Nigeria, May 1 -- Nigeria's biggest banking institution Access Holdings on Friday posted N743 billion in net profit for last year, its peak level ever.

Revenue jumped to a record, as a much stronger fair value and FX gain boosted performance, 16 per cent stronger than the earnings for 2024.

The upbeat results make the banking group an outlier among Nigeria's largest lenders, often referred to as FUGAZ, a majority of which reported profit decline last year amid galloping costs and stunted growth in interest income.

Access Bank Nigeria and The Access Bank UK were the chief contributors to bottom line across all the subsidiaries, jointly accounting for 89.2 per cent.

The group's South African and Kenyan units were the only divisions that...