Monrovia, Liberia – Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), has announced the appointment of Loknath Mishra as Chief Executive Officer of UBA UK. The appointment, which takes effect from February 2nd, 2026, reinforces the Group’s commitment to strengthening its international footprint and enhancing its role as a key financial bridge between Africa and the world.
As CEO of UBA UK, Mishra will focus on positioning the UK subsidiary as a centre of excellence for regulatory compliance and customer service, strengthening financial resilience through diversified liquidity and income sources, as well as deepening UBA’s leadership in trade, transaction, and correspondent banking in support of business flows in and out of Africa.
The press statement claims that Mishra has several decades of global banking experience in retail, corporate, investment, and transaction banking, along with a stellar reputation for creating and running regulated banking platforms in Europe and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining UBA UK, Mishra was the managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Bank UK. In this capacity, he greatly improved governance, regulatory engagement, and operational resilience while also playing a key role in bolstering the bank’s footprint in the UK and European markets.
In addition, he held other senior leadership positions at ICICI Bank Limited, such as Group Head of Wholesale Banking and Global Head of Transaction Banking. He led customer-centric transformation initiatives across corporate, institutional, and financial institution segments, strengthened risk management frameworks, and helped the bank expand its global wholesale franchise.
Nonetheless, Mishra is well known for spearheading digital innovation in trade finance, cash management, and retail banking, as well as for his leadership in intricate regulatory environments. In appreciation of his contributions to the financial services industry, he was granted the Freedom of the City of London.
“Loknath brings an exceptional combination of global banking experience, regulatory credibility, and deep expertise in wholesale and transaction banking,” stated Oliver Alawuba, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer at UBA, in a statement regarding the appointment.
His direction will be crucial to expanding UBA UK’s position as the Group’s flagship company and enhancing our ability to facilitate investment and trade between African and global markets. According to Alawuba, the appointment demonstrates UBA’s ongoing commitment to developing a premier global banking franchise that facilitates Africa’s economic integration into the world economy.
In response, Mishra remarked, “I am honored to join UBA at a time of significant opportunity for the Group,” expressing his happiness at his appointment. UBA plays a distinctive and strategically significant role in linking Africa to international markets. I’m excited to collaborate with colleagues around the Group to enhance UBA UK’s platform and assist clients in achieving growth in Africa and beyond.
“With its strong capabilities in correspondent banking, trade finance, transaction banking, and treasury services, UBA UK plays a critical role within UBA Group’s international network, supporting African corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns, and global partners,” the release stated.
Reported by: Prince Saah
