Access Holdings Plc has distanced itself from a circulating “financial highlight” linked to its 2025 audited financial statements, stating that the summary was released on social media by an unauthorised source ahead of the official publication.

The company clarified that its audited financial statements are still undergoing regulatory review by the Central Bank of Nigeria, although they have already secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission Nigeria. It added that the full-year audited results would be published on the Nigerian Exchange within 48 hours after receiving final approval from the apex bank, noting that its most recent official financial update remains the nine-month results for the period ended September 30, 2025.

Addressing investors and the general public, the group stated, “The company hereby expressly disclaims the said financial highlight and urges the investing public to disregard the same as it is unauthorized.”

In a disclosure to the Nigerian Exchange dated March 31, 2026, Access Holdings confirmed that it had obtained approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit and publish its audited financial statements once final clearance is granted by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

This development followed an earlier communication issued in late February, where the company disclosed that the Securities and Exchange Commission had granted it an extension to file its full-year 2025 audited results on or before March 31, 2026. The extension, it explained, was subject to obtaining approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria, highlighting the multi-layered regulatory requirements governing banks and financial holding companies. However, the approval remains pending beyond the initial deadline.

The expected 2025 audited results follow the company’s unaudited nine-month performance ended September 30, 2025, during which pre-tax profit rose by 10.40 per cent year-on-year to N616.2 billion, driven by strong growth in both interest and non-interest income streams.

According to the nine-month financial results, interest income remained the primary driver of earnings, reaching N2.9 trillion compared to N2.3 trillion recorded in the corresponding period. Of this amount, loans and advances to customers contributed N1.3 trillion, while investment securities accounted for N1.13 trillion, reflecting the group’s core revenue channels.

On the non-interest income side, the group recorded N600.4 billion in fees and commissions, up from N401.5 billion. This was complemented by N255.4 billion in foreign exchange gains and N140.4 billion in other operating income.

Despite higher operating expenses, these revenue streams supported a pre-tax profit of N616.2 billion, representing a 10.40 per cent increase year-on-year, with expectations that the full-year audited results will show further growth once released.

The company’s equity, ACCESSCORP, has delivered a return of over 42 per cent year-to-date on the Nigerian Exchange, with more than 4.2 billion shares traded as investors await the publication of the audited results. As of the pre-market session on April 22, 2026, the company’s shares were priced at N29.95.

In a related development, Access Holdings appointed Emeka Anthony Ogbechie as its Chief Financial Officer, with the appointment taking effect from February 23, 2026.