Economy
GTCO Improves Pre-Tax Profit by 155% to N433bn in Q3 2023
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
In the third quarter of 2023, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc reported a profit before tax of N433.2 billion compared with the N169.7 billion recorded in the same period of 2023, representing a 155.2 per cent rise.
This information was disclosed in the unaudited consolidated and separate financial statements of the company released to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited and the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Analysis of the results showed that the financial institution performed well in the period under review, and the chief executive, Mr Segun Agbaje, in his reaction, said, “Our 3rd quarter performance underpins our strategic positioning as a leading Financial Holding Company and reaffirms our strong capabilities to successfully navigate the challenges in our operating environment. Going into the final quarter of the year, we will continue to leverage the strengths within our growing financial services ecosystem to improve our products and service offerings, enhance customer experience, and maximise shareholder value.”
“We are proud of our work towards Promoting Enterprise across the African continent over the years and remain committed to helping indigenous small businesses thrive through our consumer-focused fairs.
“The 6th Edition of the GTCO Fashion Weekend is scheduled to hold in Lagos, Nigeria, on November 11 and 12, 2023, and will give entrepreneurs in the Nigerian fashion retail space a free-business platform to showcase their diverse talents and creativity to a global audience,” he added.
The results showed that the net loan book of GTCO grew by 17.7 per cent from N1.89 trillion as of December 2022 to N2.22 trillion in September 2023, while deposit liabilities increased by 37.9 per cent from N4.61trillion in December 2022 to N6.36 trillion in September 2023.
Its balance sheet remained well structured and resilient with total assets and shareholders’ funds closing at N8.6 trillion and N1.3 trillion, respectively.
Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very strong, closing at 25.1 per cent, while asset quality was sustained as IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans improved to 3.8 per cent in September 2023 from 5.2 per cent in December 2022.
However, Cost of Risk (COR) closed at 4.1 per cent from 0.6 per cent in December 2022, owing to management’s conservative stance on provisioning as macros worsened y-o-y, weighing negatively on the ECL variables.
Overall, GTCO continues to post one of the best metrics in the Nigerian financial services industry in terms of key financial ratios: Pre-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 52.4 per cent, Pre-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 7.7 per cent, Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 25.1 per cent and Cost to Income ratio of 29.7 per cent.
GTCO is a leading financial services group with banking operations in Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, and the United Kingdom alongside new businesses in Payment, Funds Management and Pension Fund Administration. Its leadership in the banking industry and efforts at empowering people and communities has earned it many prestigious awards over the years.
Recently, Guaranty Trust Bank was recognized as Nigeria’s Best Bank and Best Bank in CSR at the 2023 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, Best Banking Group in Nigeria by World Finance, and Best Bank in Nigeria by Global Finance. GTCO’s Guaranty Trust Bank is featured in the Top 1000 Banks in the World and Top 100 Banks in Africa rankings by The Banker.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is seeking a reduction in import duty exemptions, which rose to N34 trillion, limiting its ability to increase its revenue generation threshold.
The Comptroller-General of the Customs Service, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the value of import duty exemption certificate approvals increased to that level in 2025, describing the policy as one of the major factors restricting its revenue generation.
At an investigative session of the Senate Committee on Finance with revenue-generating agencies in Abuja on Monday, Mr Adeniyi explained that government fiscal policies have continued to impact the revenue-generating capacity of the Customs Service, both positively and negatively.
“The NCS would have generated significantly higher revenue over the years if not for government-approved import duty waivers and other external factors affecting collections,” he said.
He added that the Import Duty Exemption Certificate scheme, introduced in March 2020, accounted for about N34 trillion in approvals in 2025, with nearly 60 per cent covering duty-free importation of military hardware due to Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges.
Other government-backed duty waivers, he noted, covered the importation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment and medical supplies, industrial machinery and manufacturing inputs, as well as food import intervention programmes.
While acknowledging the impact of the waivers on Customs revenue, Mr Adeniyi argued that fiscal policy should not be assessed solely on the basis of revenue generation but also on its broader economic and social objectives.
He, however, urged the federal government to establish stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of duty waivers deliver the intended economic outcomes, including lower consumer prices, increased local production and improved healthcare access.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of several heads of government agencies invited to the hearing, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Mr Sani Musa, warned that the affected chief executives must appear at the committee’s next sitting or face severe sanctions under the Senate’s rules.
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By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.40 per cent on Monday, July 13, buoyed by buying interest in 11 Plc, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and UBN Property Plc, which offset the profit-taking in Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of Chicken Republic.
11 Plc gained N20.69 to end at N227.64 per share compared with last Friday’s price of N206.95 per share, CSCS Plc grew by N1.83 to N91.48 per unit from N89.65 per unit, and UBN Property Plc added 1 Kobo to sell at N1.81 per share versus N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, Food Concepts Plc depreciated by 24 Kobo to close at N2.45 per unit, in contrast to the preceding session’s N2.69 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N9.2 billion to N2.587 trillion from N2.578 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) improved by 15.33 points to 4,311.67 points from 4,296.34 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors surged by 615.9 per cent to 9.1 million units from the previous 1.3 million units, and the value of securities rose by 997.1 per cent to N320.4 million from the preceding session’s N29.2 million, while the number of deals decreased by 12.5 per cent to 28 deals from last Friday’s 32 deals.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units exchanged for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
