Obinna Chima
Coronation Merchant Bank was on Tuesday awarded the International Organisation for Standardisation’s (ISO) 27001:2013 Certification for Information Security Management by the British Standard Institute (BSI).
The certification signifies Coronation Merchant Bank’s adherence to the highest internationally recognised standards and stringent controls for managing data and protecting customer information across all the bank’s systems, processes and services.
The BSI is a leading organisation in Audit Management Systems and Processes.
The certification is the world’s highest accreditation for Information Security and Service Management. It came on the heels of the upgrade of the bank’s credit rating to A+ with a stable outlook by Nigeria’s foremost rating agency, Agusto & Co. recently.
Commenting on the feat at the official presentation of the certification in Lagos, Group Managing Director/CEO of Coronation Merchant Bank, Abu Jimoh said that the ISO 27001:2013 certification was an affirmation of Coronation Merchant Bank’s commitment to its vision of being Africa’s premier investment bank in the shortest possible time.
According to him, “This certification is further attestation of our desire to run an institution that does not only ensure statutory functions of maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of customer information; but that will go a long way in enhancing a broad risk management structure that has the confidence of our customers and other stakeholders.
“By this certification, we are making a clear statement of our capacity to not only minimise security breaches but also effectively predict and respond to security incidents whilst maintaining business continuity.â€
He described the certification as a great milestone for his organisation, pointing out that Coronation Merchant Bank is a stickler for standards.
“This will further help in assuring our customers and clients that we do not take issues of standards lightly and that we do things with regards to high standards.
“With our information security system, our customers can be rest assured of quality and superior services,†he added.
In order to safeguard their information technology infrastructure, Jimoh urged banks to always be ahead of fraudsters and hackers.
“What the ISO Certification that we achieved today is to ensure that at every point, we are proactively getting ready, so that when hackers come, we would be able to protect our infrastructure. When you have ISO certification, it means you are ready to protect yourself at any time,†he said.
Also, the Deputy Head of Mission and Prosperity, British Deputy High Commission, Andrew Davidson, in his keynote address, said the certification was a clear endorsement of the quality of services offered by Coronation Merchant Bank.
He urged firms to focus on service quality so as to ensure customer satisfaction.
“If you are recognised for quality, people would trust you and you would develop a reputation for doing things properly. This certification shows Coronation Merchant Bank has joined the rank of organisations that take standards serious,†Davidson added.
