By Dipo Olowookere
Despite the unfriendly business environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc has continued to stay strong as a result of the futuristic strategies put in place by the board and management.
In the first quarter of 2021, the financial group maintained an adequate level of capital, with the total capital adequacy ratio closing at 22.7 per cent, significantly higher than the 10 per cent minimum requirement of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the industry’s regulatory agency.
Also, its liquidity ratio was above the regulatory minimum requirement of 30 per cent, signifying Stanbic IBTC’s sound position to continue meeting its liquidity obligations in a timely manner.
In the period under review, the total assets increased by 3 per cent to N2.569 trillion from N2.486 trillion in the full year of 2020, while the customer deposits rose by 6 per cent to N867.0 billion in Q1 2021 from N819.9 billion in FY 2020, with the gross loans and advances up 16 per cent to N762.7 billion from N655.3 billion in December 2020 and the non-performing loans (NPLs) jumping by 3 per cent to N27.2 billion from N26.5 billion as of December 31, 2020.
Sadly, the gross earnings reduced by 26 per cent to N45.7 billion from N61.4 billion in the first quarter of last year just as the net interest income decreased by 14 per cent to N15.9 billion from N18.5 billion, with the non-interest revenue down by 29 per cent to N23.1 billion N32.6 billion in the same period of 2020 and the total operating income down by 24 per cent to N38.9 billion from N51.2 billion.
Further, the profit before tax reduced by 50 per cent to N12.1 billion from N24.4 billion, while the profit after tax went down by 45 per cent to N11.3 billion from N20.6 billion, with the cost to income ratio at 69.2 per cent as against 48.4 per cent in Q1 of 2020 and the annualised return on average equity at 11.6 per cent.
The CEO of Stanbic IBCT, Mr Demola Sogunle, while commenting on the results, blamed the decline in the company’s profitability on pressure on trading income as trading activities slowed down while rising operating expenses from regulatory induced charges did not help matters amid continued pressure on risk asset yields.
However, he emphasised that the decline was partly cushioned by the year-on-year improvement in net fee and commission revenue as well as an impairment write-back of N155 million in Q1 2021 compared to the charge of N1.97 billion in the prior year.
He explained that the impairment write-back was due to releases and after write-off recoveries achieved during the quarter.
“Again, the diversity of our earnings proved supportive during the period. Wealth’s profitability improved from the prior period and provided succour for the contraction in the profitability of the Corporate and Investment Banking and the Personal and Business Banking businesses,” he disclosed.
Mr Sogunle expressed optimism that the company will achieve “our full-year 2021 guidance,” especially with the commencement of the firm’s latest addition, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Limited, in the first quarter of the year.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka