Access Holdings cites regulatory compliance for no 2025 dividend payout

Access Holdings Plc has assured shareholders of its dedication to sustainable returns and long-term value creation, even as it clarified the reasons behind the absence of dividend payments for the 2025 financial year.

The explanation was given during the company’s full-year 2025 investors and earnings call, where executives addressed concerns raised by shareholders over the lack of a dividend declaration despite strong earnings and continued balance sheet growth.

Management stressed that the decision was not driven by poor earnings performance or liquidity challenges, but by the need to align with regulatory and prudential requirements before dividend payments could be approved.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Innocent C. Ike, stated: “Access Holdings has a strong history of consistent dividend payments, and rewarding shareholders remains a core priority for the Board and Management. The non payment of dividend for 2025 was not due to earnings weakness or cash flow constraints, but an alignment with regulatory and prudential guidelines.”

He further noted: “Our performance in 2025 demonstrates the strength of the franchise and its capacity to generate value for shareholders. Our focus is to ensure that shareholder distributions resume on a sustainable basis once all regulatory conditions are satisfied and the required approvals are obtained.”

Access Holdings explained that dividend payments had been recommended at both the half-year and full-year periods in 2025, but approvals from regulators were not obtained. The company said the half-year delay was connected to Section 7.1 of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Guidelines for Financial Holding Companies, an issue that has now been resolved after the successful completion of an approved private placement.

The Group also disclosed that a separate issue later arose under Section 19(8)(c) of BOFIA, which restricts the level of investments in foreign banking subsidiaries relative to shareholders’ funds. According to the company, regulators have granted a 12-month timeline to remedy the situation. It added that it would partially divest from certain banking subsidiaries while maintaining a super-majority shareholding.

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