- CBZH recorded 10% year-on-year growth, driven by internal operational excellence and cost discipline
- Non-funded income (ZWG 2.75bn, +54%) led, fueled by market-leading deposit franchise and digital transaction volumes
- 25% Deposit Growth to ZWG 27.09bn: Strategic focus on stable, low-cost funding strengthens balance sheet and liquidity resilience
Harare- CBZ Holdings, the country's biggest holdings company by assets snd deposits has posted a profit after tax of ZWG 1.11 billion for the nine months ended 30 September 2025, a 10% increase from ZWG 1.01 billion a year earlier, reflecting resilient profitability as Zimbabwe's macroeconomic environment stabilises with the ZiG currency holding firm against the US dollar and inflation easing into single-digit territory.
While the headline growth appears modest, it reflects disciplined cost control and strategic revenue diversification in a landscape where monetary tightening and gold-backed reserves have anchored price stability, allowing banks like CBZH to focus on organic expansion rather than hedging against hyperinflationary spikes.
Total income leapt 58% to ZWG 4.23 billion from ZWG 2.68 billion, with non-funded income contributing 65% of the total at ZWG 2.75 billion, up 54% year-on-year.
This outsized non-interest contribution highlights CBZH’s structural advantage in transactional banking, where its leading deposit franchise and extensive digital channels capture high-margin fees amid rising electronic payment adoption, further amplified by the ZiG's steady exchange rate minimising cross-border frictions.
Funded income, though smaller at ZWG 1.46 billion, grew 66%, indicating selective lending into higher-yielding segments while avoiding asset-quality pitfalls that have plagued competitors in prior volatile periods.
The balance sheet grew 13% to ZWG 38.93 billion, but the real story lies in deposit mobilisation: customer funds rose 25% to ZWG 27.09 billion, expanding the loan-to-deposit ratio only marginally and preserving liquidity headroom.
This deliberate lengthening of the funding base, prioritising stable, low-cost retail and corporate deposits, shields CBZH from the rollover risks inherent in short-term interbank funding, a vulnerability now largely mitigated by the ZiG's consistent peg around 26.40 to the USD.
Capital adequacy remains a fortress, with all units exceeding regulatory minima and fresh injections planned for growth subsidiaries. This proactive stance not only ensures compliance but positions CBZH to seize consolidation opportunities in a fragmented market.
Looking ahead, CBZH is aligned with a favourable macro tilt: better rainfall supports agricultural lending pipelines, higher gold prices bolster mining-sector transaction flows and ZiG reserves, and energy improvements reduce operational disruptions for corporate clients. Ongoing fiscal reforms should further ease business frictions. By doubling down on technology, talent, and governance, CBZH is not merely defending market share, it is engineering a platform for accelerated, risk-adjusted growth as Zimbabwe’s economy solidifies its post-ZiG stability.
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