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Guaranty Trust Bank plc, the parent company of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, has declared a profit before tax of N107.09 Billion (about USD650 million) for the financial year 2013. The banks audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2013 were announced at the Nigerian and London Stock Exchange. According to a release issued in Accra, a review of the results showed a strong and positive performance across all financial indices and also affirmed the bank�s position as one of the most profitable financial service providers in Nigeria. In terms of value creation, GTBank maintained its top position in the industry with pre-tax return on equity (ROE) of 34.9 per cent and pre-tax return on asset (ROA) of 5.6 per cent. A glance through the numbers revealed a 28.6 per cent growth in loan book from ?783.91bn (about USD4.7 Billion) in 2012 to ?1.01tn (about USD6 Billion) in 2013 while customer�s deposits grew by 24.3 per cent from ?1.15tn (about USD7 billion) in 2012 to ?1.43tn (about USD8.6 billion) in 2013. Consequently, the group closed the 2013 financial year with a balance sheet size in excess of ?two trillion (about USD12 billion) while shareholders� equity increased by 17.9 per cent from ?281.83bn (about USD1.7 billion) in 2012 to ?332.35bn (about USD2 billion) in the period under review. Risk management framework in the bank remains very strong as non-performing Loan (NPL) ratio decreased to 3.58 per cent in 2013 from 3.75 per cent in the comparative period of 2012. Commenting on the results, the release quoted Mr Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director and CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, as saying that, �As a growing franchise and in spite of the regulatory headwinds, our Bank has posted respectable results that reaffirm our reputation as a market leader and a highly ethical financial institution". �We have maintained our cost-leadership position as typified by the cost-to-income ratio (2013: 43.5 per cent; 2012:43.1 per cent) among peers year-on-year�, he added. He further stated that �with this performance, we will maintain our commitment to maximising shareholder value with a proposed 10 per cent increase in dividend pay-out over what was paid in 2012 and a share price appreciation of 17 per cent in 2013. Our acquisition of Fina Bank Limited, a Kenyan bank with significant business footprint in Rwanda and Uganda, gives us the opportunity to commence business in three East African countries via the acquisition of one bank. This will give us great mileage and an opportunity to leverage our brand equity. We hope to further tap into the growth potentials of emerging African economies thus bringing us closer to our philosophy of being �A proudly African and truly international� financial brand�. The Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, Mr Lekan Sanusi, stated, �Our group�s performance is a reflection of the health of all subsidiaries adding that �Customers and other stakeholders are thus assured that they are dealing with a strong institution�.