GCB Takes 17.8% of Ghana’s Credit Market Share as Lending Lead Widens
Ghana’s credit market expanded sharply in 2025, as banks responded strongly to improving economic and financing conditions and stronger demand for credit. However, the growth was not evenly shared, with GCB Bank taking an increasingly larger share of the expansion in credit.
According to the 2026 Ghana Banking Survey published by the professional services firm PwC, GCB Bank increased its share of industry loans and advances to 17.8%, widening its lead at the top of the market. The more revealing number is the progression in market share. The Bank’s share of industry lending has risen from 12.0% in 2023 to 15.4% in 2024 and 17.8% in 2025, leaving GCB 3.6 percentage points ahead in the credit market that grew by 23.4% during the 2025 financial year.
PwC puts total industry loans and advances at GH¢105.1 billion in 2025, up from GH¢85.1 billion in 2024, with growth supported by lower lending rates, improving macroeconomic stability and stronger demand for working capital and investment financing.
The implication is clear: GCB was not simply growing with the market; it was taking a larger share of that growth. A robust funding base was the backbone of this growth story. The survey also ranks GCB first in deposits, with 12.37% of industry deposits in 2025 – 1.85 percentage points ahead of the closest competitor at 10.52%. PwC notes that deposit growth across the industry provided critical funding for the expansion in lending and maintains that this scale, funding capacity, and broad customer reach remain important advantages for the largest lenders.
That relationship between deposits and lending is increasingly important in a lower-rate environment. As margins tighten, banks with strong funding bases are better placed to support credit growth without relying excessively on more expensive funding sources. However, faster lending also raises a second question of how well the growth is being managed. PwC cautions that periods of rapid loan-book expansion can eventually create asset-quality pressure if underwriting and credit monitoring do not keep pace. The survey notes that non-performing loans have often risen with a lag after strong credit growth, making the quality of lending as important as the pace of expansion.
For GCB, that puts the 17.8% market share in a broader context. It is not only a measure of scale, but also of the responsibility that comes with deploying more credit than any other bank in the market. The PwC data provide an important counterpoint to that risk. Even as GCB’s share of industry lending increased from 12.0% in 2023 to 17.8% in 2025, its NPL ratio improved from about 19% to about 10%. The combination suggests that the expansion in credit was not accompanied by a deterioration in asset quality.
Commenting on the Bank’s lending position, Managing Director Farihan Alhassan said its significance goes beyond market share:
“Our position as Ghana’s largest lender is ultimately about the impact we can create with the resources entrusted to us by our customers. We have a responsibility to ensure that funding reaches businesses, households and productive sectors of the economy where it can support growth and create opportunities.”
He added: “We are expanding our lending while maintaining strong discipline around credit quality and risk management. This is important to us because sustainable lending leadership is not simply about how much we lend, but about lending responsibly and creating lasting value for our customers and the economy.”
GCB’s half-year results in 2026 show that this momentum has extended, with GCB growing net loans and advances by 34.7% to GH¢22.19 billion in June 2026, supported by a 24.5% increase in customer deposits to GH¢51.49 billion, while maintaining market share at 17.9%. The growth has also been accompanied by stronger asset quality. GCB’s non-performing loan ratio fell to 4.7% from 13.8% a year earlier, well below the industry average of 16.1%. Together, the numbers point to continued credit expansion without a corresponding deterioration in loan quality.
The next test case is whether GCB can continue converting the strength of its deposit franchise into productive credit while preserving asset quality as the loan book expands.
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