Nigerian lender, Unity Bank Plc, have said it is targeting to achieve N20.86 billion gross earnings during the first quarter (Q1) of 2023.
This projection is contained in its Q1 2023 earnings forecast released via the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).
The lender also projected to rake in N17.04 billion in interest income. Targets for Profits Before Tax and Profit After Tax were put at N367.61 million and N336.37 million, respectively.
Provision for taxation for the period was put at N31.25 million, even as interest expense was projected at N6.63 billion.
Unity Bank recorded an N2.2 billion profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, with a 17 per cent growth in gross earnings to N42.2 billion as against N36.2 billion in the corresponding period of 2021.
The bank explained that the increase in earnings was due to new products that are focused on deep penetration and driving volume in the retail market space.
The unaudited nine-month results also showed that the profit before tax rose by five per cent to close at N2.206 billion.
The Bank also recorded an equal marginal growth in its Profit After Tax which increased to N2.029 billion, representing a five per cent rise from N1.9 billion recorded in the same period of 2021.
Unity Bank Plc maintained growth momentum as total loans and advances as of September 30, 2022, reported N284.2 billion, which represents a 6 per cent increase from the N269.3 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.
Commenting on the result, the Managing Director/CEO of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tomi Somefun, noted that the growth trajectory recorded in the Bank’s revenue was a testament to the positive sentiment in the market, especially at a time the market is experiencing a downturn with high inflationary trend and volatility which impacts negatively on the operating environment.