The United Bank for Africa has appointed Loknath Mishra as Chief Executive Officer of its United Kingdom subsidiary.

Effective 2 February 2026, the appointment—announced in a statement on Tuesday—underscores the bank’s commitment to expanding its international presence and reinforcing its position as a vital financial link between Africa and global markets.

UBA UK is reported to play a pivotal role within UBA Group’s international network, providing support to African corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns, and global partners through its robust capabilities in correspondent banking, trade finance, transaction banking, and treasury services.

As CEO of UBA UK, Loknath Mishra will aim to position the subsidiary as a centre of excellence in regulatory compliance and customer service, enhance financial resilience through diversified liquidity and income streams, and strengthen UBA’s leadership in trade, transaction, and correspondent banking to facilitate business flows to and from Africa.

According to the statement, Mishra brings several decades of international banking experience to his new role, spanning retail, corporate, investment, and transaction banking, and has a distinguished record of building and leading regulated banking platforms in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Commenting on the appointment, UBA’s Group Managing Director and 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.”

He stated that the appointment highlights UBA’s ongoing commitment to developing a world-class international banking franchise that facilitates Africa’s integration into the global economy.

In his remark, Mishra, expressing his excitement over the appointment, 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.”

Prior to his appointment at UBA UK, Mishra was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank UK, where he played a key role in expanding the bank’s footprint across the UK and Europe, while strengthening governance, regulatory engagement, and operational resilience.

He also held senior positions at ICICI Bank Limited, including Group Head of Wholesale Banking and Global Head of Transaction Banking, driving the growth of the bank’sh global wholesale operations, enhancing risk management frameworks, and leading customer-centric transformation initiatives across corporate, institutional, and financial institution segments.