Employees play a crucial role in advancing an organization's human and social capital, contributing significantly to knowledge creation and management, especially in the banking sector. Acknowledging their importance, the banking industry prioritizes improving its workforce. As a result, organizations, particularly those in Nigerian banking, invest resources in boosting employee performance through training, motivation, and career development. Despite these endeavours, there are still observable shortcomings in the performance of employees within Nigerian deposit money banks. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of the study consists of 4,873 employees of the eight selected deposit money banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. A sample size of 464 was determined, and data was collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha value ranging from 0.79 to 0.92. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential tools. A response rate of 87.2% was recorded. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the effect of the variables using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27. The findings revealed knowledge acquisition had a significant effect on employee performance in selected deposit money banks in Lagos State, Nigeria (Adj. R = 0.784; F(1, 404) = 64.762; p < 0.05), also, knowledge sharing had a significant effect on employee performance (Adj. R = 0.702; F(1, 404) = 390.478; p < 0.05), similarly, knowledge application had a significant effect on employee performance (Adj. R = 0.810; F(1, 404) = 769.885; p < 0.05). The study concluded that knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing, and knowledge application have significant effects on employee performance. Based on these findings, it is recommended that deposit money banks in Nigeria invest in robust knowledge management programs and initiatives. These programs should focus on enhancing employees' abilities to acquire, share, and apply knowledge effectively. Implementing training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms can facilitate a culture of continuous learning and collaboration within the organization.