Adebayo Obajemu
The audited results of Access Holdings Plc for the financial year ended 31 December 2025, marks an important milestone in its evolution from a platform defined by scale to one now defined by value, efficiency, and earnings quality.
The Group delivered resilient performance in a year shaped by transition, reflecting not only the strength of its franchise, but the robustness of the systems and governance structures deliberately built over time.
Commenting on the results, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Innocent Ike, stated thus:
“Our 2025 performance reflects both the resilience of the Access franchise and the strength of the institution we have built. In a dynamic operating environment, we delivered strong earnings supported by diversified income streams, disciplined execution, and a continued focus on balance sheet optimization.
“We have now entered a more deliberate optimization phase, with a stronger focus on returns on capital, earnings quality, and long-term value creation”.
Financial Highlights In 2025, the Group crossed a defining threshold, delivering over ₦1 trillion in Profit before Tax (PBT), an important milestone in its journey, one defined by a clear commitment to value creation and steady progress toward becoming a high-performing, resilient financial institution.
Profit Before Tax (PBT) N1.01 trillion, +16.2% YoY
Net Interest Income: ₦1.36 trillion, +7.0% YoY
Net Fees & Commission Income: ₦585.1 billion, +40.9% YoY
Operating Income: ₦3.17trillion, +23.9% YoY
Cost to Income Ratio: 51.7% (2024: 56.7%)
Return on Average Equity (ROAE):18.4%
Return on Average Assets (ROAA): 1.6%
These results reflect continued progress in strengthening operating efficiency, improving revenue quality, and enhancing overall financial performance.
Balance Sheet Strength and Growth
The Group’s balance sheet continued to expand, supported by strong deposit mobilization and sustained customer confidence across its markets.
Total Assets: ₦51.57 trillion, +24.3%
Customer Deposits: ₦34.56 trillion, +53.4%
Shareholders’ Funds: ₦4.33 trillion, +15.0%
This growth reflects both the scale of the franchise and the increasing trust placed in the institution by customers, counterparties, and investors.
Operating Environment
Performance in the year was supported by a gradually stabilizing macroeconomic environment in Nigeria.
GDPgrowthimprovedtoapproximately3.9%, inflation moderatedfrompeak2024levels, and foreign exchange reserves strengthened to over US$45 billion. Capital markets also recorded strong momentum, with the NGX All Share Index rising by over 51% during the year. These developments contributed to improved investor confidence, stronger capital flows, and a more supportive operating environment for financial institutions.
Business Model and Diversification
While the banking subsidiary remains the core earnings engine, contributing approximately 97% of revenue, the Group continues to make measured progress in building a more diversified and resilient earnings base. Its investment management and insurance platforms, including Access ARM Pensions and Access Insurance Brokers, provide stable, long-term, recurring income streams. At the same time, its technology-led consumer finance and payments platforms, including Oxygen X Finance and Hydrogen Payment Services, are advancing the Group’s position within the digital financial services space.
Access Holdings continues to evolve into a diversified financial services platform, strategically positioned to deliver resilient growth and sustainable value creation across economic cycles.
Strategic Direction: From Scale to Returns
The Group’s strategic direction is increasingly clear. Having built scale across markets and segments, the emphasis has shifted towards disciplined capital allocation, efficiency, and return optimization.
Key priorities include improving return on capital, strengthening earnings quality, deepening cost discipline, and expanding capital-light, fee-based revenue streams, while optimizing the balance sheet to support sustainable growth.
This transition reflects our strategic objective which is to build a more valuable institution, defined by high-quality, consistent, and resilient returns.
Outlook for 2026 and Beyond
As macroeconomic conditions continue to stabilize, the Group anticipates a favorable environment for credit expansion, higher transaction volumes, and increased overall activity across the financial system.
The focus in the period ahead will remain firmly on disciplined execution improving capital efficiency, expanding high-quality revenue streams, and delivering sustainable growth across the Group’s diversified platform.