Fidelity Bank Grows Profits By 30.6% To N25.1BN

Nnamdi Okonkwo, MD Fidelity Bank

·        Proposes Dividend of 11kobo Per Share

Lagos Nigeria, March 29, 2019: Fidelity Bank Plc, in a clear demonstration of its resilience and stability, has announced an impressive financial result for the year-ended December 31, 2018. The performance which capped a remarkable year, showed strong growth in Gross Earnings, Profits and other key financial indicators.

The top Nigerian lender which has become the clear leader among Tier 2 banks, posted a 4.8% growth in Gross Earnings from N180.2BN to N188.9BN whilst Profit Before Tax soared by 30.6% to N25.1BN, when compared with the 19.2BN it recorded in 2017.

Profit After Tax grew by 29% from N17,7BN in 2017 to N22.9BN in 2018, whilst Operating Income rose by 13.9% from N85.9BN to N97.2BN. Customer Deposit, which is a measure of consumer confidence rose by 26.3% from N775.2BN to N979.4BN just as Total Assets grew by 24% from N1.4TRN to N1.7TRN.

In other indices, Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) Ratio dropped to 5.7 percent from 6.4 percent in the 2017FY due to a combination of recoveries, loan write-offs and the absolute growth in the loan book. Other Regulatory Ratios remained above the required thresholds with Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) at 16.7 percent and Liquidity Ratio at 39.0 percent.

Buoyed by the strong results, Fidelity Bank is proposing a N3.2BN payout which translated to11 kobo dividend to shareholders.

“We are delighted by our 2018 numbers, which clearly shows a sustained performance trajectory. We are growing our market share with continued traction in our chosen business segments. We recoded double digits growth in interest income on our liquid assets, digital banking, FX and other income lines” said Fidelity Bank CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

As seen in recent years, the bank’s digital retail banking approach has continued to yield positive results. Savings recorded its 5th consecutive year of double digit growth with a 27.7 % increase to peak at N228BN.  “Savings accounts for over 23 % of our Total Deposits, an attestation of our increasing market share in the retail segment”, he stated.

Okonkwo was also very enthused with the progress of its digital banking play stating that over 42% of customers are now enrolled on the bank’s mobile/ internet banking products and more than 81 % of total transactions done on digital platforms, resulting in 25% of fee-based income, coming from digital banking.

About Fidelity Bank Plc

Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria, with over 4.2 million customers who are serviced across its 240 business offices and various other digital banking channels. The bank has in recent times won accolades as the Best SME Friendly Bank, Best in Mobile Banking and the Most Improved Corporate/Investment Bank among several industry awards and recognitions. The bank was also ranked the 4th Best Bank in the Retail Banking Segment in the 2017 Banking Industry Satisfaction Survey conducted by KPMG.

Focused on select niche corporate banking sectors as well as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Fidelity Bank is rapidly implementing a digital based retail banking strategy which has resulted in an exponential growth in savings deposits over the last 3 years and a corresponding surge in customer enrollment on the bank’s flagship mobile/internet banking products.

GTBank Releases H1 2018 Audited Results, Reports Profit Before Tax Of ₦109.6 Billion

Segun Agbaje, MD/CEO GTBANK 

Guaranty Trust Bank plc has released its audited financial results for the period ended June 30, 2018 to the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges.

A review of the results shows positive performance across all financial indices, reaffirming the Bank’s position as one of the most profitable and well managed financial institutions in Nigeria. Gross earnings for the period grew by 5.9% to ₦226.6billion from ₦214.1billion reported in June 2017.

Profit before tax stood at ₦109.6billion, representing a growth of 8.4% over ₦101.1billion recorded in the corresponding period of June 2017.The Bank’s Loan Book dipped by 10.8% from ₦1.449trillion recorded as at December 2017 to ₦1.293trillion in June 2018, while customers’ deposit grew by 10.0% to ₦2.269trillion from ₦2.062trillion in December 2017.

The Bank’s balance sheet remained strong with a 5.9% growth in Total assets as the Bank closed the period ended June 2018 with Total Assets of ₦3.549trillion and Shareholders’ Funds of ₦497.1Billion. In terms of Assets quality, NPL ratio improved to 5.8% in June 2018 from 7.7% in December 2017.

Overall, Asset quality improved with Cost of Risk of 0.1% and adequate coverage of 167.5% for Lifetime Credit Impaired Loans i.e. NPLs. Capital remains strong with CAR of 22.04% in spite of the implementation of IFRS 9. On the backdrop of this result, Post- Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) and Return on Assets (ROAA) closed at 34.1% and 5.5% respectively.


Commenting on the financial results, the Managing Director/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said; “In spite of declining yields and the challenges in the operating environment, we have delivered a decent half year result. The quality of this result is built on the strength of our businesses as well as the success of our digital-first customer-centric strategy in delivering financial services that are simpler, cheaper and more valuable to our customers’ everyday lives.”

He further stated that “We will continue to focus on consolidating our leading position in all the economies in which we operate by staying committed to building a business that is both nimble and efficient whilst strengthening relationships with our customers and creating business platforms that provide them with additional benefits beyond banking.”

GTBank continues to be best in class in terms of all financial ratios posted by Financial Institutions in the Industry as indicated by its Post-Tax Return on equity (ROE) of 34.1%, Post-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 5.5%, Cost to Income ratio of 38.8%, NIM of 9.6% and PBT margin of 48.4%.

These ratios are testament to competent and experienced Management and work-force, efficient Balance sheet structure complemented with the Operational efficiency of the Bank.

In recognition of the Bank’s bias for world-class corporate governance standards, excellent service delivery and innovation, GTBank has been a recipient of numerous awards over the years. These include Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs and Best Bank in Nigeria from Euromoney Magazine, African Bank of the Year from African Banker Magazine, Best Banking Group and Best Retail Bank from World Finance Magazine, Best Bank in Africa for Corporate Governance from Ethical Boardroom Magazine.