Access Holdings PLC has been ranked the Tier 1
bank with the best asset quality in Nigeria, having posted the lowest Non-Performing
Loan Ratio (NPLR) at 2.76 percent, according to Proshare’s 2025 Tier 1 Banking
Report released, recently. This marks a significant achievement for Access Holdings,
reinforcing its leadership in credit discipline, risk management, and sustainable lending
practices.
The report, titled “The Class of 2025: Getting Bigger, Bolder, and Dominant”, ranks
Access Holdings second overall in the Tier 1 category, placing just behind Ecobank
Transnational Incorporated (ETI), which led with a percentile score of 100. Access
Holdings followed closely with a 91st percentile ranking, ahead of Zenith Bank at 73
percent, FirstHoldco at 82 percent, UBA at 64 percent, and GTCO at 55 percent.
In terms of NPLR performance, Access Holdings maintained a remarkable 2.76
percent, outperforming Zenith Bank at 3.54 percent, GTCO at 4.07 percent, UBA at
3.80 percent, ETI at 6.25 percent, and FirstHoldco at 6.70 percent. This places Access
Holdings at the forefront of asset quality management among Nigeria’s top banks and
reaffirms its reputation for operational discipline amid market volatility. Commenting on the achievement, Bolaji Agbede, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer
of Access Holdings PLC, said: “This ranking is not just a measure of our financial
health; it reflects the strength of our governance, the quality of our decision-making,
and the focus we place on long-term value creation. It is a testament to the discipline of
our people and the effectiveness of our pan-African strategy.”
She added: “At Access Holdings, we believe that sustainable success lies in balancing
growth with resilience. We will continue to execute with precision, build with purpose,
and innovate with integrity as we expand our presence across Africa and beyond.”
The 2025 edition of the Proshare Bank Strength Index (PBSI) introduces a recalibrated
framework that reflects the realities of the ongoing recapitalisation exercise in Nigeria’s
banking sector. This edition goes beyond traditional financial metrics and incorporates
broader determinants of profitability, stability, and stakeholder value. The PBSI model
emphasises capital adequacy and scale,
asset quality and sustainable growth, digital
transformation and earnings diversification, governance quality and board diversity, as
well as profitability and cost-efficiency.
Access Holdings demonstrated strong fundamentals across all these parameters. It
closed Full Year 2024 with total assets of ₦41.5 trillion and a loan book of ₦13.1 trillion.
The Group’s capital adequacy ratio stood at 20.46 percent, while asset growth for the
period reached 55.49 percent. Its cost of risk was held at 1.25 percent, net interest
margin recorded at 6.80 percent, and earnings growth was an impressive 88.05
percent, all indicators of a business built on financial soundness and execution
excellence.
Speaking at the launch event, Olufemi Awoyemi, Chairman of Proshare, described the
report as a vital mirror into the shifting dynamics of Nigeria’s financial services industry. “Access Holdings has proven itself as a strong, adaptive institution. Its robust capital
base, successful fundraising, and continental expansion efforts show a group that is
not only growing but evolving. As recapitalisation reshapes the banking landscape,
institutions like Access Holdings will continue to define the future of finance in Africa.”
He further remarked on the nuance behind ETI’s top ranking, noting, “ETI remains a
unique case due to its pan-African structure and relatively limited regulatory exposure
within Nigeria. Unlike Access Holdings and other locally regulated groups that must
meet the ₦500 billion recapitalisation threshold, ETI’s broad regional footprint dilutes its
local obligations. That distinction must be made when interpreting rankings.”
The report concludes that the Class of 2025, particularly Access Holdings, Zenith,
UBA, FirstHoldco, GTCO, and ETI, dominate the banking landscape in terms of capital
strength, asset size, loan portfolios, and governance quality. However, Access Holdings
stands out for its unique blend of low risk, high growth, and strategic foresight, making
it not just a leader in numbers but a frontrunner in shaping the future of African
banking.
As Nigeria’s financial sector prepares for a more competitive and integrated future,
Access Holdings remains committed to building a stronger, smarter, and more inclusive financial services ecosystem across Africa and beyond.
