LA SUITE APRÈS LA PUBLICITÉ

A total of over 200 million shares has been officially vested by Access Holdings Plc in 77 employees across its group, an initiative designed to reward key personnel and drive long-term institutional value.

The development was officially disclosed in a corporate filing submitted to the Nigerian Exchange – NGX on July 8, 2026, and signed by the Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi. According to the disclosure, the strategic allocation exercise was successfully executed over a two-day period between June 29 and June 30, 2026.

The broad-based allocation spans Access Holdings and its key subsidiaries, including Access Bank Plc, recognizing individual contributions to the Group’s rapid growth and strategic objectives. Former Executive Director of Business Support, Bolaji Agbede, emerged as the single largest beneficiary of the scheme, securing an impressive allocation of 15,092,922 shares. The program effectively leverages equity-based compensation to give executive leadership and senior managers a direct stake in the financial institution’s future performance.

Several other top executives received substantial allocations under the newly executed vesting program. Executive Director Hadiza Ambursa and Access Bank Chief Financial Officer Seyi Kumapayi each received 10,906,875 shares, closely followed by Iyabo Soji-Okusanya, the Executive Director of Corporate and Investment Banking, who was allocated 10,119,941 shares. Other notable beneficiaries included Lanre Bamisebi with over 9.3 million shares, alongside Elizabeth Oguegbu and Femi Jaiyeola, who each received over 4.6 million shares.

This extensive equity distribution reflects Access Holdings’ deliberate strategy of deepening employee ownership while strictly aligning management incentives with shareholder value. Within the modern financial services industry, equity-based compensation has emerged as a critical tool for retaining top-tier talent. This is particularly vital as traditional banks aggressively compete against rising fintech partnerships and navigate rapid digital transformations while expanding their regional cross-border operations.

The timing of the share vesting aligns with the Group’s broader operational shift toward maximizing efficiency and profitability from its historical expansions. At the Group’s fourth Annual General Meeting in Lagos, Chairman Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede emphasized that Access Holdings has entered a phase dedicated to extracting value from years of strategic investments. The financial powerhouse recently recorded a massive profit of N1.007 trillion and grew its total assets to N51.56 trillion, proving its structural resilience.

Ultimately, this incentive program reinforces leadership accountability as Access Holdings continues to scale its presence across African and international markets. Alongside these internal rewards, the Group has reassured the investing public of its commitment to resuming dividend payments as soon as regulatory conditions permit.

By tightly linking employee rewards to sustainable long-term returns, the corporation is positioning itself to maintain its status as one of the continent’s leading financial institutions.