Access Holdings Charts Ambitious Growth Trajectory for 2025 and Beyond
Access Holdings Plc is setting the stage for a transformative leap in 2025 as it doubles down on an audacious strategy to scale its operations, deepen its continental footprint, and solidify its position as Africa’s premier financial and investment powerhouse. At its 3rd Annual General Meeting held in Lagos on Thursday, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, Bolaji Agbede, laid out a bold and forward-looking blueprint to sustain the Group’s robust 2024 momentum and accelerate growth across strategic verticals.
Agbede’s tone was confident and deliberate, echoing the company’s commitment to executing with clarity, speed, and resilience. “We are fast-tracking our technology infrastructure to drive efficiency, unlock synergies, and deliver seamless digital services to our expanding customer base,” she said, underscoring the institution’s deepening focus on digital transformation—a core lever for long-term competitiveness in the financial services landscape.
Non-Banking Push, Digital Pivot & Market Expansion
While Access Holdings continues to maintain strong performance in its core banking operations, particularly in Nigeria, the Group’s 2025 strategy hinges on three pillars: diversification, digitisation, and globalisation. Agbede disclosed that scaling the Group’s non-banking subsidiaries—including asset management, pensions, insurance, and payments—will be key to unlocking new revenue streams and mitigating concentration risk.
Additionally, the Group is placing strong emphasis on expanding into high-growth markets across Africa and select international jurisdictions. “We are committed to prudent investments and sound risk management as we pursue expansion into new frontiers,” she noted. The emphasis on non-banking diversification and cross-border expansion aligns with Access Holdings’ broader ambition to derisk its earnings profile and deliver sustainable shareholder value.
Strategy Anchored on People, Planet, and Profit
Agbede highlighted that the Group’s 2025 agenda is built on the sustainability tripod of People, Planet, and Profit—a deliberate move to anchor business performance on inclusive growth, environmental responsibility, and financial sustainability. This integrated approach reflects Access Holdings’ growing alignment with global ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, even as it intensifies innovation management to incubate and scale ventures in high-impact sectors.
“We are incubating the next generation of ventures that will deliver outsized value in emerging sectors. This is how we future-proof our business,” Agbede added, pointing to the institution’s commitment to long-term, innovation-led growth.
Access Bank’s Engine Room: SME Impact and Financial Inclusion
Complementing the Group CEO’s strategic outlook, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, provided key performance insights from the banking subsidiary—long regarded as the powerhouse of the Group’s revenue engine. According to Ogbonna, over 400,000 small businesses benefited from targeted support programs in 2024, while the bank impacted more than 21 million individuals, underscoring its role as a catalyst for financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
“As we enter year three of our five-year transformation strategy, we are firmly on course to becoming a global financial institution with African roots,” Ogbonna said. His comments reflect the bank’s ongoing evolution from a leading Nigerian lender to a diversified, tech-enabled, pan-African financial services brand with growing global relevance.
Ogbonna emphasized that for 2025, Access Bank will focus on:
- Scaling regional influence
- Synergizing wholesale banking capabilities
- Empowering global subsidiaries
- Talent-led strategy execution
- Tech-driven operational models
BRANDECONOMY Analysis: Access Holdings as a Next-Gen Financial Conglomerate
Access Holdings is no longer just a banking group—it is morphing into a multi-dimensional financial conglomerate with its eyes on the future. Its strategy reflects a profound understanding of shifting industry dynamics—where traditional banking margins are under pressure, and value increasingly lies in ecosystems, platforms, and agile business models.
From a shareholder perspective, the firm’s drive to diversify revenues, expand internationally, and build non-banking arms adds resilience and growth levers that position the company well against regional and global peers. Meanwhile, its ESG-aligned vision and tech-first execution model offer competitive differentiation in an increasingly digital and impact-conscious investment environment.
In a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem where customer expectations, regulatory frameworks, and geopolitical risks are fluid, Access Holdings is sending a clear signal: it intends not just to survive but to lead with purpose, grow with discipline, and deliver enduring value.
As Nigeria’s financial sector braces for tougher macro headwinds and competition from fintech insurgents and foreign players, Access Holdings’ 2025 strategy could well be a blueprint for sustainable financial leadership in Africa.
