The French Minister of Trade and Competitiveness, Mr Oliver Becht has expressed his appreciation of Zenith Bank’s choice of Paris to expand its European presence.
Becht stated this Thursday on the occasion of the signing of an MoU between France and the Founder of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia at the bank’s headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria
He said, “We are thrilled to welcome in France Zenith Bank’s first office inside the EU. It is undoubtedly a demonstration of mutual confidence.”
He added: “We hope the presence of Zenith Bank in France will help foster new business projects between our two continents. This decision, in many respects, can be regarded as a milestone in French-Nigerian economic relations and an illustration of our friendship.
”In recent years, Paris has cemented its place as the EU’s leading financial centre and has succeeded in attracting several major financial players.
“This is due both to structural strengths – Paris is home to a deep and highly qualified labour market for financial services, and boasts a unique cluster of skills and support services (law, audit and consultancy firms), as well as a robust regulatory and supervisory framework – and to measures taken over the past years to enhance France’s attractiveness, including tax cuts and labour law reforms.
“With over 500 foreign banks and financial institutions having a durable presence in Paris – including, from now on, one more prominent Nigerian bank – the French capital city is already the EU’s largest, most diversified, and most internationalised financial centre.”