The Founder and Managing Director of TAJBank Limited, Mr. Hamid Joda, has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards in its operations while expanding access to non-interest banking products and services across Nigeria.
Joda gave the assurance following his recognition as the 2026 Islamic Banker of the Year by the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).
The award was presented at the 16th annual GIFA ceremony held in the United Kingdom, where TAJBank also received the GIFA Championship Award for Digital Banking 2026.
Joda, who was represented at the ceremony by TAJBank’s Chief Compliance Officer, Dr. Muhammad Kabir Muhammad, said the recognition was a collective achievement involving the bank’s board, management, employees, customers, shareholders and regulators.
‘The Global Islamic Banker of the Year 2026 award is conferred on me but the commendation goes to our Board of Directors, the management and staff of TAJBank as well as our customers, who are creating the enabling environment for my performance,’ he said.
He expressed appreciation to the GIFA Committee for recognising both his contributions and the bank’s performance.
‘I thank the GIFA Committee for honouring me and TAJBank with the global awards,’ Joda said.
The TAJBank chief executive also assured stakeholders that the bank would remain focused on ethical banking and responsible financial practices.
‘I want to also thank the regulatory authorities, our shareholders and customers for these awards and promise them that we shall continue to do our best to retain TAJBank as the biggest Islamic Bank in the country by complying with the best ethical banking practices in their best interest, which is the main purpose of our operations,’ he said.
Joda said the international recognition should also serve as an incentive for TAJBank to deepen its contribution to Nigeria’s Islamic banking industry.
He said the bank would continue to leverage innovation and technology to expand its product offerings and ensure that more Nigerians could access non-interest banking services on a sustainable basis.
The GIFA recognition adds to a series of honours received by Joda for his contribution to Islamic banking.
In 2023, he received the Most Promising Banker of the Year Award at the 13th GIFA ceremony in Dakar, Senegal. He was also named Islamic Personality of the Year at the 6th African International Conference of Islamic Finance held in Abuja in the same year.
Joda, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, has more than 26 years of experience in banking, spanning deposit and Islamic banking operations.