NOVA Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Jude Anele as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
A statement from the bank on Sunday stated that the appointment comes at a significant stage in the bank’s development, shortly after its transition from a merchant bank to a commercial bank and the successful completion of its recapitalisation programme ahead of the March 31, 2026, regulatory deadline.
Anele brings more than 33 years of banking experience spanning West and Central Africa, with expertise covering retail and commercial banking, corporate banking, risk management, institutional transformation, and executive leadership. Throughout his career, he has overseen complex banking operations, strengthened governance frameworks, delivered sustainable revenue growth, and built high-performing teams.
According to the bank, the appointment underscores the Board’s strategic commitment to strengthening NOVA Bank’s commercial banking platform while accelerating growth across its Corporate, Commercial, and Retail segments, as well as key priority markets.
Speaking on his appointment, Anele said he was honoured to assume leadership of the bank at a defining stage in its growth journey.
“Nova Bank has built a strong institutional foundation defined by regulatory compliance, capital strength, disciplined governance, and a clear commercial mandate.
Our focus now is execution — deepening customer relationships, expanding responsibly across priority markets, strengthening risk discipline, and delivering sustainable value to our shareholders,” he said.
The Chairman of the bank, Phillips Oduoza, also expressed confidence in the new leadership.
“The Board is pleased to welcome Mr Jude Anele as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His depth of experience, strategic clarity, and proven leadership record align strongly with NOVA Bank’s growth ambitions,” Oduoza said.
He added that with the bank’s recapitalisation completed ahead of the regulatory deadline, the institution is entering a new phase characterised by scale, stability, and structured expansion.
NOVA Bank also confirmed that it has met the recapitalisation requirements set by the Central Bank of Nigeria ahead of the regulatory deadline, reinforcing its capital adequacy and long-term financial stability. The capital raise, supported by both new and existing shareholders, has further strengthened the bank’s balance sheet and positioned it for disciplined growth.
In 2025, Global Credit Rating reaffirmed NOVA Commercial Bank’s national scale long- and short-term issuer ratings of BBB(NG) and A3(NG) respectively, while Agusto & Co. reaffirmed the bank’s “Bbb” rating with a stable outlook, reflecting its strong capital base, sound liquidity position, and resilient asset quality relative to its risk profile.
The bank currently operates in Lagos, Abuja, Owerri, and Port Harcourt, with plans to establish eight additional branches across key commercial hubs in 2026 as part of its expansion strategy.
The commissioning of the bank’s regional office in Owerri marked a major milestone in its South-East and South-South growth strategy. The event drew government officials, business leaders, and Nigerians in the diaspora and underscored NOVA Bank’s commitment to supporting enterprise development and economic growth.
NOVA Bank Limited is a commercial bank licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The institution began operations in 2018 as a merchant bank before transitioning to a commercial bank in 2024, offering retail, SME, corporate, and commercial banking services through its Phygital model—an integrated approach that combines physical branch presence with digital banking infrastructure.
