ARB Apex Bank ready for microfinance supervisory role, posts GH¢34.56m profit in 2025
The ARB Apex Bank is positioning itself to offer robust technical support and operational guidance, as well as coordinating capacity building to support the transition of community banks into the new microfinance regulatory framework.
The ARB Apex Bank is set to take on a supervisory role in the microfinance industry, following a restructuring of the microfinance and specialized deposit-taking institutions (SDI) sub-sector. This move aims to ensure the bank assumes responsibility for the entire microfinance ecosystem, which now includes microfinance banks, credit unions, and last-mile providers. The Bank of Ghana announced the comprehensive restructuring this year, positioning the ARB Apex Bank as a central policy tool for the industry.
In 2025, the bank reported a Profit Before Tax of GH¢34.56 million, reflecting a 35 percent growth in profits within a single year. Total assets increased by 136.8 percent, reaching GH¢5.40 billion, driven by improved deposit levels, stronger liquidity flows, and strategic investment activities. Deposits grew to GH¢5.13 billion, representing a 143.1 percent increase compared to 2024.
The bank's loans and advances expanded by 47.9 percent, while investments grew by 114.5 percent, resulting in a significant profit after tax of GH¢46.97 million, a 135.94 percent increase from the previous year.
Despite the financial success, the bank decided not to pay a dividend for 2025, citing the impacts of the Domestic Debt Exchange Program, which resulted in an accumulated loss for the year. Managing Director Curtis William Brantuo remains optimistic about declaring dividends in the future as the bank projects significant gains in the coming years to rectify the negative retained earnings.
To strengthen its capital position, the bank has made prudent earnings retention, disciplined balance sheet management, and improved asset quality. The community banks have contributed GH¢5.00 million per annum to raise the targeted GH¢25.00 million in five years. Out of the donated GH¢1,129,591, a substantial amount was spent on socially responsible activities, including health-related cases, a kidney transplant, national support for helicopter crash victims' families, and educational support and community-based activities.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
