Bank of Kigali (BK) has scooped the Best Bank in Rwanda accolade in the 2016 Banker Africa Awards for the East Africa region. The Awards are organised annually by the CPI Financial publication, which publishes the Banker Africa Magazine, widely regarded as the ‘voice of Africa’s banking elite’ for its in-depth coverage of the continent’s banking sector.

The bank was announced at a winners gala in the Kenyan capital Nairobi last week.

Bank of Kigali, a multiple winner in the awards since their inauguration, emerged victorious after garnering majority of the 23,500 votes that were cast by the financial services community in the East African region.

This year’s is the highest in the awards’ history, according to Robin Amlôt, the chief executive officer of CPI Financial. This, the chief executive added, indicates the growing prominence of the awards on the continent whose banking sector is increasingly becoming competitive, thanks to fast economic growth.

"Each year, we identify and reward excellence in financial services. We aim to promote best practice and offer recognition to the key players working to help create a prosperous diversified future for the region’s economies,” said Amlôt.

The awards, Amlôt added, reflect the opinion of the financial services industry across the region and that the winners should be justly proud of their achievements because their peers see them as market-leaders in their respective countries.

Commenting on the award, Dr Diane Karusisi, the Bank of Kigali chief executive officer, welcomed the award.

She pledged to continue leading the bank in consolidating its position as the leading provider of the innovative financial services in Rwanda, with emphasis on using technology in delivering banking services.

"We will continue to invest in infrastructure and our people, to create value for customers and shareholders. We believe technology will continue to drive the way we do business and look forward to leveraging its usein providing the best services,” she said in a statement.

Bank of Kigali is Rwanda’s largest commercial bank by total assets, with 33 per cent market share as at March 31,

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