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Access Bank repositions digital payment to reap AfCFTA gains
Access Bank will be leveraging on its spread across the African continent and deep investment in technology to reap gains coming from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA).
The AfCTA trade bloc offers a potential market of over 1.3 billion people and a Gross Domestic Product size of over $3 trillion. According to The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), there is the potential for intra-African trade to rise to 15.5 per cent as a share of total African trade by 2022 compared with 10.2 per cent from 2010.
For many businesses, securing a seat at the stable ensures that Nigerians can influence negotiations and protect national interests.
While the agreement is not a silver bullet, due to structural barriers to trade, Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, said he saw many benefits to his bank and the various African economies within the AfCTA deal.
In a report titled: ‘Realigning for Growth’ released by the bank, Wigwe said Access Bank would be optimizing and taking maximum gain of the trade agreement by repositioning its operations and payment platforms to serve more customers across the continent.
He said Access Bank Group has consistently delivered growth and created value over time and has the largest customer base in Africa, with a significant share of digitally active clients. The bank is also becoming an aggregator in Africa by building a global payments gateway, offering holistic trade finance support and offering correspondent banking services.
It is also focusing on key markets to support regional trade by targeting new opportunity markets and positioning the bank as a trade and payments gateway to the world.
He identified eight African countries for a potential expansion as it seeks to benefit from the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.
The bank already operates in 12 countries following a series of acquisitions spanning from Kenya to Nigeria. The markets of interest are Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Angola, Namibia and Ethiopia, according to an online presentation emailed by the Lagos-based lender.
It will also use its London-based unit as an “anchor for growth” to expand representative offices in countries such as India, Lebanon and China, Wigwe disclosed.
The African trade pact aims to bolster intra-regional commerce by lowering or eliminating cross-border tariffs, facilitating the movement of capital and people, promoting investment and paving the way for the establishment of a continental-wide customs union.
Access Bank plans to eventually expand into 22 African countries to cushion challenges in some markets, diversify earnings and take advantage of growth opportunities in the region.
The lender, which is looking to transition to a holding company this year, plans to open subsidiaries in insurance brokerage, consumer lending and agency banking as well as payments to boost revenue, Wigwe added.
The bank is equally transforming payments and remittances using cheap forex from international remittances to feed trade, leveraging AccessAfrica connections to wallets and payment platforms.
It is also building on partnerships with financial investors, Development Finance Institutions, among others and providing strategic support to protect and grow partners’ value.
Continuing, he said the bank has continued to deliver strong results and is focused on generating sustainable revenue across all income lines.
“The bank’s gross revenue grew 26 per cent to N592.8 billion (from nine-months 2018 to nine-months 2020 with steady growth across all income lines. Strong and diversified revenue growth has been driven by expansive retail banking growth and increased velocity of transactions, optimising value chain of wholesale banking customers, credit growth engine, prioritizing margin growth through efficiencies and delighting customers at every digital payment touchpoint,” Wigwe said.
The bank chief explained that with the growth of its operations, the lender has maintained a focus on efficiency in the last three quarters through sustainable cost to income ratio of 50 to 55 per cent given investments in digital and growth over the next two years.
“Access Bank is driving Group revenue growth through retail expansion with the bank’s retail banking business grown consistently across all income lines, driven by strong focus on consumer lending, payments and remittances, digitization of customer journeys, and customer acquisition at scale”.
“We have maintained strong capital levels despite investments for growth, accumulating capital over time. Opportunities for growth will be supported by a digital strategy that will set us apart as a clear-cut digital leader. Our Africa expansion strategy is deliberate and disciplined, with a targeted focus and approach, supported by key enablers,” Wigwe added.
The tier-1 bank is also taking advantage of the expansion strategy to diversify its earnings and risk. It said Nigeria will remain its largest market countries of presence targeting an impactful presence, reaping economies of scale, and leveraging digital and access to cheap funding sources.
Its Holding Company (HoldCo) will consist of four subsidiaries which include the Access Bank Group, Payments business, consumer lending and agency banking as well as insurance brokerage.
“We will therefore reorganise to capture these opportunities by transitioning to a HoldCo structure. Through this reorganisation, we will create new product revenues without taking additional risk for the enterprise, ensure diversification of earnings, and support outside of Africa expansion,” he said.
“Access Bank Group will consist of Nigeria, Africa and International subsidiaries while the Payments subsidiary will leverage the strong suite of the Bank’s assets. The Consumer Lending business has seen greater than 60 per cent growth in digital lending volume and value while the Insurance subsidiary will adopt a dynamic and creative approach to deliver value-added services focused to meet customer insurance needs,” he stated.
For instance, Access Bank is in partnership with Coronation Insurance to offer insurance products to the Bank’s customers. Access Bank-Coronation Insurance bancassurance is already available in Nigeria and Ghana.
Access Insurance Brokerage would adopt a dynamic and creative approach to provide a value- added insurance broking services focused to meeting customers’ insurance protection needs.
The bank says it recognises its unique role in preserving the environment in which we operate as well as positively impacting the society through responsible investing.
Also, it is expected that the agreement would lead to cheaper consumer goods prices which will drive improved wellbeing and promote access to cheaper intermediate goods for the industrial sector.
There is also the case for economies of scale as firms try to sell to the bigger African market, leading to increased efficiency. The last benefit is that countries would be more committed to industrialization to really benefit from the bigger African market as exports in much of Africa is currently primary commodities.
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GTCO Plc Releases 2025 Full Year Audited Result …Declares Another Record Dividend of 12.76k;
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Re-affirming Unrivalled Capacity to Creating Value₦ Lagos, London – 31st March 2026Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has released its Audited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).The Group reported profit before tax of 1.23trillion underpinned by strong growth in core earnings, with interest₦ income and fee income increasing y-o-y by 23.2% and 25.9%, respectively. The performance reaffirms its capacity to generate sustainable earnings and builds on the momentum from 2024, when GTCO delivered a record profit of 1.27trillion, driven in part by 517.5billion in fair value gains, which did not recur in 2025.₦ ₦The Group’s 2025 profit after tax came in at 865.75billion against 1.02trillion recorded in 2024. The profit after tax₦ ₦ reflects the impact of recent fiscal policy adjustments to the taxation of investment securities, notably withholding tax on short-term instruments. However, when normalised for this effect, underlying earnings remain robust, driven by growth in core operating income. The Group continues to maintain a well-structured, healthy, and diversified balance sheet in all the jurisdictions wherein it operates a Banking franchise, as well as across its Payments, Pension and Funds Management business verticals. Total assets and shareholders’ funds closed at 1₦ 7.8trillion and 3.₦ 4trillion, respectively. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very robust and strong, closing at 43.8%, likewise asset quality improved as evidenced by IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans which closed at 3.4% and 5.0% at Bank and Group level in FY-2025 (Bank, 3.5%, and Group, 5.2% in December 2024). Cost of Risk (COR) also improved to 2.2% from 4.9% in December 2024. In specific terms, the Group’s loan book (net) grew by 12.4% from 2.79trillion as of December 2024 to₦ 3.13trillion in December 2025. Similarly, deposit liabilities grew by 23.8% from 10.40trillion to 12.87trillion during₦ ₦ ₦ the same period.Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said: “Our 2025 result underscores the resilience and depth of our earnings capacity. Following a record 2024, which included significant fair value gains, our focus has been on strengthening the sustainability of our earnings by driving growth across our core banking and ecosystem businesses. The strength of our underlying earnings, despite a stronger Naira and tighter regulatory parameters, reflects the quality of our franchise and the discipline with which we execute our strategy. Importantly, this strong core earnings performance underpins our capacity to sustain and grow shareholder returns. Our record dividend payout this year is not only a reflection of our current profitability but also of our confidence in the Group’s long-term earnings potential. Looking ahead, we remain focused on scaling our ecosystem, driving innovation across our financial services platform, and delivering consistent, high-quality earnings that support superior value creation for our shareholders.”Overall, the Group continues to post one of the best metrics in the Nigerian Financial Services Industry in terms of key financial ratios i.e., Post-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 28.3%, Post-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 5.3%, Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 43.8% and Cost to Income Ratio of 27.9%.Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc is a leading financial services group with operations across Africa and the United Kingdom. Renowned for its strong corporate governance, innovative financial solutions, and customer-centric approach, the Group provides a wide range of banking and non-banking services including payments, funds management, and pension fund administration. GTCO Plc is committed to delivering long-term value to stakeholders while driving growth and development across its markets.
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Zenith Bank and Ford Foundation Honour Unsung ‘Sheroes’ with Inaugural Woman of Power Award
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On Saturday, March 28 2026, Zenith Bank held the climax of its month-long activities to commemorate March as women’s month. The event which held at The Civic Centre, was the second of such activity at the Centre, having held the International Women Day Seminar on the 9th of March, 2026. The event was to honour and give awards to exceptional women who have shown resilience in their communities with heir vocation impacting lives sustainably.Speakers after speakers eulogized Zenith Bank for its people-centred activities and appreciated the Ford Foundation for identifying the Bank as a worthy partner in its push to support women in their peculiar cultural and economic conditions across the world.Themed “Celebrating Resilience, Leadership, and Generosity” the award recognised 19 women who were selected from the six geo-political zones in trade, petty manufacturing, education, and agriculture. These women demonstrated extraordinary strength, leadership, and impact despite the significant challenges posed by the difficult economic situation in the country.According to the organisers, the initiative provided a platform to showcase unsung “Sheroes” — everyday women who are making meaningful contributions in their communities and fields. These include market women, small-scale business owners, community leaders, educators, healthcare workers, and many others whose vital roles often go unnoticed.The sponsors of the event noted that each awardee exhibited excellence in several key areas, including leadership and initiative, community impact, innovativeness and resourcefulness, perseverance, integrity, community trust, and philanthropy.Among those honoured were: Mrs Regina Amankulor, a retired nurse empowering young people in Umuode-Nsulu community, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State; Mary Matanmi, Coordinator of the Nigeria Association of Hairdressers, Barbers and Cosmetologists, Lagos State chapter; Ifeanyi P. Ugwueze, a Guidance Counsellor and Life Coach who continues to thrive despite blindness and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree.
Others include: Amina Musa, a trade educator based in Karonmajiji, AMAC, Abuja; Adenike A. Lambo, the Iyaloja of Ilorin; Sadiya Abubakar, an educator in Jibi (Deidei), Bwari Area Council, FCT; Erikan Idem Andrew, a market woman with significant community impact in Port Harcourt; Ngozi B. Nwankpa, an Aba-based fashion designer; Hadiza Umar, a Development Specialist based in Kaduna, Kaduna State; Joy C. Ezenwa (aka Mama Amala), a trader at Sabon Gari Market, Kano; Shola Esther Babalola (Mama Sho), promoter of natural honey and founder of the Mama Sho Honey brand in Lagos; Josephine Ugwu, a staff member of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), honoured for her honesty in recovering and returning millions of naira mistakenly dropped by passengers at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. And many others.In her keynote address, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, who was represented by Executive Director, Adobi Nwapa, praised the awardees and reaffirmed the bank’s strong commitment to women’s empowerment. She noted that “Zenith Bank’s commitment to gender inclusion is not a rhetoric but one of the ethos that the bank holds very dearly”. In her words, she also said, “Zenith Bank has a 50-50 gender ratio with women occupying strategic positions in the bank’s management and Board up to the current Group Managing Director being the very first female to hold that position.The Regional Director of the Ford Foundation, Dr Chichi Aniagolu, described the Woman of Power Award as an eye-opener, noting that her team’s journey across the country revealed the vast and often overlooked facets of human potential among Nigerian women.Both the Ford Foundation and Zenith Bank Plc have pledged to sustain and grow the initiative in the coming years.Zenith Bank used the forum to notify the women of their various women-targeted products and initiatives, including the Z-Woman initiative, and the Bank’s 19-year sole sponsorship of the NBBF Women’s Basketball League; thus, further highlighting its position at the forefront of women empowerment and economic inclusion across the country.
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ZENITH BANK APPOINTS KENNEDY OKWUDILI AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Zenith Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Kennedy Onuwa Okwudili as an Executive Director of the bank effective May 1, 2026. The appointment, which is consistent with the bank’s tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within, will further strengthen the bank’s Executive Management.Mr. Okwudili graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Accounting in 1998 from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, with a Second Class Upper division. He obtained a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 2008 and a Masters of Science in Accounting from Veritas University, Abuja, Nigeria in 2021.Mr. Okwudili has over twenty-five years of cognate banking experience spanning credit and marketing, treasury, compliance as well as operations and had at different times worked in various zones and departments of the bank. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), 2013, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), 2024 and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), 2016. He has attended several Executive Education Programmes both within and outside the country, including: Senior Leadership Development Programme at the Lagos Business School, Corporate Directorship Programme at the Harvard Business School and Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford, SAID Business School.He is currently the President of Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria (CBAN) and a member of the Noble Order of the Knights of St. John International (KSJI).
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