Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc’s total assets crossed N5 trillion in the nine months ended September 2026, as profit before tax rose by 37.1 percent to N97.28 billion, reflecting growth in earnings, lending and customer deposits.
The group’s unaudited results for the period showed that total assets increased by 30.4 percent from the end of 2025 to N5.10 trillion, while gross earnings rose by 33.2 percent year-on-year to N454.94 billion.
Profit after tax grew by 21 percent to N75.37 billion, while non-interest income increased by 27.6 percent to N101.16 billion, supported by fee-based activities, commodities trading and joint enterprise investments across the group’s businesses.
The performance highlights the group’s expanding financial services operations and efforts to diversify its earnings beyond traditional banking.
Net loans and advances to customers increased by 28.8 percent to N1.82 trillion, while customer deposits rose by 28.7 percent to N3.84 trillion, indicating growth in both lending and deposit mobilisation.
Shareholders’ funds also increased by 38.8 percent to N595.2 billion, strengthening the group’s equity base. Sterling Financial recorded a post-tax return on average equity of 20 percent and a return on average assets of 2.22 percent.
The group’s diversification strategy is also beginning to contribute to earnings, with SterlingFi Wealth Management, now in its second year of operations, expanding its role within the financial services portfolio.
Commenting on the results, Yemi Odubiyi, group chief executive officer of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, said the performance reflected the collective strength of the group’s businesses and progress towards building a diversified financial services group.
He described the crossing of the N5 trillion asset threshold as an important milestone, adding that SterlingFi’s emerging contribution demonstrated the potential of the group’s expanding financial services portfolio.
Odubiyi said the group would focus on translating its growth into sustainable shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation, effective governance and strategic oversight.
He added that Sterling Financial would continue to support its businesses in pursuing sustainable growth while maintaining financial resilience and prudent risk management.
The group said it remained focused on strengthening its earnings base, optimising capital deployment and providing strategic oversight across its businesses to support sustainable performance and long-term shareholder value.
Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.
