NIGERIA · MARKETS
Key Facts
- —The country Nigeria is West Africa’s largest economy, with about 230 million people, and its stock market is the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in Lagos.
- —What happened On Friday 2 October 2026 Access Holdings said its half-year results have a further extension, with no new date.
- —The company Access Holdings Plc is the parent of Access Bank and had total assets of N51.56 trillion (about US$38.8 billion) at the end of 2025.
- —The holdup The group is waiting for approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before the statements can be released.
- —Latest profit In the first quarter of 2026 pre-tax profit was N272.21 billion (about US$205 million), up 22.19% on the year.
- —Dividend No dividend was declared for 2025 because of outstanding regulatory requirements.
- —Share price The stock rose from N21.00 (about US$0.016) on 31 December 2025 to N30.40 (about US$0.023) on 30 September 2026.
Access Holdings results for the six months to 30 June 2026 still have no publication date. On Friday 2 October the parent of Access Bank told the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) it has more time, pending the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
For US readers, the delay shows how Nigeria’s central bank controls when the biggest banking groups can show investors their numbers. Access Holdings results matter to funds that follow Africa because the group earns money in many countries.
What Access Holdings Told the Exchange
In its filing of Friday 2 October, Access Holdings said it would publish the results promptly once it receives the required approval. The company also promised to keep the market informed of any material developments.
The Access Holdings results were due by Wednesday 30 September, under a notice of Friday 14 August signed by Company Secretary Sunday Ekwochi. The new extension names no date, so the results can appear whenever the central bank clears them.
Why the Central Bank Holds the Key
The central bank supervises Nigeria’s banks and the financial holding companies that own them, and the group says it must approve the accounts first. Access Holdings’ board had already approved the audited half-year statements at a meeting on Thursday 27 August.
In April its audited 2025 accounts also stayed under central bank review, despite approval from the securities regulator. Other large lenders also pushed back their half-year accounts, among them GTCO and Zenith Bank.
What the First Quarter Showed
The latest published Access Holdings results cover the first quarter of 2026, when pre-tax profit was N272.21 billion (about US$205 million). That was up 22.19% from N222.78 billion (about US$168 million), while profit after tax rose 18.49% to N216.54 billion (about US$163 million).
Income from fees and other non-interest sources grew 19.03% to N444.68 billion (about US$334 million). Net interest income, the gap between what the bank earns on loans and pays on deposits, fell 26.68% to N383.71 billion (about US$289 million).
Impairment charges, money set aside for loans that may not be repaid, jumped 239.04% to N73.81 billion (about US$56 million). Operating costs rose 26.16% to N411.27 billion (about US$309 million), so the half-year figures will show whether those pressures grew.
No Dividend and a Rising Share Price
For the full year 2025 the group reported pre-tax profit of N1.01 trillion (about US$760 million), up 16.2%, but declared no dividend. The board linked this to outstanding regulatory requirements, including restrictions on investments in foreign subsidiaries.
Investors have looked past the wait, with the share price up 44.76% from N21.00 (about US$0.016) at end-2025 to N30.40 (about US$0.023) on 30 September. Until 24 hours after the results are released, directors and insiders may not trade the shares.
A Smaller Board and a Strategy Shift
On Friday 9 October the group said Olanrewaju Bamisebi, its executive director for information technology, retired from 30 September when his contract ended. The company said this fits central bank rules that allow a holding company only two executive directors.
A Nairametrics analysis of Saturday 24 October says management now talks of moving from scale to value, meaning higher earnings per share. It notes that return on average equity fell from 21.6% to 18.4% in 2025, mainly because of higher impairment charges.
What It Means for US Readers
US investors who hold Nigerian bank shares, mostly through emerging-market or Africa funds, are waiting for the same numbers. A results date set by the regulator rather than the company adds timing risk to any such position.
Close to half of pre-tax profit comes from outside Nigeria, Nairametrics reports, so Access Holdings results also show how other African markets fare. Readers can find the company’s background on its Rio Times company profile.
What Is Not Known
No date for the central bank approval or for the Access Holdings results has been given. The company has not said what, if anything, the regulator has asked it to change.
It is also unclear when the group can pay a dividend again, because the regulatory conditions have not been fully described. The exchange filings do not show whether the third-quarter results will come before the half-year results.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why have the Access Holdings results not been published?
The group says it is waiting for approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria before it can release the audited statements. Its board approved the statements on Thursday 27 August.
When will the Access Holdings results come out?
No date has been given. In its filing of Friday 2 October the company said it would publish promptly once it receives the required approval.
What did Access Holdings earn in early 2026?
Pre-tax profit for the first quarter was N272.21 billion (about US$205 million), up 22.19% on the year. Profit after tax was N216.54 billion (about US$163 million).
Did Access Holdings pay a dividend for 2025?
No, the group declared no dividend for 2025 because of outstanding regulatory requirements. The board said payments could resume once the conditions are met.
What is Access Holdings?
It is a Nigerian financial holding company listed in Lagos that owns Access Bank and other subsidiaries across Africa. Its total assets were N51.56 trillion (about US$38.8 billion) at the end of 2025.
Sources: Nairametrics, Access Holdings gets NGX’s extension for H1 audited results filing, 2 October 2026; Access Holdings notice to the Nigerian Exchange, Delay in Publication of the Interim Audited Financial Statements, 14 August 2026; Nairametrics, Access Holdings board approves audited H1 2026 financial statements, 31 August 2026; Dabafinance, Access Holdings gets second NGX extension for H1 2026 results, 2 October 2026; Nairametrics, Access Holdings IT director Olanrewaju Bamisebi retires after four years, 10 October 2026; Nairametrics, Access Holdings has built scale; now comes the test of creating value, 24 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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