Ecobank has added another feather to its star-studded hat with the winning of the Bank of the Year 2009 title in the 11 countries in which it operates. The renowned Pan-African banking giant won the awards at the ninth edition of the annual Banker's Bank of the Year Award ceremony organized by the Financial Times' Banker Magazine.

The event, which was held at the Intercontinental Hotel at Park Lane in London, brought together representatives of banks and leading financial institutions from all over the world.

Report said each of the 11 network members of the Ecobank conglomerate, the largest on the continent, was awarded the "Bank of the Year 2009" award during the ceremony.

Ecobank operates subsidiary banks in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

An Ecobank release issued in Monrovia yesterday did not say which subsidiary stood out in terms of proficiency, but it quoted the Managing Director of Ecobank - Niger, who spoke on behalf of the Ecobank Group at the London ceremony, as expressing gratitude to the event for recognizing Ecobank's effort in serving the people of Africa.

"Once again, we are gratified to be honored for our work in such a resounding way. Last year, we were named Bank of the Year in 10 countries. This year, we're equally delighted to be going home with 11 of these coveted awards. We shall continue to give our customers the very best in products and services, as we contribute to Africa's economic development and financial integration," he said.

Meanwhile, Ecobank says it offers its customers a range of innovative services like its Rapid Transfer Facility, allowing customers to send and receive funds quickly, as well as its Non-Resident African Account, which offers convenient and reliable services to Africans living and/or working outside their own home countries.

The Bank of the Year Award is considered one of the most prestigious events within the global banking industry. Ecobank, the leading independent regional banking group in Africa, is run by ETI, a business entity incorporated in Lomè, Togo.

It currently has subsidiaries and offices in 31 countries, namely: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, UAE (Dubai) and Zambia.

ETI is listed on the stock exchanges in Lagos, Accra and the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) in Abidjan .

The Group is owned by more than 180,000 local and international institutional and individual shareholders. It has over 11,000 employees from 29 different countries in over 700 branches.

Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.