Zenith Bank to Install Brand New IT Architecture

Amid transaction hitches that hit several banks at the height of the cash crisis, one of Nigeria’s biggest banks, Zenith Bank has begun the process of installing a brand-new IT infrastructure to cope with teaming customer demand. 

This follows the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s swift move towards cashless transactions that exposed the infrastructure capability of some traditional commercial banks.

Recall that the Nigerian banking public is expressing disappointment over their inability to perform normal transactions on electronic channels in real time due to what they describe as weak Information Technology infrastructure in banks that are unable to withstand increased customer transactions.

Mobile app transactions that  normally take less than a second now takes between 30 minutes and four hours depending on how lucky the user is and  many  have taken to social media to vent their anger on banks.

All banks need to do is to upgrade their IT infrastructures to accommodate the sudden surge in online transactions. 

An insider who does not want his name in the print said that Zenith Bank is making frantic effort to address the address the problem through IT infrastructure upgrade.

Currently, Zenith Bank is Nigeria’s largest bank by profitability and a member of the Tier 1 Banks (FUGAZ).

Recently, the bank announced its audited results for the year ending December 31, 2022, achieving an impressive double-digit growth of 24% in gross earnings from NGN765.6 billion reported in the previous year to NGN945.5 billion in 2022. This is despite excruciating the challenging macroeconomic environment and headwinds.

According to the audited financial results for the 2022 financial year presented to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), the double-digit growth in gross earnings was driven by a 26% year-on-year (YoY) growth in interest income from NGN427.6 billion to N540.2 billion and a 23% year-on-year (YoY) growth in non-interest income from NGN309 billion to NGN381 billion. Profit before tax also grew by 2% from NGN280.4 billion to NGN284.7 billion in the current year. The increase in profit before tax was due to the significant growth in all the income lines.

Impairments grew by 107% from NGN59.9 billion to NGN124.2 billion, while interest expense grew 63% YoY from N106.8 billion to N173.5 billion, respectively.

The impairment growth, which also resulted in an increase in the cost of risk (from 1.9% in 2021 to 3.3% in the current year), was due to the impact of Ghana’s sovereign debt restructuring programme. The growth in interest expense increased the cost of funds from 1.5% in 2021 to 1.9% in 2022 due to hikes in interest rates globally.

Customer deposits increased by 39%, growing from NGN6.47 trillion in the previous year to NGN8.98 trillion in the current year. The growth in customer deposits came from all products and deposit segments (corporate and retail), thus consolidating the bank’s market leadership and indicating customers’ trust.

The continued elevated yield environment positively impacted the bank’s Net-Interest-Margin (NIM), which grew from 6.7% to 7.2% due to an effective reprising of interest-bearing assets.

Operating expenses grew by 17% YoY, but growth remains below the inflation rate. Total assets increased by 30%, growing from NGN9.45 trillion in 2021 to NGN12.29 trillion, mainly driven by growth in customer deposits.

With the steady and continued recovery in economic activities, the Group prudently grew its gross loans by 20%, from NGN3.5 trillion in 2021 to NGN4.1 trillion in 2022, which increased the Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio modestly from 4.2% to 4.3% YoY.

The capital adequacy ratio decreased from 21% to 19%, while the liquidity ratio improved from 71.2% to 75%. Both prudential ratios are well above regulatory thresholds.

In 2023, the Group intends to expand its frontiers as it also reorganises into a holding company structure, adding new verticals to its businesses and growing in all its chosen markets, both locally and internationally.

As a testament to its commitment to shareholders, the bank has announced a proposed final dividend pay-out of N2.90 per share, bringing the total dividend to N3.20 per share.