FirstBank has appointed Chinwe Egwim as its new Chief Economist, in a move that signals the bank’s growing focus on economic intelligence, risk analysis, and strategic market positioning amid Nigeria’s volatile financial climate.
Egwim joins the bank’s senior executive management with over 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, fiscal policy, development finance, credit ratings, and macroeconomic research.
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Before the appointment, she served as Chief Economist at Coronation Merchant Bank and previously worked as Lead Economist at FBNQuest Merchant Bank.
According to reports, her role at FirstBank will involve leading enterprise-wide economic intelligence, guiding liquidity management, balance sheet positioning, and economic risk strategy across the bank’s operations.
The appointment reflects how major financial institutions are increasingly embedding economists into top-level decision-making as inflation pressures, exchange rate instability, and fiscal reforms continue to reshape Nigeria’s banking sector.
Egwim is also recognised internationally as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and has contributed to policy initiatives tied to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), including United Nations-backed trade programmes and Nigeria’s Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee.
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Why This Matters
The appointment underscores a broader shift within Nigeria’s financial sector where economic forecasting is no longer treated as a support function but as a core strategic tool influencing lending decisions, capital allocation, treasury management, and regional expansion planning. Analysts believe FirstBank’s decision reflects the increasing need for banks to navigate uncertainty using stronger data-driven economic insight.
Source: Nairametrics
