ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa, has announced the appointment of Loknath Mishra as Chief Executive Officer of UBA UK. The appointment, effective February 2, 2026, reinforces the group’s commitment to expanding its international presence.
The move also highlights UBA’s goal of enhancing its position as a key financial bridge between Africa and the global economy.
As CEO of UBA UK, Mishra will prioritise positioning the UK subsidiary as a centre of excellence for regulatory compliance and customer service, strengthening financial resilience through diversified liquidity and income streams, and deepening UBA’s leadership in trade, transaction, and correspondent banking to support business flows to and from Africa.
Mishra brings decades of international banking experience across retail, corporate, investment, and transaction banking, with a proven record of building and leading regulated banking platforms in the United Kingdom and Europe.
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Before joining UBA UK, he served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank UK, where he strengthened the bank’s presence across the UK and European markets while significantly enhancing governance, regulatory engagement, and operational resilience.
He has also held senior roles at ICICI Bank Limited, including Group Head of Wholesale Banking and Global Head of Transaction Banking, contributing to the growth of the bank’s global wholesale franchise, reinforcing risk management frameworks, and leading customer-focused transformation initiatives across corporate, institutional, and financial institution segments.
Mishra is widely recognised for his leadership in complex regulatory environments and for driving digital innovation in trade finance, cash management, and retail banking. In recognition of his contributions to financial services, he was conferred with the Freedom of the City of London.
Commenting on the appointment, UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, said: “Loknath brings an exceptional combination of global banking experience, regulatory credibility and deep expertise in wholesale and transaction banking. His leadership will be instrumental in advancing UBA UK’s role as a flagship subsidiary for the Group and in strengthening our capacity to support trade and investment flows between Africa and international markets.”
Alawuba added that the appointment underscores UBA’s ongoing investment in building a world-class international banking franchise that facilitates Africa’s integration into the global economy.
Speaking on his appointment, Mishra said, “I am honoured to join UBA at a time of significant opportunity for the Group. UBA’s unique role in connecting Africa to global markets is both compelling and strategically important. I look forward to working with colleagues across the Group to strengthen UBA UK’s platform and to support clients in unlocking growth across Africa and beyond.”
UBA UK plays a pivotal role within the UBA Group’s international network, providing African corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns, and global partners with robust capabilities in correspondent banking, trade finance, transaction banking, and treasury services.