At the close of the first quarter of 2025 on March 31, the pre-tax profit of Fidelity Bank Plc stood at N105.8 billion, 167.8 per cent higher than the 39.5 billion achieved in the same period of 2024.
This information was contained in the financial statements of the company released to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited recently.
The top-line of the results was also impressive as the gross earnings went up by 64.2 per cent to N315.4 billion from N192.1 billion.
The lender also witnessed growth in interest income, primarily led by a 38.6 per cent year-on-year and 7.4 per cent year-to-date expansion in earning assets base.
In addition, the non-interest revenue was increased between January and March 2025, driven by FX-related income, trade and commission on banking services, supported by increased customer transactions.
Further, total deposits grew by 11.1 per cent ytd to N6.6 trillion from N5.9 trillion in December 2024, driven by 10.6 per cent ytd growth in low-cost deposits to N6.1 trillion, which represents 92.2 per cent of total customer deposits.
In the same period, local currency deposits jumped by 2.0 per cent ytd as foreign currency deposits surged by 21.4 per cent to $2.3 billion from $1.9 billion in December 2024.
Also, net loans and advances were up by 5.0 per cent ytd to N4.6 trillion, with growth in the bank’s loan book skewed to LCY loans as cost of risk declined to 0.6 per cent from 1.5 per cent in 2024FY.
“We started the year with triple-digit growth in profit and sustained the momentum in our earning assets growth. This performance shows the resilience of our business model and reinforces our confidence in delivering a better result in the 2025 financial year.
“Beginning the year with such positive momentum reinforces our commitment to supporting the growth of individuals and businesses, while enhancing our financial sustainability.
“As we go into the rest of the year, we remain focused on building a resilient banking franchise with a diversified earnings base,” the chief executive of Fidelity Bank, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said.