Access Holdings recorded Africa’s biggest increase in Tier 1 capital, leading a strong showing by Nigerian lenders in The Banker’s latest global banking rankings.
An analysis by BusinessDay of The Banker’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks report shows that four Nigerian lenders ranked among the continent’s 10 fastest-growing banks by Tier 1 capital, reflecting gains from recapitalisation, cross-border acquisitions, and a stabilising domestic economy.
Access, Nigeria’s largest banking group by assets, posted a 60.9 per cent increase in Tier 1 capital to $2.46 billion, the highest growth among African lenders. Egypt’s Commercial International Bank (CIB) followed with a 47.8 per cent increase to $3.91 billion, while Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) ranked third, growing Tier 1 capital by 40.2 per cent to $1.85 billion.
Tier 1 capital, regarded as the highest-quality measure of a bank’s financial strength, consists mainly of common equity and retained earnings that can absorb losses while allowing a bank to continue operating. Regulators use it under the Basel III framework to assess a bank’s resilience during periods of financial stress.
Morocco’s Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier and Crédit Agricole du Maroc occupied fourth and fifth positions with growth of 38.8 percent and 34 percent, respectively. United Bank for Africa (UBA) ranked sixth with a 33.8 percent increase, followed by Morocco’s Bank of Africa. Angola’s Banco Angolano de Investimentos came eighth, while Zenith Bank placed ninth after increasing Tier 1 capital by 29.1 percent. Egypt’s Faisal Islamic Bank completed the top 10 with a growth of 28.5 percent.
