Access Holdings made ₦667.4 billion before tax in the first nine months of 2026, up from ₦616.2 billion in the same months of 2025. The figures come from unaudited accounts filed with the Nigerian Exchange on 2 November. They cover the holding company and its subsidiaries together, including Access Bank. They do not measure the bank alone.
One reason the increase reached 8.3% was a smaller charge for losses on financial assets. That charge fell from about ₦350 billion to ₦92.9 billion. It is an accounting expense that affects profit. A fall in the charge does not establish that borrowers repaid an equivalent amount of overdue debt.
The group earned more from fees and commissions after deducting the related expenses. That income rose from ₦475.9 billion to ₦534.9 billion. Staff costs also rose, reaching ₦432.1 billion compared with ₦358.6 billion. After income tax, the group kept ₦474.2 billion in profit, against ₦447.5 billion a year earlier.
There is a second comparison in the filing. For July to September alone, the group recorded ₦253.2 billion before tax. Its table for those three months gives ₦166.3 billion for the corresponding quarter of 2025. The ₦253.2 billion is already included in the nine-month total. Adding it again would count the same earnings twice.
For a holder of ordinary shares, the accounts give another measure. Basic earnings per share moved from ₦8.00 to ₦8.02 over the nine months. That measure uses the profit attributable to ordinary shareholders and the weighted average number of ordinary shares. It does not tell you the cash that any one shareholder received.
What it means for you: if you own shares, an extra two kobo in earnings per share is not a declaration of an extra two kobo in dividends. Look for a separate dividend announcement to establish the amount payable. When comparing headlines about profit, check the months covered and whether the calculation is before or after tax.