At the meeting, the bank announced a 33% increase in profit before tax to GHS322 million for 2019, representing an “impressive growth” from the GHS242 million recorded in 2018.
Speaking at the virtual AGM, the Board Chairman of Fidelity Bank, Edward Effah, stated that “2019 was a good year for Fidelity Bank, in spite of the uncertainties that characterised the financial services industry in Ghana”, adding: “Each of our three strategic business units – Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking and Financial & Capital Markets – registered significant growth during the year”.
“We would not have been able to record these financial achievements without the support of our customers and for that I thank all of our customers for contributing to our continued success”, Mr Effah added.
He further shared that: “Our balance sheet remains one of the largest and strongest in the country, as we closed the year with a balance sheet size of GHS10.48 billion, up from the 2018 asset balance of GHS 7.02 billion.”
Mr Effah also noted that: “The bank is sufficiently capitalised and will continue to execute our medium term strategy, while making the appropriate investments in our people, culture and technology to better serve our clients.”
In addition to presenting strong financial results, the bank addressed the impact of COVID-19 and its focus on protecting its employees, helping its customers and supporting national efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Julian Opuni, assured the shareholders that Fidelity Bank has thoroughly assessed the potential impact of the pandemic and has put in place measures to mitigate the risks to its operations and customers.