Opera Norway-spun-off Chinese-backed Nigerian super app + neobank) |
| Type | *Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 + 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users + 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 | One of Nigeria's leading commercial banks + ~20M+ customers + GTWorld app | One of Nigeria's largest commercial banks by assets | Nigeria's largest commercial bank by assets post-2019 Diamond Bank merger + ~60M+ customers + African banking expansion across 17 countries | Nigerian super app + neobank + 30M+ users + Opera + Chinese Yidian Yongqian + SoftBank Vision Fund + Sequoia Capital China + Source Code Capital + Redpoint China + IDG Capital + Bertelsmann Asia investors |
| Country | NG + GH + GM + GN + SL + SN + CD + NL + FR + GB + CN | NG + 9 African countries + GB + KE + TZ + UG + GH + CI + GM + SL + LR + RW | NG + 8 African countries + GB | NG + 17 African countries + GB | NG + EG + PK + KE + ZA + others |
| Distinctive | *1894 First Bank of Nigeria founding as Bank of British West Africa (Nigeria's oldest commercial bank); 1969 Bank of British West Africa renamed Bank of West Africa; 1979 Bank of West Africa renamed First Bank of Nigeria; 2012 FBN Holdings IPO on NGX; 2015 FirstMobile mobile banking app launch; 2025 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users | 1990 GTBank founding; GTWorld app distinctive | 1990 Zenith Bank founding | 1989 Access Bank founding; 2019 Access Bank + Diamond Bank merger | 2018 OPay founding by Opera Norway spin-off; 2020 OPay Pakistan + Egypt expansion |
Status
*Active, Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894 + 15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users + 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025 [1, 2, 3]:
- First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN Holdings; NGX: FBNH; Nigeria's oldest commercial bank since 1894) since 1894 First Bank of Nigeria founding as Bank of British West Africa + 1969 Bank of British West Africa renamed Bank of West Africa + 1979 Bank of West Africa renamed First Bank of Nigeria + 2012 FBN Holdings IPO on NGX + 2015 FirstMobile mobile banking app launch.
- *15M+ customers + 8M+ FirstMobile App users + 16.9M+ USSD banking 894# users.
- 10M+ FirstMobile App Google Play downloads 2025.
- CBN + NDIC regulated.
Sources
- 1 FirstMobile — First Bank of Nigeria
- 2 Best Mobile Banks in Nigeria 2026: Top Apps by Downloads — West Africa Trade Hub
- 3 FIRSTBANK ADVANCES ITS MOBILE BANKING APPLICATION — First Bank of Nigeria
- ng-cro In-corpus:
reports/countries/NG-nigeria.md
Source
Biography extracted from first-bank-nigeria.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.