Zenith records 22% growth in Q1

Zenith Bank Plc has announced its unaudited results for the first quarter ended 31st March 2022, with a growth of 22 per cent in Gross Earnings from N157.3 billion reported in Q1 2021 to N191.5 billion in Q1 2022.

From the unaudited statement of account presented to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) yesterday, the strong double-digit growth in the topline culminated in an increase in the bottom line, as the group recorded an 11 per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) increase in profit before tax, growing from N61.02 billion in Q1 2021 to N67.99 billion in Q1 2022.

Profit after tax also grew by 10 per cent, from N53.06 billion to N58.19 billion over the same period. The growth in the topline arose from both interest income and non-interest income. Interest income grew by 25 per cent, from N101.12 billion in Q1 2021 to N126.38 billion in Q1 2022, while non-interest income grew by 12 per cent, from N51.20 billion to N57.23 billion.

The growth in interest income and non-interest income arose from the combined effects of an improvement in interest income on loans and advances (as risk assets continue to grow and pricing is gradually improving) and an improvement in non-interest income as the Bank continues to deploy its retail strategy, thereby acquiring more customers and expanding its electronic banking income from the increased volume of transactions across all its channels.

Total assets grew by nine per cent from N9.45 trillion to N10.32 trillion in 2022, mainly driven by growth in customers’ deposits. Customer deposits grew by 12 per cent, from N6.47 trillion in December 2021 to N7.25 trillion in March 2022.

Savings account balance, which is solely retail grew by over N68 billion and is a validation of the robust customer acquisition strategy and versatile electronic platforms and digital channels.

Loans and advances also grew by six per cent, from N3.5 trillion in December 2021 to N3.7 trillion in March 2022, boosting the group’s interest income and displaying the group’s appetite for high-yielding risk assets creation.

This development also helped to boost the net interest margin (NIM), as it improved from 6.0 per cent in March 2021 to 7.3 per cent in the current period, while the capital adequacy ratio improved slightly from 21.1 per cent to 22.1 per cent.

Going into the remainder of 2022, the group will continue to focus on sustainable growth across all its business segments and deploy technology platforms and digital assets intuitively to serve its various customers’ needs to deliver enhanced returns to its stakeholders.