Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Chief Executive Officer, Segun Agbaje, has declared that the group is no longer apprehensive about the competitive threat posed by fintech companies. This confidence stems from the robust performance of its digital payments subsidiary, HabariPay.

Agbaje shared these remarks during an interview with Nairametrics CEO, Ugo Obi-Chukwu, on the sidelines of GTCO’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos. His comments follow HabariPay's significant achievement of recording a profit of N9.7 billion in 2025, underscoring GTCO’s expanding footprint in Nigeria’s digital payments sector.

Agbaje explained that GTCO initially perceived the rapid emergence of fintech companies as a substantial disruption risk. In response, the group strategically developed its own digital platform to vie for market share.

“Everybody was really nervous about fintech, so we built our own speed boat. That’s Habari,” Agbaje stated. He further elaborated, “Habari is competing very, very effectively and it means we are not scared about the threat of fintechs any longer. We have a very strong engine to compete with them.”

He characterized 2025 as a strong year for the GTCO group, highlighting the sustained solidity of its earnings quality and core operations. Agbaje also noted that the bank’s recent performance serves as validation for its long-term strategic direction, particularly during a period of investor skepticism towards the stock.

“I remember we were trying to get people to buy this stock at 44 Naira and we’re trying to convince them. I think what has happened is vindication for us,” he added.

Earlier, Agbaje had disclosed that GTCO's top three most profitable non-banking subsidiaries in 2025 were in the fintech, asset management, and pensions sectors. HabariPay stood out as the leading performer among these non-bank entities.