Nigerian banks are beginning to reap the rewards of recapitalisation and years of pan-African expansion, with four lenders emerging among Africa’s 10 fastest-growing banks by Tier 1 capital in The Banker’s 2026 Top 1000 World Banks rankings.
An analysis by BusinessDay of the latest rankings shows that Access Holdings, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Zenith Bank accounted for four of the continent’s top 10 lenders by capital growth in 2025, highlighting how stronger capital positions, cross-border acquisitions and a stabilising domestic economy are reshaping Nigeria’s banking landscape.
Access, Nigeria’s largest banking group by assets, topped the continental ranking after growing its Tier 1 capital by 60.9 percent to $2.46 billion—the biggest increase recorded by any African lender. Egypt’s Commercial International Bank (CIB) followed with a 47.8 percent rise to $3.91 billion, while GTBank ranked third with a 40.2 percent increase. UBA placed sixth and Zenith
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