GTB targets N125bn PBT in 2016, to focus on retail customers

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc says it is targeting a profit before tax of N125 billion for its full year ending December 2016, and will also focus on the retail end of the market to optimize returns.

The bank also said it hopes to be the best-run-bank in the banking industry within the year, while maintaining a very high standard of corporate governance and compliance to relevant laws and policies.

Speaking at a forum with business editors in Lagos, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said the bank would focus on growing small and medium enterprises (SME) business by lowering cost of funds and maintaining margin.

He stated that GTB will also focus on increasing the contribution of its subsidiaries to Group's PBT and optimizing revenue as well as minimizing cost of its subsidiaries.

'We will grow risk assets of our institutional banking business and non-performing loans (NPL)  below of below five percent,' he said, adding that the bank would leverage technological advancement to keep cost low.

Reviewing 2015 full year financial result, the GTB boss said the bank achieved best in class shareholders return and asset deployment as post-tax Return on average Equity (ROaE) and Return on average Asset (ROaA) closed at 25.6 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively, adding that subsidiaries' contribution to the profit before tax (PBT) closed at 6.9 per cent versus 7.2 per cent in FY 2014.

Also, the bank recorded gross earnings of N301.9 billion, representing 8.4 per cent increase from N278.5 billion recorded in the previous year.

The bank's profit before tax (PBT) and profit after tax (PAT) rose by 3.7 per cent and 5.3 per cent respectively. While the PBT rose to N120.7 billion from N116.4 billion, PAT moved from N94.4 billion in full year 2014 to N99.4 billion in the review period.

The balance sheet result showed that GTB grew its total assets by 7.2 per cent from N2.36 trillion to N2.52 trillion. Loans and advances to customers stood at N1.37 trillion as against N1.28 trillion posted in the previous period in 2014. Vanguard