Nicknamed the “Elephant Bank” for its tusker symbol, Nigeria’s oldest finance house is seeking a share of the country’s newest market: 140m Nigerians. Big banks have traditionally relied on corporate customers or servicing government contracts for most of their earnings, but seismic changes in the industry in the past few years have prompted a race to win over the little guy.

“We see a huge opportunity in the retail market,” says Jacobs Ajekigbe, managing director of First Bank, in his office in a skyscraper overlooking the Lagos Marina. “This elephant can dance.”