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Shareholders approve Union Bank’s plan to raise N50billion in Tier 1 capital

By on May 12, 2017

Shareholders at the 48th Annual General Meeting  of Union Bank Plc has concluded plan to raise about N50 billion in Tier 1 capital via rights issue in the second quarter of 2017.

The plan, according to them, is to accelerate business growth and position the bank as a leading commercial bank in Nigeria.

“The additional funding will also allow the bank to maintain compliance with regulatory capital requirements,” they affirmed on Wednesday.

The bank reported a profit after tax (PAT) of N15.4billion on gross earnings of ₦126.6 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2016 compared with a PAT of ₦14.3 billion on gross earnings of ₦117.2 billion in the corresponding period of 2015. This represents a growth of 8 percent in net profit and in earnings respectively.

Highlights of the bank’s financial performance in 2016 show that interest income grew by eight percent to ₦98 billion from ₦90.9 billion in 2015, as a result of growth in the loan book and improved asset yields while non-interest revenue also moved up by nine percent to ₦28.6 billon from ₦26.2 billion in 2015 owing to income from e-business channels.

Operating expenses (OPEX) increased by seven percent to ₦62 billion from ₦57.9 billion in 2015 due to inflationary and devaluation pressures and ongoing investments in the bank’s technology and network infrastructure while gross loans grew by 38 percent to ₦535.8 billion compared to ₦388.8 billion in 2015.

Speaking on the Group’s results for the year, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Emeka Emuwa said: “In 2016, we focused on executing our priorities across all our business segments, especially in the retail space, with an aggressive strategy to increase adoption of our alternate channels. Our success in this area, along with improved core interest earnings, contributed to pre-tax profit growth of 6% compared to 2015.

“While the operating environment remains a challenge, we are focused on our 2017 priorities which include raising Tier 1 capital to execute our growth agenda across our retail, commercial and corporate businesses, particularly transaction banking and value chain.”

 

[Daily Trust]