UBA Goes Global: Over Half of Revenue Now from Outside Nigeria

UBA’s Group Managing Director and CEO, Oliver Alawuba

United Bank for Africa (UBA) is charting a bold course as one of the continent’s foremost financial institutions, with more than half of its revenue now generated outside its home base in Nigeria—a clear marker of the bank’s growing pan-African and global influence.

Following the Group’s Half-Year Business Review, UBA’s Group Managing Director and CEO, Oliver Alawuba, reaffirmed the bank’s ambition to become a truly global bank rooted in African excellence.

“UBA is more than a financial institution. We are a platform that connects Africa to the world,” Alawuba stated. “With over 51% of our revenue now coming from operations outside Nigeria, we are seeing the realization of our strategy to be a bridge between African economies and global markets.”

Operating in over 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates, UBA has built a strong network that enables individuals and businesses to carry out seamless cross-border transactions. Its reach spans from commercial centers like Nairobi and Accra to underserved rural communities, where the bank’s digital platforms have introduced financial services for the first time.

For millions of Africans, UBA’s expansion is not just a corporate milestone—it’s a lifeline.

In Nairobi, 32-year-old entrepreneur Grace Mwangi uses UBA’s mobile banking system to manage cross-border payments for her small textile business. In rural Benin Republic, cassava farmer Musa Leye now receives payments and micro-loans directly via UBA’s mobile app—something unimaginable just a few years ago.

“It may not seem like much,” Leye said, “but for someone like me, it’s the first time I feel part of the formal economy.”

Stories like Grace’s and Musa’s reflect the human impact behind UBA’s numbers. The bank’s focus on financial inclusion, technology, and SME support is transforming lives in real-time across the continent. It’s this dual strategy of digital innovation and on-the-ground presence that is allowing UBA to reach the unbanked, strengthen intra-African trade, and increase access to global finance.

With over 35 million customers and an expanding range of services—from retail banking and mobile finance to corporate lending and infrastructure investment—UBA is not just following the trends of global finance, it’s setting them.

Alawuba noted that the bank’s diversified revenue base not only enhances resilience against market volatility but also reflects growing confidence in UBA’s services across regions.

“This milestone is proof that our pan-African strategy is working, and we remain committed to empowering customers across all our markets.”

As UBA continues to grow its global footprint, the broader implication is clear: African banks are no longer confined to national borders. They are becoming engines of integration, development, and innovation across the continent and beyond.

With more African businesses expanding beyond their home countries, and with digital banking on the rise, institutions like UBA are playing a critical role in redefining Africa’s economic narrative—from aid dependency to self-sustained, tech-driven growth.

The UBA story is not just about balance sheets. It is a story of resilience, vision, and the potential of banking with purpose—a story that continues to unfold across Africa, one customer at a time.

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