May 18, (THEWILL) — Fidelity Bank Plc’s shares experienced a significant increase of 20.5 percent (Year-to-Date) on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) at the conclusion of trading on Friday, May 15, 2026. This highlights the rush among investors for the stock of the leading financial services firm, which demonstrated an impressive performance in its FY 2025 financial statements.
Data from the NGX showed that Fidelity Bank closed its last trading day at N22.90 per share, recording a 2.7 percent gain over its previous closing price of N22.30 per share on Thursday.
The report disclosed that Fidelity began the year with a share price of N19.00 and has since gained 20.5 percent on that price valuation, placing it among the top trading stocks with impressive performance, which attracts shareholders’ optimism.
The NGX stated that shareholders can be optimistic about FIDELITYBK knowing the stock has accrued 16 percent over the past four-week period ranking it the 44th best on NGX.
“Fidelity Bank is the 13th most traded stock on the Nigerian Stock Exchange over the past three months (Feb 11 – May 15, 2026). FIDELITYBK has traded a total volume of 1.54 billion shares—in 59,748 deals—valued at NGN 31.1 billion over the period, averaging a volume of 24.4 million shares (valued at NGN 493 million) per session,” the NGX explained in the ‘Nigerian Stock Exchange Live’ report accessed by THEWILL.
This increase has pushed its market capitalisation above the N1 trillion mark, making it a member of the prestigious Stock Worth Over One Trillion (SWOOT) league in market capitalisation.
Gregg Abimbola, a stock analyst, said, “The demand for Fidelity Bank stock among investors has surged following the release of the Group’s 2025 financial reports, which indicated remarkable growth in essential performance metrics despite a challenging operating environment. The Bank was one of the pioneers in finalizing its capital raising for the recapitalization initiative ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline, during which its share price experienced substantial growth.”
Fidelity Bank Plc recently released its audited group financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2025, reporting a pre-tax profit of N347.662 billion compared to the N385.215 billion in 2024.
The lender’s audited results showed strong growth in core banking income lines, particularly interest income, fees and commissions, and foreign currency revaluation gains.
Gross earnings rose to N1.52 trillion in 2025 from N1.04 trillion in 2024, supported by higher earnings from loans, investment securities, and digital banking channels.
A remarkable milestone was the surge in total assets which hit N10.46 trillion from N8.82 trillion, constituting an increase of 18.6 percent, supported by growth in cash balances, investment securities, and other earning assets. Customer deposits grew strongly to N6.89 trillion and continued to provide the primary funding base for the bank’s operations.
“The Bank recorded impressive growth in key areas, with customer deposits increasing to N6.89 trillion and total assets expanding to N10.46 trillion, reflecting strong customer confidence and market expansion.”
“We successfully raised M227 billion in fresh capital through a Private Placement in December 2025. This increased our eligible capital to M532.6 billion, comfortably exceeding the new CBN regulatory minimum of N500 billion for banks with international authorization,” the financial services Group said.
The milestone reflects increased customer confidence, robust liquidity buffers, and successful capital raises.
Industry analysts emphasise that larger asset base allows the bank to command a bigger share of the Nigerian financial services industry, effectively competing with legacy tier-1 banks. The expansion effectively provides a wider capital base to finance large-scale corporate and infrastructure projects as customers pay down older obligations.
They also noted that the strong balance sheets complement the bank’s successful 2025 private placement, pushing eligible capital past N561 billion to comfortably exceed the CBN’s regulatory minimum. Consistently robust balance sheets improve institutional and retail investor sentiment, attracting deeper foreign and local investments into the bank.
With cash and equivalents rising significantly to N1.32 trillion, the bank is better positioned to navigate tight monetary policies and meet immediate obligations. The N10 trillion milestone provides the operational heft necessary to drive the growth of its UK subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited, strengthening its international footprint and deepening its foothold on SME and export financing.
Fidelity Bank is widely recognised as a premier financial institution for Nigerian MSMEs, supporting them through tailored funding, capacity-building, and export advisory services. By collaborating with development banks and government agencies, the bank provides accessible, low-interest loans and comprehensive trade support for businesses expanding into global markets.
Over the years, Fidelity Bank has offered flexible loan products, including SME Quick Loans (up to N20 million) and Commercial Support Overdrafts for working capital. The bank actively disburses Federal Government MSME Intervention Funds and Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) facilities, previously deploying over N61 billion to hundreds of MSMEs.
Also, the Fidelity SME Business Incubation Programme helps early-stage, high-potential businesses by connecting them with technology and capital as the bank hosts masterclasses and training sessions to help entrepreneurs improve operational efficiency and pricing.
In partnership with the Lagos Business School and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Fidelity Bank hosts an intensive export management programme (EMP) to train exporters on trade regulations, costing, and global market competitiveness.
In this aspect, the bank assists clients with supply chain agreements, letter of credit documentation, and contract reviews to ensure risk-free processing of export transactions. Through international initiatives like the Fidelity International Trade and Creative Connect (FITCC), the bank helps local exporters connect with foreign buyers and investors.
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.
