By Sofiyyah Layole
Access Holdings Plc reported a profit after tax (PAT) of ₦447.55 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2025.
This figure marks a marginal decline from the ₦457.74 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2024, despite sustained economic challenges.
The Group’s unaudited results, released to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), revealed resilient growth across key income lines. Interest income surged by 27 per cent to ₦2.74 trillion, up from ₦2.16 trillion a year earlier.
This expansion, however, was partially offset by a rise in interest expense, driven by higher funding costs following continued monetary policy tightening. Consequently, the net interest income grew robustly to ₦1.26 trillion, compared to ₦844.84 billion in 2024.
Fee and commission income also contributed significantly to the Group’s performance, growing to ₦600.40 billion from ₦401.53 billion, reflecting higher transaction volumes across its diverse banking and payment subsidiaries. The Group also recorded a fair value and foreign exchange gain of ₦255.40 billion, though this was lower than the previous year.
While top-line revenue was strong, profitability was impacted by elevated operational costs. Impairment charges on financial assets surged to ₦349.99 billion, more than doubling the ₦144.95 billion recorded in the prior period.
Additionally, personnel expenses and other operating costs rose, underscoring inflationary pressures and the expansion of the Group’s operational footprint across Nigeria and African markets.
Despite the marginal dip in PAT, Profit Before Tax (PBT) settled higher at ₦616.25 billion, an increase from ₦558.18 billion in 2024. The profit attributable to equity holders of the parent company stood at ₦426.70 billion.
A key highlight of the nine-month period was the dramatic growth in the Group’s balance sheet. Total assets expanded significantly to ₦52.20 trillion at the end of September 2025, crossing the ₦50 trillion mark from ₦41.50 trillion reported in December 2024.
This asset growth was primarily fueled by strong increases in customer deposits, which soared to ₦33.10 trillion (up from ₦22.52 trillion), reflecting continued customer confidence.
Furthermore, loans and advances to customers rose to ₦12.89 trillion, and investment securities climbed to ₦15.25 trillion. Shareholders’ funds also improved to ₦3.73 trillion, confirming the Group’s robust capital position and diversified earnings strategy.