Access Holdings to Pay N1 Interim Dividend in 2025

Beulah Godfrey

May 16, 2025
3 min read

Access Holdings Plc has agreed to pay a N1 interim dividend per share in 2025, following strong pressure from shareholders. This payout is more than double the 45 kobo interim dividend it paid in 2024.

The bank made this promise during its 3rd Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on May 15, 2025. Shareholders had asked the bank to increase dividends because of its solid performance in 2024.

Bolaji Agbede, the acting Group CEO, said the bank is ready to meet this demand. “We will pay N1 interim dividend and go the extra mile to deliver more,” she said. Agbede explained that the bank has a strong income base across its local and international businesses, which supports the higher payout.

If Access Holdings delivers on this promise, it will be the highest interim dividend in the bank’s history. It will also mark a 122% increase from the previous year’s payout.

How Access Holdings Compares to Other Banks

In 2024, Access Holdings paid a 45 kobo interim dividend, which was its highest at the time. Other major Nigerian banks like Zenith Bank, GTCO, and UBA each paid N1 per share in interim dividends that same year.

In terms of earnings, Zenith Bank posted earnings per share (EPS) of N32.87, GTCO reported N35.44, and UBA showed N21.73. Access Holdings, however, recorded a lower EPS of N16.71.

Nigerian banks saw big profits in 2024, mostly because of gains from naira devaluation, which boosted their exchange rate income.

Shareholders Also Approved Final Dividend

During the AGM, shareholders approved a final dividend of N2.05 per share for 2024. The bank paid this dividend electronically to eligible shareholders on May 15, 2025.

Adding the 45 kobo interim dividend paid earlier, Access Holdings paid a total dividend of N2.50 per share for 2024. A share price of N22 gives investors a dividend yield of 11.36% and a payout ratio of 19.51%.

The total payout for 2024 is N109.3 billion, which shows the bank’s strong commitment to rewarding investors despite economic challenges.

During the meeting, shareholders rejected a single motion to elect all directors at once. Instead, they voted for each director one by one.

Over the last five years, Access Holdings has paid a total dividend of N317.2 billion, with an average payout ratio of 23%. The bank has grown its dividend at a compound rate of 44.9% during this period.