Nigeria, June 20 -- Zenith Bank Plc has said it will exit the Central Bank of Nigeria's regulatory forbearance regime by 30 June, moving to reassure shareholders of its ability to continue dividend payments despite tightened oversight from the apex bank.

In a disclosure to the Nigerian Exchange Group on Tuesday, the bank said it had taken "appropriate and comprehensive steps" to meet all regulatory requirements tied to its forbearance status, including full provisioning for affected credit facilities.

The clarification comes after the CBN, in a circular dated 13 June, barred banks under regulatory forbearance from paying dividends, awarding bonuses to senior executives, or investing in foreign subsidiaries. The policy is part of efforts...