By Taiye Olayemi
Lagos, Nov. 4, 2026
Access Holdings Plc has reported a profit before tax (PBT) of N667.36 billion for the nine months ended Sept. 30.
This represents an increase of 8.3 per cent from the corresponding period of 2025.
According to the company’s unaudited nine-month financial results filed with the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX), the group also recorded a 5.9 per cent increase in profit after tax to N474.17 billion.
The growth in earnings was supported by a significant reduction in impairment charges and improved net fee and commission income.
For the third quarter, the group’s profit before tax rose by 52.26 per cent to N253.23 billion from N166.32 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Interest income increased by 6.9 per cent to N3.10 trillion, while interest expenses rose by 10.1 per cent to N1.81 trillion.
Consequently, net interest income grew by 2.7 per cent to N1.29 trillion.
Impairment charges declined significantly by 73.5 per cent to N92.91 billion from N349.99 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
This lifted net interest income after impairment by 32.1 per cent to N1.20 trillion from N907.95 billion.
Similarly, net fee and commission income increased by 12.4 per cent to N534.94 billion, supported by an 8.4 per cent growth in fee and commission income to N650.87 billion.
Fee and commission expenses, however, declined by 6.9 per cent to N115.93 billion.
The group’s core operating income, comprising net interest income and net fee and commission income, rose by 5.4 per cent to N1.83 trillion.
However, operating expenses increased by 11.8 per cent to N1.30 trillion, while other operating income declined by 40.8 per cent to N234.53 billion.
Consequently, total operating income fell by 3.2 per cent to N2.06 trillion from N2.13 trillion.
On its balance sheet, the group’s total assets increased by 1.7 per cent to N52.60 trillion as at Sept. 30, compared with N51.71 trillion at the end of December 2025.
Customer deposits grew by 6.6 per cent to N36.85 trillion, while loans and advances to customers increased by 7.4 per cent to N14.33 trillion.
Shareholders’ funds remained broadly unchanged at N4.49 trillion.
The banking group contributed 96 per cent of the group’s profit before tax, with operations outside Nigeria accounting for 82.2 per cent of the banking group’s earnings.
International banking subsidiaries contributed 43.7 per cent, Rest of Africa accounted for 38.5 per cent, while Nigeria contributed 17.8 per cent.
Innocent Ike, Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings said, “The significant reduction in impairment charges, together with growth in net interest income after impairment and net fee and commission income, demonstrates the resilience of our core earnings base.”
Meanwhile, the group said it had identified capital recalls from six banking subsidiaries to comply with Section 19(8)(c) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), which limits banks’ investments in subsidiaries to 10 per cent of shareholders’ funds.
It said one of the capital recalls had been completed, while shareholder approvals had been secured in four of the remaining five subsidiaries.
The group added that regulatory approvals were progressing and expressed optimism that the programme would be completed within the timeline prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to the group, completion of the process is expected to remove the regulatory constraint on dividend distributions, subject to its financial position, distributable reserves and regulatory approvals.
Meanwhile, ACCESSCORP shares closed at N28.60 on Oct. 30, representing a decline of 3.05 per cent on the day but an increase of 36.19 per cent year-to-date, according to market data.
