Twelve Nigerian banks collectively earned ₦3.42 trillion profit after tax in 2023

Twelve Nigerian banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) reported a total profit of ₦3.42 trillion in 2023, with all banks making a profit and seeing increases from 2022. The top four banks — Zenith Bank, Access Holdings, UBA, and GTCO — contributed 71% of this amount. Zenith Bank saw a 202% increase from the previous year and led the way with ₦676.9 billion, while Access Bank recorded the highest increase in profits (307%). Jaiz Bank made the least profit (₦11.2 billion) followed by Sterling Bank (₦21.6 billion) and Wema Bank (₦36 billion).

Source:

Nigerian Exchange (NGX)

Period:

2023
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Kenyan banks’ non-performing loan ratios fell, with KCB’s ratio down 2.9 points
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  • KCB recorded the largest improvement, with a 2.9% point drop.
  • KCB still had the highest NPL ratio in the group at 16.9%.
  • Co-operative Bank remained highly stressed at 15.7%, despite some improvement.
  • Equity Bank and Absa Bank Kenya both ended 2025 at 11.5%.
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Nigeria's insurance sector crossed ₦1.98tn in H1 2025 as every segment grew by at least 25%
  • Life Business was the single largest segment, and its 70.3% jump signals that more Nigerians are thinking seriously about financial protection for their families.
  • Miscellaneous, the smallest segment, posted the biggest growth at 86.7%, suggesting new and unconventional insurance products are gaining serious traction.
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  • Motor (52.5%), Fire (53.3%), and General Accident (49.6%) grew by roughly half, indicating broad-based sector expansion rather than isolated pockets of growth.
Internationally authorised Nigerian banks have raised over ₦3.3tn since March 2024
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  • Zenith Bank currently has the highest capital among the banks shown, reaching about ₦614 billion.
  • Access Holdings has about ₦602.8 billion in total capital.
  • Fidelity Bank raised the largest single capital injection in the group, about ₦437.85 billion, pushing its total capital to ₦564.5 billion.
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Nigeria's insurance sector crossed ₦1.98tn in H1 2025 as every segment grew by at least 25%
  • Life Business was the single largest segment, and its 70.3% jump signals that more Nigerians are thinking seriously about financial protection for their families.
  • Miscellaneous, the smallest segment, posted the biggest growth at 86.7%, suggesting new and unconventional insurance products are gaining serious traction.
  • Aviation & Marine nearly doubled, with 79.9% growth in a sector tied to trade and logistics, reflecting Nigeria's expanding import/export activity and the rising cost of cargo and aircraft risk coverage.
  • Motor (52.5%), Fire (53.3%), and General Accident (49.6%) grew by roughly half, indicating broad-based sector expansion rather than isolated pockets of growth.
Nigeria had about 135 bank accounts per 100 people in 2025, up from 32 bank accounts in 2017
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  • Digital banking and fintech adoption played a major role in the surge.
  • The jump after 2020 suggests technology-driven access, not just population growth.
  • Multiple account ownership is now common among users.
Nigeria saw an increase of 2.9 million deployed POS in 2024, following the naira redesign in 2023
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  • POS agents became critical financial access points during the period of cash shortage.
  • POS terminals now function as mini-banks in many communities.
  • Financial inclusion has expanded through agent-based banking and POS networks.
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