Access Holdings Plc (“the Group”) as we speak introduced its unaudited outcomes for the 9 months ended 30 September 2026, delivering resilient profit development and improved earnings high quality.
Profit Before Tax elevated by 8.3% to ₦667.4 billion, whereas Profit After Tax rose by 5.9% to ₦474.2 billion. Performance was supported by development in core earnings and a big discount in impairment expenses.
Impairment expenses declined by 73.5% to ₦92.9 billion, ensuing in a 32.1% enhance in web curiosity earnings after impairment to ₦1.20 trillion. Net charge and fee earnings elevated by 12.4% to ₦534.9 billion, whereas core working earnings grew by 5.4% to ₦1.83 trillion.
The outcomes mirror continued progress below the Group’s Scale-to-Value agenda, with emphasis on stronger execution capability, sturdy danger governance and regulatory compliance, disciplined capital allocation, higher working effectivity and improved capital productiveness.
Together, these priorities are centered on translating the Group’s scale and diversified franchise into sustainable shareholder returns.
GMD/CEO COMMENT
Commenting on the outcomes, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Innocent C. Ike, stated:
- “Our nine-month outcomes mirror continued progress in translating the power and scale of Access Holdings into sustainable shareholder returns.
- “The important discount in impairment expenses, along with development in web curiosity earnings after impairment and web charge and fee earnings, demonstrates the resilience of our core earnings base.
- “As we advance our Scale-to-Value agenda, our priorities stay clear: stronger execution capability, sturdy danger governance and regulatory compliance, disciplined capital allocation, higher working effectivity and improved capital productiveness.
- “These disciplines are fundamental to strengthening the quality and resilience of earnings and delivering sustainable shareholder returns.”
Financial highlights
For the 9 months ended 30 September 2026:
| Financial Metric | 9M 2026 | Year-on-Year Change |
| Gross Earnings | ₦4.0 trillion | up 2.3% |
| Interest Income | ₦3.1 trillion | up 6.9% |
| Net Interest Income (NII) | ₦1.3 trillion | up 2.7% |
| Impairment Charge | ₦92.9 billion | down 73.5% |
| Net Interest Income after Impairment Charge | ₦1.2 trillion | up 32.1% |
| Fee and Commission Income | ₦650.9 billion | up 8.4% |
| Net Fee and Commission Income | ₦534.9 billion | up 12.4% |
| Core Operating Income | ₦1.8 trillion | up 5.4% |
| Profit Before Tax (PBT) | ₦667.4 billion | up 8.3% |
| Profit After Tax (PAT) | ₦474.2 billion | up 5.9% |
Earnings efficiency
Interest earnings elevated by 6.9% to ₦3.1 trillion. Interest expense elevated by 10.1% to ₦1.8 trillion, ensuing in web curiosity earnings of ₦1.3 trillion, up 2.7%.
Earnings high quality improved considerably in the course of the interval. Impairment expenses declined by 73.5% to ₦92.9 billion, with web curiosity earnings after impairment rising by 32.1% to ₦1.2 trillion.
Fee and fee earnings elevated by 8.4% to ₦650.9 billion, whereas charge and fee expense declined by 6.9% to ₦115.9 billion. As a outcome, web charge and fee earnings elevated by 12.4% to ₦534.9 billion.
Operating bills elevated by 11.8% to ₦1.3 trillion. Improving working effectivity and strengthening working leverage stay necessary priorities below the Scale-to-Value agenda.
Balance sheet
The Group maintained a resilient stability sheet, supported by continued buyer deposit development.
Total property elevated by 1.7% to ₦52.6 trillion at 30 September 2026, from ₦51.7 trillion at 31 December 2025.
Customer deposits elevated by 6.6% to ₦36.8 trillion, whereas loans and advances to clients elevated by 7.4% to ₦14.3 trillion.
Shareholders’ funds remained broadly steady at ₦4.5 trillion.
Diversified Banking Franchise
The Banking Group remained the principal contributor to Group earnings, accounting for 96.0% of Group unaudited Profit Before Tax in the course of the interval.
Operations outdoors Nigeria accounted for 82.2% of Banking Group Profit Before Tax. International Banking subsidiaries contributed 43.7%, Rest of Africa 38.5%, and Nigeria 17.8%.
The Group continues to leverage its geographic footprint to deepen buyer relationships and enhance exercise throughout commerce finance, transaction banking, funds and treasury companies.
The more and more diversified earnings base supplies a broader platform from which to enhance earnings high quality and capital productiveness.
Under Scale-to-Value, the main target is on changing this scale into sustainable shareholder returns by stronger execution, sturdy danger governance and regulatory compliance, efficient capital allocation and higher working effectivity.
Scale-To-Value
Scale-to-Value represents the Group’s development from constructing scale to enhancing the standard and productiveness of that scale.
The agenda is anchored on 5 priorities:
| Execution Capacity | Strengthening accountability and the Group’s capacity to translate strategic priorities into measurable outcomes. |
| Risk Governance and Regulatory Compliance | Maintaining sturdy danger and management disciplines and sustained compliance with relevant regulatory necessities throughout the Group. |
| Capital Discipline | Allocating capital with higher emphasis on productiveness and risk-adjusted returns. |
| Operating Efficiency | Strengthening price self-discipline and driving higher effectivity from the Group’s infrastructure and capabilities. |
| Earnings Quality | Deepening recurring earnings streams and strengthening the resilience of earnings. |
Together, these priorities are meant to enhance capital productiveness and assist sustainable shareholder returns.
Progress on BOFIA Section 19(8)(c) Compliance
The Group has made important progress in direction of reaching compliance with BOFIA Section 19(8)(c), which limits the Bank’s funding in subsidiaries to 10% of shareholders’ funds.
The Group has recognized capital remembers from six banking subsidiaries which, when accomplished, are anticipated to convey the Bank’s investment-in-subsidiaries ratio inside the regulatory threshold. The recall course of has already been accomplished in one subsidiary, whereas shareholder approvals have been obtained in 4 of the remaining 5 subsidiaries. Regulatory approvals are progressing throughout the 5 remaining subsidiaries.
The Group expects to full the programme inside the CBN’s prescribed compliance timeline. Its completion is anticipated to take away the regulatory constraint on dividend distributions.
Outlook
The Group stays centered on accelerating execution of its Scale-to-Value agenda.
Management priorities embody stronger execution capability, sturdy danger governance and regulatory compliance, disciplined capital allocation, funding optimisation, higher working effectivity and improved capital productiveness.
The Group will proceed to strengthen accountability for execution whereas sustaining disciplined danger and compliance requirements throughout its companies.
Management can even stay centered on moderating expense development, strengthening recurring earnings and enhancing the conversion of income into earnings.
The goal is evident: to make sure that the Group’s scale is successfully ruled, effectively deployed and constantly translated into sustainable shareholder returns, underpinned by sturdy danger governance and regulatory compliance.
