Access Holdings is shifting its focus to returns from Access Bank’s African subsidiaries, a network that generated 26% of the bank’s pretax profit in 2025 as the group pursues more efficient capital use.
Access Bank reported ₦954.2 billion in pretax profit for 2025, up 6.8% from 2024. Nigeria accounted for 48% of the total, while the rest of Africa and international operations each accounted for 26%. The bank’s annual report lists operations in 16 African countries.
In a Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, filing to Nigerian Exchange Limited, Access Holdings said it would prioritize stronger subsidiary performance, disciplined capital allocation and productivity enabled by technology. The company described the strategic shift as moving “from scale to value.”
Access Holdings reported pretax profit of ₦414.1 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2026, a 29.2% increase from a year earlier. Its annualized pretax return on average equity was 18.3%, compared with 24.4% for full-year 2025. The cost-to-income ratio rose to 65.2% from 51.7%; the company attributed the increase to personnel expenses.
The filing announced Oluseyi Kumapayi’s appointment as deputy managing director for African subsidiaries, effective Oct. 27, 2026, following approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). His responsibilities include subsidiary profitability, capital productivity, operating performance and coordination across markets.
Kumapayi told BusinessDay at the Africa Financial Summit in Luanda that the bank’s expansion drive had ended by the close of 2025. He said the next phase would focus on enabling subsidiaries to support themselves financially and increase value for shareholders, customers and employees.
The cited filing and results release provide no numerical return target or deadline for improving subsidiary profitability.
