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Lion Finance Group PLC on Wednesday said it is well-positioned to deliver more growth as it saw an increase in the number of retail monthly active digital users in Georgia. The Tbilisi-based lender announced pretax profit totalled ₾1.22 billion or around £335.3 million, down from ₾1.63 billion but up from an adjusted profit of ₾956.7 million for the first half of 2024. The ₾956.7 million adjusted figure for the first half of 2024 excludes a one-off item of ₾669.5 million ‘to better showcase underlying performance,’ the company said. This is due to a one-off gain on bargain purchase of ₾668.8 million Lion Finance had reported for the first quarter of 2024, resulting from the acquisition of Ameriabank in March 2024. Meanwhile, interest income increased 38% on-year in the first half of 2025 to ₾2.54 billion from ₾1.84 billion. Net interest income was up 33% to ₾1.49 billion from ₾1.06 billion. The loan book increased 23% on-year at constant exchange rates to ₾36.53 billion as of June 30. Lion Finance declared a total interim dividend of ₾5.10 per share, as it said it decided to move to a quarterly distribution schedule. Further, it announced a ₾98.0 million extension to its share buyback programme, to start ‘shortly’ and end no later than its next annual general meeting, which it currently expects to hold in May 2026. Looking ahead, Chief Executive Officer Archil Gachechiladze said: ‘In Georgia, we continue to deliver on our strategic objectives, expanding retail monthly active digital users, up 15.5% year-on-year, increasing retail digital sales to 69% of total retail product sales, up 12 percentage points year-on-year, posting strong balance sheet growth, loans up 17.0% year-on-year in constant currency, and sustaining a high profitability, return on average total equity at 31.1% in 2Q25 and 31.6% in 1H25.’ He added: ‘We remain committed and well-positioned to continue delivering strong growth and profitability in our core markets and delivering value to our shareholders in the coming quarters.’ Lion Finance shares fell 3.0% to 7,415.00 pence each on Wednesday morning in London. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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