Zenith Bank Plc has released its half year 2025 financial report, posting 20% year-on-year increase in gross earnings, rising from N2.1 trillion to N2.5 trillion in H1 2025.
The bank also reported an impressive profit before tax of N625.629 billion.
Interest income drove this performance with 60% growth, climbing from N1.1 trillion to N1.8 trillion.
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The bank said in a statement that it “achieved this impressive increase in interest income through strategic repricing of risk assets and effective treasury management.
Profit after tax reached N532 billion while earnings per share stood at N12.95 for the period under review.
Net interest income demonstrated exceptional growth, surging 90% year-on-year from N715 billion to N1.4 trillion, while non-interest income contributed N613 billion in H1 2025.
The Bank’s total assets expanded to N31 trillion in June 2025, representing steady growth from N30 trillion in December 2024, underpinned by a robust and well-structured balance sheet.
Customer confidence remained strong, with deposits growing by 7% from N22 trillion to N23 trillion in June 2025 while the loan book stood at N10.2 trillion in June 2025 as against N11 trillion in December 2024.
The Bank delivered strong returns with ROAE at 24.8% and ROAA at 3.5% as at June 2025.
The cost-to-income ratio stood at 48.2%, reflecting necessary provisioning for regulatory compliance and the impact of inflationary pressures.
Asset quality improved significantly, with the non-performing loans ratio dropping to 3.1% in June 2025 from 4.7% in December 2024.
The bank maintained a fortress balance sheet with capital adequacy at 26% and liquidity ratio at 69%, both comfortably exceeding regulatory requirements.
Following what Zenith describes as “impressive half year performance”, the board approved an interim dividend of N1.25 per share, a 25% increase over the N1.00 paid in the first half of 2024.
Commenting on the H1 2025 report, the group managing director/chief executive officer of the Bank, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, noted that Zenith Bank’s performance reaffirms the creativity and innovation of our unicorn workforce in a dynamic operating environment.
“Despite the huge provisioning requirements as the industry exits the CBN forbearance regime, we’ve seen substantial improvement in our asset quality. Our balance sheet remains robust with adequate capital buffers, positioning us well to seize opportunities across our key markets,” she said.
Building on the strong foundation, she said the bank expects to accelerate its growth trajectory in the second half of the year.
Umeoji assured shareholders that the robust performance, combined with the improved asset quality, positions the Bank to deliver exceptional returns, with expectations of a quantum year-end dividend for 2025.
“Our shareholders can look forward to continued value creation as we leverage emerging opportunities and maintain our strategic growth with strong corporate governance culture,” she remarked.
Looking beyond H1 2025, she declared optimistically: “We’re on a solid growth path that we expect to maintain through the rest of 2025 and into 2026. Our focus remains on innovation, digital transformation, and developing solutions that address our clients’ changing needs. With improving market conditions, we’re well placed to sustain this momentum whilst maintaining responsible leadership and delivering exceptional value to all our stakeholders.”
