The Banker Bank of the Year Awards is a annual industry award recognizing excellence in Finance. Organized by The Banker (Financial Times Group), it covers the Global region.
The Bank of the Year Awards are run by The Banker, the Financial Times Group's global banking monthly, published in London since 1926. Country awards are open for direct entry to licensed full-service commercial banks, retail banks and digital lenders; investment banks can enter twelve product and coverage categories plus six regional ones, and transaction banks have six regional categories of their own. The Banker's judging panel assesses three years of end-year balance-sheet data alongside detailed answers on strategic initiatives, technology, new products and sustainability, looking for demonstrable outperformance of local peers rather than raw profitability alone.
One winner is chosen per country — banks in 132 countries were recognized in the 2025 edition — feeding into regional Bank of the Year titles for Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East, and ultimately a global Bank of the Year. The regional and global titles, along with Investment Bank of the Year, are not open to direct entry: they are selected from the strongest country and category entrants. Standalone Financial Inclusion and Banking in the Community awards are open to all bank types. Because the endorsement carries the FT's editorial weight, a Bank of the Year title is one of the most heavily publicized credentials in banking, routinely cited in winners' investor and client communications.
Entries are submitted through bankoftheyearawards.awardsplatform.com (or by email to BankoftheYear@ft.com); the 2025 deadline was June 16, with winners announced in December. No entry fee is published. Multi-country banking groups should file a separate submission for each market, since the judges weigh multi-country performance for the regional and global awards. Investment banks should attach up to three tightly written deal case studies — the guidelines explicitly warn that lengthy or unfocused submissions may be disregarded — and every entrant should anchor claims in metrics showing improvement over the award's timeframe.