Guaranty Trust Holding Company's (GTCO) fintech arm, HabariPay, has announced a robust financial performance for the year 2025, achieving a profit after tax of N9.7 billion. This figure represents a substantial 155% surge compared to the N3.8 billion profit recorded in 2024.
The impressive profit growth is underpinned by a significant increase in operating income. HabariPay's gross revenue for 2025 climbed by 122% to N12.9 billion, a notable rise from the N5.8 billion reported in the previous year. This growth was observed across all key income streams.
Operating expenses for the fintech company also saw an increase, doubling to N3.2 billion in 2025 from N1.6 billion in 2024. Despite this, HabariPay reported no loan impairment charges or taxation during the period, highlighting its efficient business model.
HabariPay's profit of N9.7 billion constitutes 1.1% of GTCO's total profit after tax for 2025, which amounted to N865 billion. GTCO's gross earnings for the year reached N2.215 trillion, a slight increase of 0.09% year-on-year from N2.15 trillion in 2024. Interest income contributed significantly to this, rising to N1.6 trillion from N1.3 trillion in 2024, with loans and advances to customers forming the largest portion at N559.3 billion.
In parallel developments within Nigeria's financial technology and markets sector, Bayse Markets, described as Africa’s largest prediction market platform, has launched new financial markets. These include USD/NGN, GBP/USD, and EUR/USD markets designed to allow Nigerian participants to trade on currency outcomes.
Bayse Markets aims to address the fragmentation and regulatory friction that have historically hindered formal forex trading in Nigeria. The platform allows users to trade on currency movements without requiring a forex broker, leverage, or a naira-funded forex account. For instance, a market question like “Will USD/NGN close above ₦1,400 by June 30, 2026?” allows participants to buy shares based on their predictions, with YES shares trading at ₦68 and NO shares at ₦32, offering a potential profit of ₦32 per share if the prediction is correct.
This new offering provides a mechanism for profiting from FX theses without the traditional infrastructure barriers, allowing for the sale of positions before resolution based on shifts in implied probability.
