FCMB posts N177bn profit, pays N23bn dividend

Shareholders of FCMB Group Plc have approved a total dividend payout of N23.08bn for the 2025 financial year following strong profit growth and improved earnings across the group’s businesses.

The approval was granted at the company’s 13th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos recently, where shareholders also endorsed all resolutions presented by the board, including the re-election of Mr Ladi Jadesimi and the ratification of Mrs Adepeju Adebajo as directors. They also elected members of the Audit Committee and authorised the directors to determine the remuneration of the external auditors.

The approval followed a year in which the financial services group recorded higher earnings despite a challenging operating environment.

FCMB Group reported a profit before tax of N202.1bn for the year ended December 31, 2025, representing an 81 per cent increase from N111.9bn recorded in the previous year. Profit after tax rose by 142 per cent to N177.3bn, while gross revenue increased by 42.5 per cent to N1.13tn. Return on equity improved to 23.2 per cent.

The group also reported growth across its major business divisions. Profit before tax in the Banking Group rose by 110 per cent, while Consumer Finance, Investment Banking and Investment Management recorded growth of 107 per cent, 90 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively. According to the company, the momentum continued into the first quarter of 2026.

Chairman of FCMB Group, Ladi Jadesimi, said the results reflected the resilience of the group’s diversified business model.

“We remain steadfast in our objective of balancing immediate shareholder returns with the need to retain sufficient capital to support long-term expansion, strengthen our competitive positioning and optimise value creation for all stakeholders,” Jadesimi said.

The Group Chief Executive, Ladi Balogun, attributed the 2025 performance to collaboration across the group’s business segments.

“2025 was a transformative year for FCMB Group – one in which we witnessed the true impact of ‘The Power of the Group’. A core driver of our performance in 2025 was the effective synergy across our business groups: Banking Group, Consumer Finance, Investment Banking, and Investment Management, each playing a distinct yet complementary role in delivering business growth,” Balogun said.

“Our focus remains firmly on deepening our digital transformation, strengthening our culture of excellence, and amplifying the collective power of our ecosystem.”

Balogun added that the completion of the group’s recapitalisation programme had positioned the organisation for its next phase of long-term growth.

Shareholder representatives commended the board and management for the company’s financial performance and dividend payment.

The National Coordinator of the Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs Bisi Bakare, said the dividend reflected management’s commitment to delivering value to shareholders despite prevailing economic challenges.

The National Chairman of the Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr Boniface Okezie, said the group continued to support small businesses and women-owned enterprises, noting that FCMB provided N537.5bn in financing to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2025, including N51bn to women-owned businesses.

Another shareholder, Mr Eric Akinduro, highlighted the improvement in the group’s asset quality, noting that its non-performing loan ratio declined to five per cent from 5.95 per cent.

FCMB also reported that total assets rose by 8.2 per cent to N7.63tn, while consumer and SME lending increased by 24 per cent to N930bn. Assets under management grew by 24.2 per cent to N1.70tn.

The approved dividend was paid on July 30, 2026, to shareholders whose names appeared in the register of members at the close of business on June 15, 2026.