Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc has released its 2023 full year Audited Financial Statements, reporting a 131.5 per cent growth in Profit Before Tax to N 124,26 billion.
According to the results, which was issued to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Tuesday, the bank grew Gross Earnings by 64.9 per cent YoY to N555.83 billion, driven by 81.6 per cent growth in Net interest income which increased from N152.7 billion to N277.37 billion. This led to a Profit After Tax of N99.45 billion representing a 112.9 per cent annual growth.
Commenting on the performance, Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe said: “We closed the financial year with strong double-digit growth across key income and balance-sheet lines. Our performance in 2023 is an attestation of our capacity to deliver superior returns to shareholders despite the difficulties in our operating environment. Profit before tax grew by 131.5 per cent to N124.3 billion from N53.7 billion in 2022FY, leading to an increase in Return on Average Equity of 26.5 per cent from 15.6 per cent in 2022FY”.
A review of the financial performance showed that the bank grew net interest income by 81.6 per cent to N277.4 billion driven by a 55.5 per cent increase in interest income, thus reflecting a steady rise in asset yield throughout the year. The average funding cost dropped by 20bps to 4.4 per cent due to increased low-cost funds that grew from 83.6 per cent in 2022FY to 97.4 per cent in 2023. The combination of higher asset yield and lower funding cost led to an increase in Net Interest Margin of 8.1 per cent from 6.3 per cent in 2022FY.
Similarly, Total Customer Deposits crossed the N4 trillion mark as deposits grew by 55.6 per cent from N2.6 trillion in 2022FY. The increase was driven by 81.1 per cent growth in low-cost funds.
Despite the challenging operating environment, the bank reaffirmed its devotion to helping individuals grow, inspiring businesses to thrive and empowering economies to prosper by increasing Net Loans and Advances to N3.1 trillion from N2.1 trillion in 2022FY.
Despite the growth in its loan portfolio, Regulatory Ratios were maintained well above the required thresholds, with liquidity ratio at 45.3 per cent from 39.6 per cent in 2022FY and capital adequacy ratio (CAR) at 16.2 per cent compared to the minimum requirement of 15.0 per cent .
“We recognise the changing dynamics in the Nigerian banking space and the need to monitor and proactively manage evolving risks. The proposed final dividend of 60 kobo per share reflects our commitment to strong value creation and returns to our shareholders”, Onyeali-Ikpe explained.
Fidelity Bank has consistently paid dividend since 2006. With the proposed final dividend of 60 kobo per share, Fidelity Bank would be paying investors a total dividend of 85 kobo per share for the reporting period, a 70.0 per cent increase compared to the 50 kobo per share paid to its shareholders in the previous year.
Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged customer commercial bank with over 8.3 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.
The bank has won multiple local and international awards including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards, the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards; Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023; and Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.
