Fidelity Bank Plc on Thursday released its 2022 Audited Financial Statements on the Nigerian bourse.
The results showed a 34.4% growth in Gross Earnings YoY to N337.1bn, driven by 45.2% growth in interest and similar income to N295.6bn.
The increase in Interest Income was led by a combination of improved yield on earning assets and 19.1% YoY expansion in earnings base to N2.64trn. This led to a Profit Before Tax of N53.7 billion representing 112.9% annual growth.
Fidelity Bank Declares Total Dividend Of 50K Per Share
The bank has declared a final dividend of 40kobo per share which brings its total dividend for FY 2022 to 50kobo per share.
Commenting on the Bank’s performance, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc said, “We are happy to report another year of impressive double-digit growth across key income and balance sheet lines”.
Further review showed that Net Interest Income increased by 60.9% YoY to N152.7bn. The high yield environment had a positive impact on Net Interest Margin, which increased to 6.4% from 4.7% in 2021FY while average funding cost inched up slightly to 4.6% from 4.2%.
Similarly, Total Deposits increased by 27.4% to N2.58trn from N2.02trn in 2021FY, in line with the Bank’s guidance for 2022FY published in its investor relations presentation. The increase was driven by 43.1% growth in low-cost deposits (Demand | Savings | Domiciliary), which resulted in improved margins.
Speaking on the contribution of Foreign Currency (FCY) deposits to its financial performance, Onyeali-Ikpe noted, “FCY deposits increased by $597m (63.4% YoY) to $1.5bn and now accounts for 27.5% of total deposits from 19.7% in 2021FY, as we continue to harness the benefits of our renewed drive in the export business and the diaspora banking space.”