UBA Records 115% Growth in Gross Earnings
— PBT Grew by 263% to $757.84m
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has once again announced a splendid performance in its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ending on September 30, 2023, recording impressive growth across all key performance metrics.
The bank's gross earnings, which mirror the remarkable performance achieved in the first two quarters of the current fiscal year, grew by 115.2 percent to US$1.98 billion, up from the US$1.4 billion recorded last year, while operating income rose by 146 percent from US$951.87 million in September 2022 to US$1.54 billion in the current year.
The bank's financial report filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited indicated a whopping 262% rise in Profit before Tax (PBT) to close at US$757.84 million compared to US$318.36 million recorded at the end of the third quarter of 2022, while profit after tax also rose impressively by 287.2% from US$266.64 million recorded a year earlier to US$678.13 million, massively surpassing its annualized return on average equity for Q3 2023 at 131 percent to 44.37%.
As in the preceding quarters, UBA continues to maintain a very strong balance sheet, with Total Assets rising to US$20.9 billion, representing a 49.5% increase over the US$14 billion recorded at the end of December 2022, just as the bank benefited largely from its technology-led initiatives targeted at improving customer experience over the past few years, with Customer Deposits rising to US$14.97 billion, representing a 48.6% rise, up from US$10.04 billion at the end of the last financial year.
UBA shareholders' funds remained very strong at US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.19 billion recorded in December 2022, again reflecting a strong capacity for internal capital generation and growth.
Commenting on the results, UBA's Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, remarked that the Group has once again shown sustainable and remarkable improvement in key performance metrics over the period, reflecting its commitment to delivering value to shareholders and various stakeholders. He said, "This significant improvement is attributed to the impact of FX harmonization, efficient balance sheet management, and our service-focused strategies. Our banking operations outside of Nigeria have continued to capture the broader business opportunities inherent across, and beyond Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking on plans and strategies to sustain and surpass the performance at the end of the year, the GMD explained that the bank will continue to leverage its customer-centric strategies, speed to market, and innovation to consolidate market share in its various jurisdictions, as he pledged the bank's commitment towards expanding and deepening digital and other transactional banking offerings while building strategic alliances to take advantage of emerging opportunities in due time.
"Looking ahead, we are optimistic that the growth trajectory will be sustained in the final quarter of the year as we remain focused on consolidating the gains achieved so far in delivering enhanced returns to our shareholders," Alawuba pointed out.
The bank's Executive Director, Finance & Risk, Ugo Nwaghodoh, said, "Our performance in the third quarter demonstrates the strong momentum of the Bank, as we deliver continuous improvements across our businesses and key performance metrics. This is reflective of the combined impact of higher asset yields, modest funding cost, and balance sheet optimization.
Speaking on UBA's strategy for excellent performance by the end of the 2023 financial year, Nwaghodoh said, "Notwithstanding changes in the monetary and fiscal regime in some of our markets, we remain committed to driving sustainable and improved performance across our various business segments."
The United Bank for Africa is a leading Pan-African financial institution, offering banking services to more than twenty-five (25) million customers across 1,000 business offices and customer touchpoints in 20 African countries. With a presence in New York, London, Paris, and Dubai, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross-border payments and remittances, trade finance, and ancillary banking services.