By Seun Ibiyemi
The fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, HabariPay, posted a profit after tax of N9.7 billion for the 2025 financial year, marking a significant 155 per cent increase from the N3.8 billion recorded in 2024.
The performance was disclosed in the company’s recently released full-year financial results, which attributed the sharp rise in profitability to strong growth in operating income during the period under review.
According to the report, HabariPay’s gross revenue surged by 122 per cent to N12.9 billion in 2025, up from N5.8 billion in the previous year.
The growth was driven by expansion across all major income lines, reflecting increased adoption of its digital payment and e-commerce services.
Operating expenses also rose during the period, doubling to N3.2 billion from N1.6 billion in 2024, as the company scaled its operations.
Despite the increase in costs, the fintech recorded no loan impairment charges or taxation, highlighting what it described as a lean and efficient business model.
HabariPay’s contribution to the group remained relatively modest, accounting for 1.1 per cent of GTCO’s total profit after tax, which stood at N865 billion for the year.
The group’s gross earnings rose marginally by 0.09 per cent year-on-year to N2.215 trillion, compared to N2.15 trillion recorded in 2024. Interest income climbed to N1.6 trillion from N1.3 trillion, with loans and advances to customers contributing N559.3 billion.
Investment securities also made a significant contribution, generating N489.4 billion at fair value through other comprehensive income and N269.2 billion at amortised cost.
HabariPay’s growth reflects the evolution of GTCO’s digital strategy. Originally launched in 2018 as “Habari,” a super-app offering streaming and e-commerce services, the platform initially struggled to gain traction among users.
Read also:Electricity consumers owe DisCos over ₦63bn in January – NERC
However, following a corporate restructuring in 2020 and the transition of Guaranty Trust Bank into a holding company in 2021, HabariPay emerged as a standalone fintech entity focused on payments, marketplace services, and support for small businesses.
Its flagship product, Squad, which integrates a payment gateway, e-commerce platform, and point-of-sale solutions, has positioned the company in direct competition with major industry players such as Interswitch, Paystack, and Flutterwave in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital payments space.
