Prime Business Africa
Poor revenue growth and trade loss led to a decline in Zenith Bank’s pre-tax profit in 2025, but a decrease in the financial institution’s tax expense gave the company’s bottom line a lifeline.
Between January and December last year, Zenith Bank recorded gross earnings of N4.19 trillion, surpassing the N3.97 trillion generated in 2024, representing a 5.56 percent increase.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelDuring the period under review, Zenith Bank earned N3.67 trillion from Internet and similar income, according to the company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025.
The interest and similar income increased by 34.96 percent from the previous year’s N2.72 trillion, compared to the 4.12 percent rise in the lender’s interest and similar expense.
Zenith Bank had incurred N1.03 trillion in interest and similar expense between the first quarter (Q1) and the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, compared to the N992.47 billion sustained in the corresponding period in 2024.
Consequently, net interest income surged to N2.63 trillion last year, exceeding the N1.72 trillion reported between January and December 2025, indicating a 52.67 percent growth.
However, Zenith Bank recorded an impairment charge of N742.18 billion on financial instruments during the period under review, rising by 12.96 percent when compared against the N657 billion posted in 2024.
This left the bank with net interest income after impairment charge of N1.89 trillion in 2025, which is more than the N1.07 trillion reported the year before, reflecting a 77 percent increase.
Also, the company reported N291.8 billion earned from net income on fees and commission, which saw an increase of 41.05 percent between Q1 and Q4 of last year, compared to the N206.86 billion posted in 2024.
However, the company’s earnings was dented by a N63.11 billion trading losses last year, as Zenith Bank failed to replicate the N1.10 trillion trading gains recorded between January and December 2024.
The trading loss impacted the company’s pre-tax profit, which dropped to N1.26 trillion in 2025, below the N1.32 trillion recorded as profit before tax (PBT) in 2024, representing a 4.78 percent decline.
Following the decline in PBT, Zenith Bank’s income tax expense reduced to N222.82 billion during the period under review, compared to the N293.95 billion paid as taxes in 2024.
The 24.19 percent decline in Zenith Bank’s tax income supported the profit after tax (PAT,), which increased to N1.04 trillion in 2025, up from N1.03 trillion in 2024, representing a 0.74 percent growth.
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Prime Business Africa is a business, economy and policy news platform founded in 2021 by veteran journalist and media scholar, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, after he left The Guardian as Editor.
Dr Mbamalu, who serves as Founder and Publisher, set up Prime Business Africa to deliver sharp, data-driven reporting on Nigeria’s markets, trade, investment, and governance trends for decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders.
He also writes The Bottom Line, a backpage column for Punch Newspaper every Thursday.
Under his leadership, Prime Business Africa combines deep newsroom experience with a focus on accountability journalism, aiming to bridge information gaps between Africa’s private sector and the global economy.
