GCB Bank PLC has strengthened its position at the top of Ghana’s banking industry, emerging as the market leader across four major indicators in PwC Ghana’s 2026 Banking Sector Survey.

The results go beyond size. They show that GCB is not only attracting more deposits than its peers, but is also putting that funding to work through lending and other income-generating assets, while improving profitability at the same time.

According to the survey, which reviewed the 2025 financial year, GCB ranked first in customer deposits, loans and advances, operating assets and total operating income.

GCB Commands the Largest Share of Industry Deposits

GCB accounted for 12.37% of total deposits across Ghana’s banking industry in 2025.

That placed it comfortably ahead of its closest competitor, which held a 10.52% market share—a gap of 1.85 percentage points.

A strong deposit base is important for any bank because deposits provide much of the funding used to extend loans, invest and support other banking activities.

GCB’s position therefore gives the Bank significant capacity to finance businesses, households and other economic activities.

GCB Also Leads in Loans and Advances

The Bank’s dominance was even stronger when it came to lending.

GCB accounted for 17.8% of industry loans and advances, compared with 14.2% for the second-ranked bank.

The figures suggest that GCB is not simply holding a large pool of customer deposits. It is also deploying a significant portion of its funding into credit across the economy.

GCB additionally controlled 12.3% of industry operating assets, ahead of the second-ranked bank at 10.8%.

Operating Income Market Share Climbs to 14.2%

GCB also led the industry in total operating income.

Its share increased from 12.5% in 2024 to 14.2% in 2025, indicating that the Bank expanded its contribution to industry revenues during the period.

Taken together, the numbers paint a picture of a bank with considerable scale on both sides of its balance sheet.

Its large deposit base provides funding strength, while its leadership in loans, operating assets and income shows how that funding is being deployed to generate returns.

Profitability Improves as ROE Hits 34%

GCB’s profitability also strengthened during the year.

The Bank’s return on equity increased from 29.8% in 2024 to 34.0% in 2025.

According to the PwC survey, this was the highest return on equity among banks within GCB’s first-quartile peer group.

Return on equity measures how effectively a company generates profit from shareholders’ capital. A rising ROE generally indicates that a business is producing more profit from the equity invested in it.

Commenting on the survey, Managing Director of GCB Bank, Farihan Alhassan, said the Bank sees its leading position as coming with greater responsibility.

“Our continued leadership across key balance-sheet indicators reflects the trust customers place in GCB and the strength of our strategy and people. We value this trust and remain committed to deepening customer relationships and supporting businesses and households,” he said.

He added that GCB will continue focusing on customer-led growth, digital transformation and strengthening its people and organisational culture as competition within Ghana’s banking industry intensifies.

Momentum Continues Into 2026

GCB’s performance did not appear to slow significantly after the period covered by the PwC survey.

By the end of June 2026, customer deposits had increased to GH¢51.49 billion, while net loans and advances reached GH¢22.19 billion.

Asset quality also improved, with the Bank’s non-performing loan ratio falling to 4.7%.

Meanwhile, operating income increased by 36.1% year-on-year, while profit before tax jumped 45.8%.

For investors watching GCB Bank, the combination of a dominant deposit franchise, strong lending position, improving profitability and continued earnings growth provides a clearer picture of why the Bank remains one of the major players shaping Ghana’s banking sector.