Non-performing Loans (NPLs) rose to N478 billion in four major banks in the country in the first half (H1) of the year.
Guaranty Trust Bank Holding Plc (GTCO), FBN Holdings Plc, FCMB Group Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc reported billion in NPLs in the period under review, representing a 16 percent increase from the N413.36 billion filed on December 31, 2022.
A breakdown of the report shows FBN Holdings with approximately 4.3 percent NPL ratio and a gross loan portfolio of N5.26 trillion reported an increase in NPLs from N204.29 billion in 2022 to N226.24 billion during the first half of 2023.
This represents an increase from the 5.4 percent NPL ratio and N3.79 trillion gross loans & advances reported in the previous financial year.
GTCO, in its financial disclosure, reported N115.29 billion in NPLs as of H1 2023, up from N102.37 billion in 2022.
The bank’s presentation to investors and analysts highlighted that the Group’s IFRS 9 Stage 3 loans decreased to 4.6 percent (Bank: 3.6 percent) in H1-2023 from 5.2 percent (Bank: 4.7 percent) in 2022. Notably, the highest NPLs were observed in the Individuals and Others sectors, at 20.9 percent and 30.96 percent, respectively.
Fidelity Bank on the other hand reported N84.73 billion in NPLs as of H1 2023, up from N61.37 billion while FCMB Group declared N52.66 billion in NPLs during the same period, an increase from N45.01 billion in 2022.
Banks in Nigeria have continued to grapple with non-performing loans, leading them to write off such loans. Concurrently, lenders have been debiting the accounts of debtors who have been reluctant to meet their obligations, all aimed at reducing the volume of non-performing loans.
In response to this challenge, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the Global Standing Instruction (GSI) guideline in 2020. The GSI empowers banks to recover outstanding principal and interest from any account maintained by the debtor across all financial institutions in Nigeria upon default.
In a recent report, Kingsley Obiora, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, noted that despite a decrease in the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) to 11.2 percent in 2023 from 14.1 percent, it still exceeded the prudential requirement of 10.0 percent.
The Liquidity Ratio (LR) also remained above the regulatory minimum, increasing significantly from 42.6 percent in June 2022 to 48.4 percent in June 2023.
The Nigerian banking sector faces significant challenges with rising non-performing loans, but regulatory measures and prudent management strategies remain in place to maintain stability and protect the interests of both banks and their customers.
