Agbaje promises sustainable growth as GTCO Plc reports profit before tax of N609.3bn for 2023

Segun Agbaje

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO or the Group) has released its audited consolidated and separate financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).
 
The group reported profit before tax of ₦609.3billion, representing an increase of 184.5% over ₦214.2billion recorded in the corresponding year ended December 2023.

The group’s loan book (net) Increased by 31.5% from ₦1.89trillion recorded as at December 2022 to ₦2.48trillion in December 2023, while deposit liabilities grew by 63.7% from ₦4.61trillion in December 2022 to ₦7.55trillion in December 2023.
 
The group’s balance sheet remained well structured, diversified, and resilient with total assets and shareholders’ funds closing at ₦9.7trillion and ₦1.5 trillion, respectively. Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very strong, closing at 21.9%, while asset quality was sustained as IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans improved to 4.2% in December 2023 from 5.2% December 2022.

However, cost of risk (COR) closed at 4.5% from 0.6% in December 2022 owing to worsening macros which caused significant increase in ECL variables.
 
Commenting on the results, the group chief executive officer of GTCO Plc Segun Agbaje said: “The challenging operating environment of 2023 truly tested the business model we put in place for the Holding Company, for both our banking and non-banking business verticals.

Wigwe wanted his own bank after attending Harvard as GTB director – Segun Agbaje

“Harnessing the Group’s synergies yielded a strong performance, allowing us to strengthen our foothold in banking whilst also building viable and resilient businesses of HabariPay, Guaranty Trust Fund Managers, and Guaranty Trust Pension Managers.

“Also important to our success is our relentless obsession with innovation and offering great customer experiences as demonstrated by the successful redesign and upgrade of our mobile banking application, GTWorld.”
 
Mr. Agbaje added: “In a landscape characterised by evolving regulatory reforms, global uncertainties, and heightened competition, we have continued to leverage our inherent strengths and capabilities to unlock significant value, creating more opportunities for the businesses and individuals we serve.

“As we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we are confident that our robust underpinnings and focus on flawless execution will continue to drive sustainable growth across all our operations and deliver long-term value for our stakeholders.”