Quick Read:
- Efficiency improved with a cost-to-income ratio at a record 48.3%, while customer deposits grew by $4.9 billion to reach $25.3 billion, strengthening funding and liquidity
- The ETI Board has recommended a dividend payout of $40 million or 0.16 US cents ($0.0016) per share, subject to shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting
Ecobank Group has delivered a strong set of financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025, reflecting continued execution of its Growth, Transformation, and Returns (GTR) strategy and deliberate growth across its businesses.
Profit before tax grew by 21% year-on-year to $801 million, while net revenues rose by 17% to $2.45 billion, driven by solid performances in both Corporate and Investment Banking, and Consumer and Commercial Banking.
Growth was supported by increased client activity, higher trade volumes, and continued expansion in payments and lending across the Group’s extensive network.
The Group’s diversified Pan-African business model continued to underpin our resilience and our operational and financial performance.
Central, Eastern and Southern Africa (CESA) emerged as the fastest-growing region, while Anglophone and Francophone West Africa delivered strong profitability supported by improved funding costs, trade flows, and treasury activities.
Operationally, efficiencies improved as revenue growth outpaced cost increases, resulting in a record cost-to-income ratio of 48.3%, improved from 52.8% a year ago.
The Group maintained a robust balance sheet, with solid capital and liquidity buffers. Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) recorded strong momentum, achieving a 40% increase in profit before tax to $697 million, backed by growth in trade finance, cash management, and capital markets.
Similarly, Consumer and Commercial Banking (CCB) delivered substantial results, with profit before tax rising by 27% to $480 million, supported by robust deposit mobilisation and heightened lending activity, rising by 33%.
Across our CIB and CCB businesses, customer deposits grew by $4.9 billion to $25.3 billion, reflecting significant transaction flows and deepened customer engagement, while loans, driven by trade finance and digitally enabled lending, rose to $12.8 billion.
Asset quality pressures increased during the year, primarily driven by higher non-performing loans in Nigeria linked to legacy exposures and the exit from regulatory forbearance.
The Group has taken prudent steps to strengthen its balance sheet, including raising expected credit loss reserves to 7.8% of gross loans from 5.7%.
The total capital adequacy ratio of 16.7% remains comfortable above minimum regulatory requirements by 420 basis points.
This resilience drove sustained value for our shareholders, marked by a return on tangible equity (ROTE) of 27.8%. Reflecting this strong financial position, the ETI Board has recommended a dividend payout of $40 million or 0.16 US cents ($0.0016) per share, subject to shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting.
Commenting, Jeremy Awori, chief executive officer of Ecobank Group, said:
“Our 2025 performance has further demonstrated that our Growth, Transformation and Returns (GTR) strategy, along with our diversified pan-African business model, is yielding positive results. This includes a return on tangible shareholders’ equity of 27.8% and a record cost-to-income ratio of 48.3%, down from 52.8% a year ago, with improvements across various businesses and regions.”
He added:
“We continued to invest in enhancing our solutions and customer interactions across both physical and digital channels, resulting in a 1,000-basis-point increase in customer satisfaction to 70%. Furthermore, we made significant progress in key turnaround subsidiaries in the CESA region, including Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia, where efficiency ratios have improved markedly”.
“Overall, these achievements would not have been possible without the dedication of approximately 14,000 Ecobank employees across Africa, who have embraced our ongoing transformation and prioritised meeting our customers’ needs. I am proud of their efforts “, he concluded.
