Our History
FirstBank has been through many seasons since 1894,
- from being the only bank in Nigeria for decades
- weathered the "banking explosion" of the 1930s to 1950s
- followed by an era of government ownership and control
- to a flurry of consolidations and then gradual growth in number of banks up to the early 1980s
- then yet another industry growth spurt in the early 1990s when the banking sector was deregulated
- leading to an industry shake-up in the late 1990s, which reduced the number of banks from 126 to 77
- and later resuscitation and growth to 89 banks
- leading to the recent shake-up to 25 banks
All through the seasons, FirstBank has remained resilient, dependably dynamic and “truly the first”
