Zenith Bank Plc has announced its first-half 2025 financial results for the period ended June 30, posting a pre-tax profit of ₦625.63bn and a post-tax profit of ₦532.18bn.
The bank’s gross earnings rose by 19.96% year-on-year to ₦2.521tn, reflecting stronger revenue generation. On the back of the performance, the board approved an interim dividend of ₦1.25 per share — a 25% increase from the ₦1.00 paid in H1 2024. The dividend will be paid on October 10, 2025, to shareholders whose names appear on the register as of October 3.
Strong Interest Income Growth
Interest income was the main driver of performance, contributing 73% of gross earnings in H1 2025, up from 55% in the same period last year. Interest income surged 60% YoY to ₦1.839tn, already accounting for more than two-thirds of 2024’s full-year figure.
Earnings from loans and advances to customers grew by 55% YoY to ₦936bn, making up 37.2% of gross earnings, while income from government securities rose 72% YoY to ₦781.5bn, representing 31% of earnings.
Gross loans and advances stood at ₦10.22tn, with net loans slightly lower at ₦9.60tn compared to ₦9.97tn in December 2024.
Expenses and Provisions
Interest expense increased modestly by 11% YoY to ₦485.53bn, driven largely by higher deposit costs. With customer deposits of ₦23.48tn making up 76% of total assets, funding costs rose as interest on deposits expanded by 21%.
Despite this, net interest income surged 89% to ₦1.35tn. However, loan impairment charges more than doubled to ₦791.20bn, consuming over half of this income. After provisions, net interest income stood at ₦593.91bn, up 98% YoY.
Non-Interest Income
The bank recorded strong growth in non-interest income lines:
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Account maintenance fees: ₦43.22bn (+32% YoY)
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FX transaction fees and commissions: ₦25.22bn (+267% YoY)
However, gains on trading books fell to ₦482.22bn from ₦871.64bn in H1 2024.
Balance Sheet and Market Performance
Zenith Bank’s total assets rose to ₦30.99tn (+3.46% YoY), supported largely by its ₦23.48tn deposit base (+6.94%). Cash and cash equivalents grew 13% to ₦6.66tn.
Earnings per share, however, dropped 29.66% YoY to ₦12.99.
As of September 18, 2025, Zenith Bank’s shares traded at ₦66 per unit, representing a year-to-date gain of 45.1%.
Capital Position
The bank has already surpassed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapitalisation requirement of ₦500bn, with share capital and premium totalling ₦614.65bn. Shareholders’ funds stood at ₦4.57tn.
