The board of directors of United Bank for Africa Plc and Access Holdings Plc have approved their respective audited financial results and proposed dividend payments for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
The announcements, released on Monday in corporate disclosures filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, signalled a strong finish to the year for both financial institutions.
In mid-2025, the Central Bank of Nigeria temporarily suspended banks with forbearance loan exposures from making dividend payments and investments in foreign subsidiaries as part of efforts to strengthen the resilience and stability of the Nigerian banking sector.
The United Bank for Africa board greenlighted the payment of a final dividend for the 2025 financial year, saying, “Please be informed that the Board of United Bank for Africa Plc, at its meeting which was held on Thursday, 19 February 2026, considered and approved the Group Audited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 and payment of a final dividend, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Similarly, announcing that the Group’s Audited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements had been approved by the board, Access Holdings Plc also informed the investing public that its board also approved a proposal for dividend payment.
“Access Holdings Plc is pleased to inform the investing public and the Nigerian Exchange Limited (‘The Exchange’) that its Board of Directors met on Friday, 20 February 2026, and considered and approved the Group’s Audited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements (‘the Results’) for the year ended 31 December 2025, and the payment of dividend, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria,” said the financial group in a statement signed by its company secretary, Sunday Ekwochi.
Despite the board approvals, both Access Holdings and UBA emphasised that the release of the audited statements and the payment of dividends are strictly subject to the approval of the CBN. Both banks stated they would notify the investing public immediately once the CBN provides its clearance.
These corporate approvals coincide with a high-stakes week for the Nigerian economy. The Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is meeting Monday and Tuesday (today) to decide the benchmark interest rate.
Analysts maintain that the committee is facing a divide: whether to maintain the current 27.0 per cent policy rate to manage liquidity or to implement a 50–100 basis point rate cut following a surprise decline in inflation to 15.1 per cent in January 2026.
The outcome of the MPC meeting, combined with the pending CBN approval of these bank dividends, will likely serve as a major catalyst for the Nigerian stock market in the coming days.
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