By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr Kennedy Uzoka, has assured shareholders and stakeholders of the bank that the prudent management practices, which have made the lender to churn out good results, would be sustained.
Mr Uzoka said this while commenting on the first quarter results of the company for the period ended March 31, 2020, where the financial institution recorded double-digit improvement across its major income lines.
The bank chief said he was happy with UBA’s performance in the first three months of this year despite the challenging business environment.
“We are pleased with our top and bottom lines in the first quarter of 2020, delivering N147.2 billion in gross earnings and profit before tax of N32.7 billion.
“The double-digit growth in the topline testifies to the resilience of our business model as a group, even as the 17 percent growth in our fees and commission income underscores our diversified business model, enabling us to deliver best value to our stakeholders, even in tough macroeconomic scenarios,” he said.
According to him, “The bank leveraged on modest growth in both interest and non-interest income as well as increased efficiency to deliver an impressive 8.5 percent year-on-year growth in profit before tax in the first three months of 2020, to N32.7 billion compared with N30.2 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2019.
“Again, UBA sustained its strong profitability recording an annualized 20 percent Return on Average Equity (RoAE),” Mr Uzoka stated.
The GMD noted that “the recent successes we have recorded in all our business segments, especially our retail and electronic banking businesses within the period” have been encouraging.
He said in Q1 2020, retail deposits accounted for 72 percent of customer deposits even as cost-of-funds moderated to 3.3 percent.
“We will continue to grow market share in all our markets, whilst maintaining cost discipline across our businesses, driving efficiency in our processes using best-rated technology,” he assured.
Speaking on customers’ growing concerns on banking services during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Uzoka explained that the bank has put in place various strategic channels to ensure that customers transactions are effectively carried out with ease.
“In response to the spread of COVID-19 several national governments have announced a partial or total lock down in a number of our markets, post Q1 2020.
“Fortunately, we have built robust electronic channel platforms to enable us effectively serve our customers from the convenience of their homes.
“Despite the lock down, our banking channels have remained open to our customers 24/7, even as we continue to align and adapt our operating model to ensure we service our customers excellently and safely,” he said.
Mr Uzoka noted that as economies and businesses adjust to the headwinds occasioned by the novel COVID-19 pandemic, the bank has been identifying emerging strategic opportunities arising from this and positioning to take full advantage of this to delight customers and create value for stakeholders.
“We also remain committed to our prudent risk management practices, as profitable growth and good asset quality remain our priority in 2020,” he stated.
UBA, driven by a year-on-year growth in interest income, recorded a 11.8 percent year-on-year growth in gross earnings to close at N147.2 billion for the three months period ending March 2020, compared with N131.7 billion recorded in the first three months of the year 2019.
The bank’s total assets also rose by 13.4 percent to N6.4 trillion in the period under review in contrast to N5.6 trillion recorded at the end of the 2019 financial; while shareholders’ funds grew to N612.6 billion from N597.9 billion in the same period.
Dipo Olowookere 
Aduragbemi Omiyale