Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), Nigeria’s most valuable banking group, has injected ₦365.9 billion ($238.7 million) into its subsidiary, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), to comply with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new minimum capital requirement for banks with international authorisation.
The injection, funded through GTCO’s two-phased equity capital raising programme approved in 2024, increases GTBank’s share capital from ₦138.2 billion ($90.1 million) to ₦504.0 billion ($328.8 million) — surpassing the CBN’s ₦500 billion threshold
“The excess capital of ₦4.0 billion ($26.4 million) will be deployed to expand the bank’s branch network, grow assets (loans, advances, and investment securities), strengthen Information and Communication infrastructure, and seize emerging market opportunities in Nigeria and across its operating regions,” the group said in a statement on Friday.
GTBank issued and allotted 6.99 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to its parent company, leaving GTCO’s ownership at 100%. No director of GTCO holds a direct or indirect interest in the bank.
The move comes weeks after GTCO’s dual listing on the London Stock Exchange, which cemented its position as Nigeria’s most valuable banking group. As of Thursday, the group’s market capitalisation stood at ₦3.35 trillion ($2.19bn), with shares trading at ₦92 ($0.06) — ahead of all local competitors, according to data from the African Stock Exchange.
“GTCO shares have risen 61.5% year-to-date, climbing from ₦57 ($0.04) at the start of 2025, ranking it 69th on the Nigerian Exchange for year-to-date performance,” the real-time trading platform said.
The group remains financially strong, reporting a ₦258 billion ($168.2 million) profit in Q1 2025, up 61% year-on-year. Its loan portfolio expanded 15.5% to ₦3.2 trillion ($2.08 billion), while customer deposits grew 8.6% to ₦11.3 trillion ($7.36 billion). GTCO’s capital adequacy ratio stood at 39.3%, one of the highest in Nigeria’s banking sector. The first half of 2025 results are expected later this month.
With presence in ten countries and a growing portfolio of non-banking subsidiaries, the group is leaning on digital innovation, regional expansion, and strategic restructuring to drive future growth.
Note: All figures converted using the official exchange rate of ₦1,533/$1 as of Aug. 28, 2025.
