OmniBSIC Bank has extended its profitability by one more quarter, in an impressive streak of gains that have now become part of the bank’s brand.

The indigenous lender posted a gross profit of GH¢36.93 million in the third quarter of this year to sustain its profit run and cement a turnaround that begun in the first quarter of 2022.

The significant profit posted in the third quarter was contained in the bank’s financial statement published this week. It compares to a loss of GH¢10.44 million that the bank suffered in the same period last year, the statement showed.

This now makes it the third quarterly profit in a row by the bank after it posted its maiden profit of GH¢8.69 million in the first quarter of this year.

In the second quarter, OmniBSIC grew the profit significantly to GH¢25.04 million before stretching it further to GH¢36.93 million in the quarter under review.

Strategic business

The Managing Director of OmniBSIC, Daniel Asiedu, said in an interview on October 13 that the higher profit was the result of the hard work and commitment of the bank’s board, management and staff.
Mr Asiedu was optimistic that the trend would continue into the fourth quarter for the bank to post its first annual profit.

He said the team at OmniBSIC had committed to offering exceptional products and services to customers and that was now being rewarded with the strong performance.

“We also look for strategic business opportunities and that is what is reflecting in the growth and performance,” Mr Asiedu.

He disclosed that the bank had gone live with its new robust core banking software, which is meant to make service to customers smoother, as it allows more integration with other applications.

Impressive performance
Beyond the consistent profit, OmniBSIC’s third-quarter financial statements showed that the bank sustained its generally impressive performance.

All income lines enjoyed buoyant growth, with net trading income leading the pack. It rose from GH¢2.5 million in the third quarter of 2021 to GH¢34.8 million.

Fees and commission income also almost quadrupled from GH¢8.4 million in the third quarter of last year to about GH¢33.2 million in the same period this year.

Deposits from customers also rose from about GH¢1.2 billion in the third quarter of 2021 to almost GH¢2 billion in the same period this year.

Strong balance sheet

The results further showed that OmniBSIC has maintained its strong balance sheet and liquidity position through buoyant growth in loans and advances, investments and cash balances with counterpart banks.
It showed that the bank’s support to the economy and businesses in particular through loans and advances rose from GH¢335.7 million in the third quarter of 2021 to GH¢714.3 million in the quarter under review.
While investments rose from GH¢847.9 million to GH¢1.2 billion in the quarter under review, cash and balances with other banks ended the quarter at GH¢543.8 million up from GH¢205.9million, indicating that OmniBSIC continues to be liquid.

Supporting business

A wholly-indigenous bank, OmniBSIC was launched in 2019 as the outcome of a merger meant to consolidate operations and serve customers better.

It faced turbulence in its first years until late 2021 when the ingenuity of the board, management and staff started paying.

Mr Asiedu, who is leading the turnaround, is an astute banker with indelible footprints at Zenith Bank Ghana Limited and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), where he was the Managing Director.
He said it was obvious that the bank had turned the corner and was now keen on consolidating the performance to be able to support more businesses.

Uniqueness

Mr Asiedu said the rising deposits also showed that customers were happy with the bank’s services.
He said due to the unique nature of OmniBSIC, it was able to meet the demands of all its customers on time, resulting in more referrals.

Throwing more light on the uniqueness, the Reverend Minister and Chairman of the International Presbytery of the Fountain Gate Chapel (FGC) said in the area of foreign exchange needs of their customers, OmniBSIC was able to deliver upon request and that led to higher businesses.

He, therefore, appealed to the general public and businesses, in particular, to endeavour to experience the bank by requesting its services and products in the outlets nationwide.