Access Holdings shifts focus to investor returns after acquisition spree, says chairman
By Aboki Forex —
Access Holdings chairman Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede says the group has completed its major acquisition and expansion phase across Africa. The company is now focused on improving investor returns and wants to be measured against Africa’s largest bank, Standard Bank.
Speaking to journalists after the company’s fourth annual general meeting in Lagos on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Aig-Imoukhuede said the era of major acquisitions is largely over. The group’s next priority is ensuring that growth translates into better returns for shareholders.
“Our ambition was not for you to see our performance in the lens of Access is a great bank and compare us to GTCO or Zenith. Our ambition was for you to see us as Access is a great bank, compare us to Standard Bank of Africa,” he said.
Standard Bank Group is widely regarded as Africa’s largest bank by assets and one of the continent’s most profitable lenders. With operations across more than 20 African countries and a presence in key global financial centres, it has long been the benchmark for scale, profitability and cross-border banking in Africa.
Access Holdings has completed about 20 mergers and acquisitions between 2002 and 2025. Major milestones include the acquisition of Intercontinental Bank, the merger with Diamond Bank in 2019, and expansion deals in Kenya, Botswana and South Africa. These deals transformed Access from a small Nigerian lender into a leading pan-African financial institution.
With the expansion phase largely done, Access Holdings plans to focus on key performance indicators that matter to investors: return on equity, earnings per share and cost of risk.
While Nigeria remains its biggest market, Access Holdings’ subsidiaries across Africa are contributing an increasing share of earnings. The benefits of its long-term continental growth strategy are beginning to pay off.
Legit.ng reported that Access Bank completed the takeover of Standard Chartered Bank in The Gambia on June 13, 2025. The deal ended Standard Chartered’s 130-year presence in the country.