Six Nigerian Banks Pay ₦1.27tn Dividends as CBN Restrictions Stop Others

Six listed Nigerian banks paid a combined ₦1.27 trillion in dividends for the 2025 financial year, led by GTCO and Zenith Bank. GTCO distributed about ₦429.83 billion, while Zenith paid ₦410.70 billion. Stanbic IBTC, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Wema Bank and FCMB also made payments. Five other profitable listed banks did not pay dividends after failing to meet some Central Bank of Nigeria prudential requirements. Analysts said the restrictions were linked to capital adequacy, loan-loss provisions, exposure limits, foreign debt obligations and the ongoing banking-sector recapitalisation exercise. The 11 major banks on the Nigerian Exchange recorded about ₦6.4 trillion in combined profit before tax in 2025, down from ₦6.7 trillion in 2024, even as gross earnings rose to ₦26.4 trillion. Analysts say withholding dividends may disappoint income-focused investors in the short term, but retaining earnings could strengthen affected banks and support future growth.

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