Grenada Co-operative Bank Ltd has captured the 2026 ECCU Distinguished Bank of the Year Award at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s (ECCB’s) annual ECCU Bank of the Year Awards ceremony, held on Thursday, 12 November, at the St Kitts Marriott Resort in Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis.
Grenada Co-operative Bank Ltd also received the Technological Innovation Award, securing two honours at the ceremony.
National Bank of Dominica Ltd also secured two awards, taking home the Customer Service Award and the Support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Award.
The St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Ltd captured the Corporate Social Responsibility Award, while Republic Bank (EC) Limited, Saint Lucia, received the Financial Education and Empowerment Award.
ECCB Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine said in his opening remarks, “I want to acknowledge and celebrate the work of our banks across this region, because every day you show up to serve our people, to strengthen our communities, to find solutions, and to help finance our economies. That work is often unnoticed and, frankly spoken, we hear very often about what you have not done rather than what you do.”
He added: “It’s a bit like us [the ECCB] as well, as a regulator. So, we have that in common, but we show up every day, and we do our work for the good of the people of our Currency Union. So, tonight we stop, we pause, and we celebrate your work, and use this moment as an encouragement for what should come next.”
President of the Bankers and Financial Services Association of St Kitts and Nevis, Eberna Whyte, noted that approximately 660,000 people across the ECCU’s eight member countries are active banking customers, served by 18 licensed commercial banks.
Whyte also highlighted growing expectations for simpler, faster, and increasingly digital banking services, alongside the need for financial institutions to remain resilient, secure, and responsive to emerging risks.
“These Awards encourage us to learn from each other, raise our standards across the industry, and ultimately deliver better customer outcomes for the people and the businesses in the ECCU,” she said.
This year, 11 commercial banks submitted a total of 37 entries across five award categories. More than 2,000 individuals from across the ECCU participated in the online public vote.
The selection process involved three stages: evaluation of electronic submissions by an ECCB-appointed panel of judges, online public voting, and interviews with shortlisted banks. Public votes formed part of the banks’ final scores.
The ECCU Bank of the Year Awards recognise commercial banks for their contributions to the development and well-being of the people they serve. They honour excellence in customer service, corporate social responsibility, financial education and empowerment, technological innovation, and support for MSMEs across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
The ECCU Distinguished Bank of the Year Award, introduced in 2024, recognises commercial banks that turn challenges into opportunities, identify new market niches, and develop initiatives that respond to changing customer and market needs.
