Stanbic IBTC H1 2026 profit jumps 40% to N341.5B on trading boom, N4.50 dividend
Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc reported H1 2026 results showing profit before tax surged 40.13% to N341.57 billion, with profit after tax up 38.20% to N239.68 billion. The Board recommended an interim dividend of N4.50 per share—an 80% increase from N2.50 in H1 2025.
Strong non-interest revenue drove growth, particularly trading income which swung from a N856 million loss to N126.36 billion gain. Net fee and commission revenue rose 27.08% to N145.26 billion. However, interest income fell 5.40% to N359.10 billion while interest expenses jumped 34.98% to N92.83 billion, pushing net interest income down 14.34% to N266.28 billion. Operating expenses increased 9.11% to N195.38 billion.
Total assets grew to N10.91 trillion (+26.59%), with trading assets exploding 235.42% to N2.89 trillion. Customer deposits rose to N4.63 trillion (+5.90%) and loans to N2.59 trillion (+8.82%). Stanbic IBTC's share price has gained ~64% year-to-date to around N164.00.
With trading now a major profit engine and dividends rising sharply, should you view this as sustainable growth benefiting from market volatility, or worry about declining core banking income and whether the stock's current valuation reflects realistic future earnings?