Access Holdings Plc has significantly expanded its green financing initiatives, growing its sustainable asset portfolio to ₦92.14 billion as of December 31, 2025, while reducing its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 28.47 per cent from its 2022 baseline and extending financial services to approximately 2.53 million low-income individuals.
The achievements are contained in the Group’s 2025 Sustainability Report, released on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, which highlights measurable progress in integrating sustainability into its business strategy and operations.
The report underscores Access Holdings’ transition from pursuing scale to creating long-term value by embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles across capital allocation, risk management, product innovation and operational processes.
Access Bank Plc, the Group’s flagship subsidiary, delivered a substantial share of the sustainability outcomes reported during the year.
The Group’s green asset portfolio has recorded steady growth, rising from ₦22 billion in 2021 to ₦72.32 billion in 2024, before reaching ₦92.14 billion at the close of 2025. This represents continued progress towards its long-term target of ₦475 billion in green assets.
During the reporting period, Access Holdings deployed ₦72.3 billion under its Sustainable Finance Framework to fund eligible environmentally beneficial projects, while its cumulative sustainability-focused loan portfolio increased to US$1.269 billion, reinforcing the Group’s commitment to financing inclusive and climate-resilient economic growth.
The emissions reduction reported in 2025 reflects operational changes designed to lower the environmental footprint of the Group’s activities.
Operational emissions fell to 49,352 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 57,176 tonnes in 2024, supported primarily by branch solarisation across 263 locations and the deployment of 323 solar-powered ATMs, largely across Access Bank in Nigeria.
The Group applies the operational-control approach under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, accounting for emissions across its African footprint, with Access Bank representing the largest share.
Beyond environmental outcomes, the report highlights the Group’s contribution to inclusive economic participation. In 2025, Access Holdings extended access to finance to 2,528,117 low-income individuals and onboarded 78,438 new MSMEs onto its financing platform.
Across the Group, 2.8 billion transactions were processed during the year, underscoring the institution’s role as core financial infrastructure for Africa’s real economy. Gender-lens lending also progressed, with 354,156 loans extended to women and women-owned businesses, totalling ₦67.4 billion, equivalent to 24 per cent of the relevant loan portfolio.
The Group’s Corporate Social Investment programmes reached 2,439,480 beneficiaries across education, health, entrepreneurship and the environment, delivered with partners including UNICEF, HACEY Health Initiative and the Kenya Forest Service. Employees recorded 359,500 volunteer hours with 100 per cent participation, while more than 50,000 trees were planted.
The Group notes that 2025 community figures follow a Board-mandated tightening of its impact-measurement methodology and are not directly comparable with prior years.
Women represent 49 per cent of the workforce, and the Access Holdings Board comprised nine directors with 44.4 per cent female representation. Employee satisfaction rose to 87 per cent against an 80 per cent target, while attrition eased from about 13 per cent to about 11 per cent.
To strengthen credibility and comparability, the report was prepared using the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, specifically IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, as the primary framework, with the GRI Standards (2021) and the SASB Standards applied as complementary references.
Selected disclosures were independently assured by CSR-in-Action Consulting Limited under ISAE 3000 (Revised) on a hybrid reasonable and limited assurance basis.
Sustainability governance is integrated into senior oversight and credit decision-making. The Board Human Resources and Sustainability Committee oversees the agenda, supported by the Board Risk Management Committee.
Climate and ESG risk is reflected in capital planning through the ICAAP, while an ESG Toolkit is embedded in the credit-approval system, enabling facilities to be screened against IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles.
The Group also reported zero material regulatory penalties relating to sustainability for a second consecutive year and zero cybersecurity breaches.
Access Holdings mobilised US$185.38 million, equivalent to ₦266.83 billion, in concessional funding from development finance institutions during the year and allocated a sustainability budget of ₦4.8 billion from profit before tax. Sales-facing staff in the banking subsidiary carry green-portfolio targets as part of their individual performance measures, linking strategic sustainability goals to day-to-day execution across governance, strategy, risk management, capital allocation, products, and operations.
Commenting on the report, Innocent C. Ike, Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc, said: “Our 2025 Sustainability Report reflects the discipline with which we are converting scale into value.
“We reduced operational emissions by 28.47 per cent, grew our green asset portfolio to ₦92.14 billion and extended financial access to about 2.5 million low-income individuals. These outcomes show that sustainability is not separate from our business; it is central to how we create value, manage risk and support inclusive growth across Africa.”
Looking ahead, the Group will focus on deepening the measurable impact of its sustainability agenda, accelerating the transition of its portfolio towards low-carbon and climate-resilient assets, and growing the green asset portfolio towards the ₦475 billion target.
It will also improve data quality for financed and Scope 3 emissions through the adoption of the PCAF methodology, scaling up renewable energy adoption, deepening development finance partnerships, and further integrating climate risk into financial planning.
Consistent with its mission to be the most respected African financial services group, Access Holdings frames these commitments as a disciplined, evidence-based approach to building long-term value for customers, communities, shareholders and the wider African economy.