Ecobank Group builds momentum in H1 2026, reports $423m profit before tax
Ecobank Group Plc on Wednesday announced its financial results for the first half of 2026, delivering resilient performance despite a challenging operating environment marked by geopolitical and macroeconomic pressures.
The Group reported net revenue of $1.3 billion, up 15per cent year-on-year, and profit before tax of
$423 million, up six per cent, supported by disciplined execution, operational efficiency and the strength of its diversified pan-African franchise.
Alongside this growth, the Group improved operational efficiency with a record cost-to-income ratio down 48.4per cent.
The net revenue growth was underpinned by strong performances across both Corporate & Investment Banking and Consumer’s Commercial Banking. Non-interest revenue continued to provide resilience, accounting for more than 41per cent of total revenues, while return on average tangible equity (ROTE) remained robust at 21.1 per cent.
The Group continued to strengthen its position as one of Africa’s leading payments banks.
Payment revenues grew 10per cent, driven by higher wholesale payment volumes, increased merchant acquiring activity and continued growth in card-based services.
Meanwhile, the value of digital transactions rose 33per cent, reflecting sustained customer adoption of Ecobank’s digital platforms and payment solutions.
Performance showed broad-based growth across Ecobank’s diversified pan-African network. Central, Eastern and Southern Africa (CESA) delivered the strongest performance with net revenue increasing 20per cent to $470 million, while Anglophone West Africa (AWA) recorded a 16% increase in net revenue to $372 million. Francophone West Africa (UEMOA) remained resilient with net revenue rising six per cent to $382 million. Nigeria delivered net revenue growth of 23per cent, while we continued to take actions to strengthen asset quality.
Customer confidence in the Group continued to strengthen during the period, with customer
deposits increased by $3.1 billion year-on-year to $27 billion. Low-cost current and savings account (CASA) deposits now account for 85per cent of total deposits, supporting improved funding costs, while the Group maintained strong capital and liquidity buffers to support lending and future growth.
During this period, Ecobank further strengthened its sustainability leadership through the successful issuance of a $450 million Nature Bond on the London Stock Exchange, the world’s first International Capital Market Association (ICMA)-designated Nature Bond from a commercial bank. The issuance was nearly four times oversubscribed, attracting more than $1.36 billion in demand from African and international investors, with proceeds supporting sustainable agriculture, natural capital and water infrastructure across 24 markets.
Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, Jeremy Awori in a statement said: “Despite global political tensions pushing up energy prices and driving increases in inflation in many of our markets, we remained focused on strategic efficiency measures and putting our customers first as we implemented our transformation agenda, and this helped drive our overall performance.”
He added: “In line with our strategy, we made disciplined investments in the tools, systems, and talent
that help our people work smarter, strengthen operational efficiency, drive sales and deliver better outcomes for customers across the Group. We continued to invest in our technology foundation to scale our payments, data, and digital services, with support from our strategic partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate execution.
“Our focus on our technology architecture, redesigned to be modern, cloud-based, API-first, mobile-first, and AI-enabled, remains key to delivering best-in-class customer experiences whilst ensuring future flexibility and competitiveness.”
As Ecobank enters the second half of the year, the Group’s leadership continues to be recognised across Africa and globally.
