CBN Profit Rise To ₦86.81bn As Assets Rise To ₦138.66tn

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recorded a Bank-level operating surplus of ₦86.81 billion in the 2025 financial year, representing a 47.6 per cent decline from the ₦165.69 billion posted in 2024, even as the Group’s surplus rose sharply to ₦108.13 billion from ₦38.84 billion, reflecting stronger consolidated performance.

The figures, contained in the CBN’s 2025 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, also showed a significant expansion in the apex bank’s balance sheet, with total Bank assets increasing by 18.1 per cent to ₦138.66 trillion from ₦117.44 trillion in 2024. Group assets also grew by about 18 per cent to ₦138.86 trillion, while total liabilities expanded to ₦138.07 trillion for the Bank and ₦137.92 trillion for the Group.

The report attributed the Bank’s mixed financial performance to lower operating surplus despite higher income, noting that total income stood at ₦9.76 trillion during the year.

“Profitability was mixed. The Bank recorded total income of ₦9.76tn and a surplus of ₦86.81bn, below the ₦165.69bn Bank surplus in 2024. At Group level, surplus improved to ₦108.13bn from ₦38.84bn. Under Section 22 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, ₦69.45bn – 80% of the Bank’s 2025 operating surplus – was due to the Federal Government,” the report stated.

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On the external sector, the report showed that gross external reserves rose to $45.75 billion at the end of 2025 from $40.19 billion in 2024, providing 8.77 months of import cover for goods and services and 13.33 months for goods only.

However, despite the stronger reserve position, net foreign assets declined by 1.42 per cent to ₦31.51 trillion from ₦31.96 trillion in the previous year due to an increase in liabilities to non-residents.

“The increase in headline gross reserves should not be read as an equivalent increase in the economy’s net external asset buffer,” the report noted, explaining that the decline in net foreign assets was mainly driven by a 4.22 per cent increase in liabilities to non-residents.

The report also highlighted an improvement in the CBN’s exposure to the Federal Government, with claims on the Central Government through debt securities falling to ₦26.40 trillion from ₦26.74 trillion in 2024, representing a decline of about ₦348.6 billion.

It clarified, however, that the published financial statements did not separately disclose a standalone year-end Ways and Means balance.

“The defensible conclusion from the report is therefore that Ways & Means advances fell during 2025, not that ₦26.395tn represents the Ways & Means account itself,” the report stated.

The review further showed that the CBN’s paid-up capital and reserves declined to ₦599.24 billion from ₦728.24 billion a year earlier, despite the expansion of its balance sheet.

Summarising the financial year, the report said gross external reserves strengthened significantly, while net foreign assets weakened slightly, Bank-level profitability declined, Group profitability improved substantially, and the reduction in Ways and Means advances reflected progress towards stronger monetary and fiscal discipline.