Access Holdings posts ₦1.01tr profit, pivots to efficiency and value creation

Access Holdings Plc has reported a profit before tax of ₦1.01 trillion for the 2025 financial year, crossing the trillion-naira milestone for the first time and signalling a strategic shift from aggressive expansion to efficiency-led and value-driven growth.

The audited results for the year ended December 31, 2025, showed a 16.2 per cent rise in profit before tax, with the group describing the performance as resilient despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.

Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Innocent C. Ike, said the results reflect the strength and resilience of the institution’s diversified business structure.

“Our 2025 performance reflects the resilience of the Access franchise and the strength of the institution we have built over time,” Ike said in a statement accompanying the results.

He added that the group is now focused on improving capital efficiency and enhancing earnings quality, rather than rapid expansion.

“We have entered a more deliberate optimisation phase, with stronger emphasis on returns on capital and long-term value creation,” he said.

The performance was underpinned by strong growth across key revenue lines. Net interest income rose to ₦1.36 trillion, while net fees and commission income grew by 40.9 per cent to ₦585.1 billion. Overall operating income after impairment increased by 23.9 per cent to ₦3.17 trillion.

Operational efficiency also improved during the period, with the cost-to-income ratio declining to 51.7 per cent from 56.7 per cent in 2024. Return on average equity stood at 18.4 per cent, while return on average assets was 1.6 per cent.

The group’s balance sheet expanded significantly, driven by strong deposit mobilisation and sustained customer confidence. Total assets rose by 24.3 per cent to ₦51.57 trillion, while customer deposits jumped 53.4 per cent to ₦34.56 trillion. Shareholders’ funds increased by 15 per cent to ₦4.33 trillion.

Access Holdings attributed its performance partly to improved macroeconomic conditions, including stronger GDP growth, easing inflationary pressure, improved foreign reserves, and a rally in the equities market.

While banking remains the core revenue driver, contributing about 97 per cent of total earnings, the group said it is steadily advancing diversification efforts across pensions, insurance and fintech.

Subsidiaries such as Access ARM Pensions and Access Insurance Brokers contributed steady income streams, while digital platforms like Oxygen X Finance and Hydrogen Payment Services continued to scale operations within the group’s broader financial ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company said it expects further economic stabilisation to support credit expansion and increased transaction activity across its markets.

Ike reiterated that the institution is positioning itself for long-term impact across Africa’s financial landscape.

“Africa remains one of the most compelling long-term growth frontiers globally. Our role is not only to participate in that growth, but to help shape and finance it,” he said.

He stressed that Access Holdings will continue to focus on governance, disciplined execution and sustainable returns as it consolidates gains from years of expansion.