Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: Citizens Bank International Ltd. has been awarded the prestigious ‘Bank of the Year 2025’ title by The Financial Times Group, London, reaffirming its position among Nepal’s leading financial institutions. The award was conferred at a ceremony held in London, where bank chairperson Prabal Jung Pandey and CEO Ganesh Raj Pokharel accepted the honour on behalf of the institution.
This marks the second consecutive year Citizens Bank has secured the global recognition, having also won the ‘Bank of the Year 2024’ award. More than 400 participants—including chairpersons and CEOs representing over 125 countries—were present at the event.
Chairperson Pandey said the back-to-back win from a globally reputed institution was a matter of “immense pride” for Nepal’s banking sector. He added that the bank would further strengthen its commitment to customer-friendly, modern, and responsible banking services in the coming years.
CEO Pokharel credited the achievement to the collective efforts of regulators, stakeholders, and employees. He noted that the bank will continue to prioritise good governance, prudent banking, and green banking initiatives as part of its future strategy.
Since 2002, only nine Nepali banks have won the international honour. The Financial Times annually evaluates banks based on performance, governance, innovation, digital transformation, and resilience before announcing winners via its magazine The Banker.
Citizens Bank has recently introduced several digital and youth-focused products, including Nepal’s first ‘Citizens PhonePe Credit Card’, the ‘Citizens GenZ Saving Account’, and the integrated digital platform ‘Citizens DigiBank Service’. The bank has also rolled out Nepal’s first mobile-banking-based share application and CRN service, and a cross-bank teller QR facility enabling customers of other banks to withdraw cash from Citizens Bank counters.
Targeting the growing gig-economy workforce, the bank has launched a dedicated ‘Freelancer Saving Account’ as well.
Citizens Bank currently serves 1.956 million customers through 200 branches, 169 ATMs, 3 extension counters, and 42 branchless banking units across 61 districts, offering one of Nepal’s widest modern banking networks.
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