Overview:
Pearl Bank takes Gold for Integrated Report of the Year at Uganda’s FiRe Awards, as accountants urge firms to prepare for sustainability rules.
Ugandan lender Pearl Bank has won the top prize at this year’s Financial Reporting (FiRe) Awards, a year after it changed its name from PostBank Uganda.
The state-owned bank was awarded Gold for Integrated Report of the Year at a ceremony in Kampala on Wednesday evening.
It also won the Banking Services Tier I award.
The bank’s chief financial officer, Peter Ssenyange, called the double win “a profound milestone” for the bank under its new name.
He said the bank’s integrated report set out a complete picture of its financial performance, strategy, governance and sustainability impact.
“These accolades motivate us to continue leveraging technology and innovation to produce reports that meet international standards and serve all our stakeholders,” he said.
Integrated reports bring together an organisation’s financial results and non-financial information, such as governance and sustainability, in a single document. The Integrated Report of the Year category is the highest honour at the FiRe Awards and is awarded at gold, silver and bronze levels.
The awards are run by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU), alongside the Capital Markets Authority, the Uganda Securities Exchange and Vision Group.
This year’s theme was “Driving Sustainability Reporting through Technology and Innovation”.
ICPAU president Timothy Ediomu urged organisations to prepare early for new sustainability reporting rules.
Uganda adopted international sustainability disclosure standards in 2024. Voluntary adoption begins this year, and reporting will be mandatory for key organisations from 2028.
“I urge organisations to embrace technology, innovation and early adoption to strengthen transparency, accountability and investor confidence,” Mr Ediomu said.
George William Nyombi, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission and the evening’s chief guest, said technology was key to credible sustainability reporting.
Pearl Bank traces its history to 1926, when it began as the Post Office Savings Department. It became PostBank Uganda in 1998.
Shareholders approved the change of name to Pearl Bank in June 2025, and the Bank of Uganda granted it an operating licence under the new name that November.
The bank also won a general banking award at last year’s FiRe Awards. Mr Ssenyange was named chief financial officer of the year at the 2025 CFO Awards.
The bank says it has 59 branches and more than 8,000 agents across Uganda.