Aig-Imoukhuede leads Access Holdings to $113 million profit in Q1 2025

Key Points

• Access Holdings posted a 14.73% profit rise in Q1 2025, reaching $113 million, boosted by strong interest income and gross earnings growth.
• Leadership under Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede has sharpened Access Holdings’ focus on expansion across Africa and Europe, despite early earnings quality concerns.
• Total assets dipped 5.81% to $24.34 billion, but retained earnings climbed 22%, highlighting resilient profitability amid a mixed start to 2025.

Access Holdings Plc, the financial services group chaired by Nigerian banker and investor Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, opened 2025 with a strong set of results, posting a 14.73 percent year-on-year rise in net profit for the first quarter. Profit reached $113 million, helped by resilient interest income, stronger non-interest revenue, and a sharp jump in gross earnings. Still, the results also showed early signs of pressure on broader earnings quality.

According to the group’s latest financial report, net profit climbed to N182.75 billion ($113.79 million) in the three months ended March 2025, up from N159.29 billion ($99.28 million) in the same period last year. Gross earnings rose sharply, increasing 41.89 percent to N1.38 trillion ($860.65 million) from N974.24 billion ($699.94 million) in March 2024, giving a lift to overall performance.

Leadership and strategic focus shape the path ahead

Access Holdings has continued to build on its strong foundation across Africa’s financial markets, operating in 12 African countries and extending its reach into Europe. It serves as a holding company for a broad range of financial services, including banking, asset management, payments, pensions, and insurance.

The group’s diverse structure has found fresh momentum under the leadership of Aig-Imoukhuede, who returned to the helm after the passing of Herbert Wigwe. A seasoned business leader and philanthropist, Aig-Imoukhuede has worked to steady the group through a time of transition while sharpening its focus on growth.

Assets dip, but retained earnings provide a silver lining

Under Aig-Imoukhuede’s leadership, Access Holdings is working to reinforce its position as a global financial powerhouse. Still, the numbers show that 2025 started with mixed results. Total assets dropped 5.81 percent to N39.09 trillion ($24.34 billion) by the end of March, down from N41.5 trillion ($25.84 billion) a year earlier.

Shareholders’ equity also slipped 1.93 percent to N3.69 trillion ($2.3 billion), compared to N3.76 trillion ($2.34 billion) the previous year. Yet there was a bright spot: retained earnings rose 22 percent to N1.4 trillion ($870.03 million), up from N1.14 trillion ($712.6 million) a year earlier, reflecting underlying profitability.

Despite the contrasting signals, Access Holdings insists its long-term outlook remains strong, pointing to solid capital buffers and a disciplined risk management approach that should help deliver a more stable performance in the months ahead.