Friday, August 1, 2025 - FCMB Group Plc ("FCMB Group") has announced its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2025. The Group reported a ₦79.3 billion profit before tax (PBT), representing a 23% year-on-year increase, driven primarily by improved net interest income and asset yields.
Gross revenue for the period rose to ₦529.2 billion,
reflecting a 41.3 per cent year-on-year increase from ₦374.5 billion recorded
in the first half of 2024, supported mainly by a 70.3 per
cent growth in interest income. However, non-interest income declined
by 35.1 per cent due to a ₦36.6 billion drop in currency revaluation gains
compared to last year.
Net interest income almost doubled, rising from ₦106.2
billion in the previous year to ₦207.4 billion by June 2025. The yield on
earning assets improved to 20.2 per cent, leading to a net interest margin of
9.1 per cent, up from 6.3per cent in the 2024 financial year.
The Group's digital business—payments, lending, and wealth
services—grew strongly. Digital revenues increased by 60 per cent year-on-year,
rising from ₦46 billion in June 2024 to ₦73.6 billion in June 2025. Digital
services now account for 13.9% per cent of total earnings.
Operating expenses rose by 46.1 per cent to ₦153.2 billion.
The increase was due to higher personnel costs, regulatory expenses, technology
costs, and general inflationary pressures. Despite this, cost-to-income ratio
improved to 57 per cent at the end of June 2025, compared to 59.9 per cent
recorded at the end of 2024.
Net impairment losses on financial assets grew significantly
to ₦36.2 billion on a quarterly basis, following FCMB Group's banking
subsidiary exit from the Central Bank of Nigeria's loan forbearance
programme. This led to a rise in the cost of risk to 2.8 per cent,
up from 1.8 per cent in the 2024 financial year.
After tax, profit increased by 23 per cent year-on-year,
closing at ₦73.4 billion.
Each business division contributed to overall performance.
Consumer Finance reported a profit before tax growth of 54.5 per cent, Banking
Group reported a profit before tax growth of 41.3 per cent, and Investment
Management recorded a 10 per cent growth. Investment Banking recorded a
48.9 per cent decline due to an exceptional one-time gain from a divestment in
the previous year. In terms of contribution to Group’s PBT, the Banking
Group accounted for 82 per cent, Consumer Finance for 11.6 per cent, Investment
Management for 4.8 per cent, and Investment Banking for 1.4 per cent.
The Group's balance sheet also showed improvement. Total
assets increased by 6.9 per cent to ₦7.54 trillion, up from ₦7.05 trillion as
of December 2024. Loans and advances grew modestly by 1.1 per cent to ₦2.38
trillion, impacted by currency revaluation, loan write-offs and concentrated
paydowns, while customer deposits rose by 5.6 per cent to ₦4.55 trillion. This
growth was supported by a stronger mix of low-cost deposits, which now account
for 69.3 per cent of total deposits, up from 57.5 per cent at year-end
2024.
Assets under management increased by 15.5 per cent, reaching
₦1.58 trillion, compared to ₦1.37 trillion in December 2024. FCMB's investment
banking business, which includes advisory services and capital market
transactions, recorded a significant increase in capital raised for its
clients —growing by over 600 per cent year-on-year to ₦2.97
trillion.
The Group also reported improved balance sheet efficiency. A
more favourable deposit mix and better deployment of recently raised capital
helped reduce funding costs for the second consecutive quarter. As a result,
the net interest margin rose from 7.9 per cent in the first quarter
to 10.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, contributing to the 9.1 per
cent margin for the half-year. Management expressed confidence in sustaining
this trend and exceeding its full-year NIM guidance.
Following its ₦144.6 billion public capital raise in 2024,
FCMB confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria has completed verification of
the second phase of the programme—a ₦22.5 billion mandatory convertible note
expected to increase the number of issued shares to approximately 42.8 billion.
Subsequent phases of the capital programme are ongoing and aim to ensure First
City Monument Bank meets the new minimum capital requirement to retain its
international banking license.
FCMB Group remains focused on improving operational
efficiency, expanding its digital and retail business, and continuing its
strong earnings momentum through the second half of the year.
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