Access Holdings Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to long-term shareholder value and sustainable returns, following a strong performance in the 2025 financial year. The company provided clarity on the rationale for the non-payment of dividends for the year ended December 31, 2025.
During the Group’s Full Year 2025 Investors and Earnings Call, management addressed shareholder concerns about the absence of a dividend declaration despite robust earnings growth and balance-sheet expansion.
Access Holdings emphasized that the non-payment of dividend for the 2025 financial year was not performance-driven but reflected prudential regulatory alignment matters that required resolution before dividend payments could be effected.
Innocent C. Ike, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc, stated, “Access Holdings has a strong history of consistent dividend payments, and rewarding shareholders remains a core priority for the Board and Management. The non-payment of dividend for 2025 was not due to earnings weakness or cash flow constraints, but an alignment with regulatory and prudential guidelines.”
For the 2025 financial year, Access Holdings delivered a resilient and diversified performance. Gross earnings grew by 13.3 percent to ₦5.53 trillion, supported by strong growth in net interest income and a 40.9 percent increase in fees and commissions to ₦585.07 billion. Profit before tax increased by 16.2 percent to ₦1.01 trillion, crossing the ₦1 trillion mark for the first time in the Group’s history.
Total assets expanded by 24.2 percent to ₦51.56 trillion, reflecting scale accretion and the successful integration of recently acquired subsidiaries. The Group’s cost-to-income ratio improved significantly from 56.7 percent to 51.7 percent, driven by disciplined cost management and operating leverage.
Capital adequacy remained strong at 18.2 percent at the holding company level, while the banking subsidiary ended the year with a capital adequacy ratio of 20.2 percent.
“Our performance in 2025 demonstrates the strength of the franchise and its capacity to generate value for shareholders. Our focus is to ensure that shareholder distributions resume on a sustainable basis once all regulatory conditions are satisfied and the required approvals are obtained,” Ike added.
Access Holdings explained that while dividends were recommended at both half-year and full-year in 2025, regulatory approvals were not obtained. At the half-year stage, the constraint related to Section 7.1 of the CBN Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies, which has since been fully resolved following the successful completion of an approved private placement.
