CBN records N136bn surplus in 2025

•Records 18% drop in currency printing

By Elizabeth Adegbesan

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, recorded N136 billion surplus in 2025, representing a 251 percent increase compared to N38.83 billion in 2024.

This significant improvement was due to improved investment income, gains from foreign exchange transactions, and effective cost containment.

The apex bank also grew assets Year-on-Year, YoY, by 18.07 percent to N138.86 billion in 2025 from N117.6 billion in 2024.

This was contained in the apex bank’s 2025 Annual report and statement of account released yesterday.

The report showed CBN decline an 18 percent shortfall in currency production in the review period.

According to the apex bank, as at 31st December 2025, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc and foreign printers delivered 3,445 million pieces of bank notes across various denominations, down from 4,206 million pieces allocated by the Bank in 2025. The shortfall was recorded on the part of NSPM Plc, which delivered 1,239.24 million pieces (62 percent) with a face value of N368.83 billion, leaving 760.76 million pieces (38 percent) outstanding.

CBN said: “The Bank approved a currency indent of 5,706.8 million pieces across the various denominations for 2025.  This represented an increase of 20.5 percent, from the 4,737.5 million pieces, approved in 2024. Of this amount, the NSPM Plc was allocated 2.0 billion pieces (35.0%), while foreign High Security Printers (HSPs) were allocated the balance of 65 per cent.

“As of 31st December 2025, the NSPM Plc delivered 1,239.24 million pieces (62 percent) with a face value of N368.83 billion, leaving 760.76 million pieces (38.0 percent) outstanding.

‘‘Foreign printers completed the delivery of 2,206 million pieces across the N1,000, N500, and N200 denominations. The delivery of the supplementary 1,500 million pieces awarded in November 2025 remained in progress as at year-end.”