Zenith Bank Plc has released its Group financial results for the half year ending June 2025, posting an impressive profit before tax of N625.629 billion. This Board approved an interim dividend of N1.25 per share, a 25 per cent increase over the N1.00 paid in the first half of 2024, maintaining its position as a leading dividend-paying Bank and reinforcing its longstanding commitment to rewarding its shareholders.
Despite higher provisioning requirements from the industry-wide exit of the CBN forbearance regime, the Bank recorded a robust 20 per cent year-on-year increase in gross earnings, rising from N2.1 trillion to N2.5 trillion in H1 2025. Interest income drove this performance with an impressive 60 per cent growth, climbing from N1.1 trillion to N1.8 trillion.
Commenting on the H1 2025 results, the bank’s group managing director and chief executive, Dame 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 this strong foundation, Umeoji said that the bank expects to accelerate its growth trajectory in the second half of the year. She 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 noted, highlighting the Bank’s track record of improving dividend payments even during challenging periods.
Looking beyond H1 2025, she reinforced her optimistic outlook, “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.”
The Bank’s financial performance indicates strong fundamentals in a transitioning macroeconomic environment, with profit after tax reaching N532 billion and earnings per share standing at N12.95 for the period under review.
Net interest income demonstrated exceptional growth, surging 90 per cent per cent year-on-year from N715 billion to an impressive N1.4 trillion, whilst 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 seven percent from N22 trillion to N23 trillion in June 2025. The loan book stood at N10.2 trillion in June 2025 against N11 trillion in December 2024., reflecting the Bank’s prudent risk management approach.
The Bank delivered strong returns with ROAE at 24.8 per cent and ROAA at 3.5 per cent as at June 2025. The cost-to-income ratio stood at 48.2 per cent, reflecting necessary provisioning for regulatory compliance and the impact of inflationary pressures. Asset quality improved significantly, with the NPL ratio dropping to 3.1 per cent in June 2025 from 4.7 per cent in December 2024. The Bank maintains a fortress balance sheet with capital adequacy at 26 per cent and liquidity ratio at 69 per cent, both comfortably exceeding regulatory requirements.
