Business
Banks Total Assets Rise 17.8% To N87.35trn In Q1’23

The total assets of leading deposit money banks operating in Nigeria rose to N87.25 trillion in the first quarter ended March 31, 2023, up by 17.8 percent from N74.07 trillion in the corresponding period in 2022.
The banks are Zenith Bank Plc, Access Holdings Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCo) Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc and Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc. Others are Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) Plc, FCMB Group and Wema Bank Plc.
Vanguard findings from the bank’s assets showed that the tier-1 banks have maintained significant lead in terms of the asset size.
On the top five in the category, Access Holdings Plc emerged the biggest bank in asset size as its total assets for the period stood at N15.74 trillion, followed by Zenith Bank Plc with N13.36 trillion assets size. ETI placed third with N13.24 trillion,UBA and FBN Holdings Plc emerged fourth and fifth with N11.36 trillion and N11.09 trillion respectively.
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Zenith Bank Plc, however, topped in percentage terms as it grew its assets by 29.5 percent to N13.36 trillion from N10.32 trillion in the corresponding period in 2022. UBA Plc trailed behind with 27.8 percent growth to N11.36 trillion from N8.89 trillion in 2022.
FCMB Group was the next as its assets grew by 25 percent to N3.1 trillion from N2.48 trillion in the corresponding period in 2022; GTCo recorded a 22.5 percent increase to N6.74 trillion from N5.5 trillion in 2022; Wema Bank’s assets rose by 21.3 percent to N1.54 trillion from N1.27 trillion, while FBN Holdings Plc recorded a 20.4 percent increase to N11.09 trillion at the end of the review period from N9.21 trillion in the corresponding period in 2022.
According to VANGUARD, Unity Bank Plc recorded a 25.5 percent decline to N440 billion from N591 billion in the same period in 2022. Fitch ratings had said in a report titled: “Nigerian Banks Have Sufficient Buffers to Withstand Prevailing Macro Challenges”, that the restructuring of Ghana’s sovereign debt will add to asset-quality pressure at Nigeria’s largest five banking groups.
Business
Report Any MRS Filling Stations Selling Fuel Above N739 Per Liter — Dangote Refinery To Nigerians

Dangote Refinery has urged Nigerians to report any MRS filling station outlets nationwide selling fuel above the N739 per liter announced price.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The refinery insisted that its petrol being at retail outlets remain N739 per liter while the gantry price is N699.
It further called on other filling station owners to patronize its refined petroleum products at the N699 rate.
“We also call on other petrol station operators to patronize our products so that the benefits of this price reduction can be passed on to Nigerians across all outlets, ensuring broad-based relief and a more stable downstream market.”
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Recall that Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Refinery, had pegged the retail price of his petrol at a maximum of N740.
DAILY POST reports that MRS filling and other filling stations had reduced fuel prices to between N739 and N912 per liter in Abuja.
However, reports emerged that some MRS filling stations were selling above the N739 per liter announced price benchmark.
Business
Naira Records Significant Appreciation Against US Dollar

The Naira recorded significant appreciation against the United States dollar on Monday at the official foreign exchange market to begin the week ahead of Yuletide on a good note.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s data showed that the Naira strengthened to N1,456.56 per dollar on Monday, up from N1,464.49 traded on Friday last week, 19th December 2025.
This means that the Naira gained N7.93 against the dollar when compared with the N1,464.49 was exchanged as of Friday, December 19, 2025. DAILY POST reports that Monday’s gain at the official FX market is the first since December 15th.
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Meanwhile, at the black market, the Naira remained stable at N1500 per dollar on Monday, according to multiple Bureau De Change operators in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
The development comes as the country’s external reserves stood at $44.66 billion as of last week Friday.
Business
CBN Revokes Licences Of Aso Savings, Union Homes As NDIC Begins Deposit Payments

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of Aso Savings and Loans Plc and Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, citing persistent regulatory infractions and deepening financial distress in the two primary mortgage banks.
The revocation, which took effect on December 15, 2025, was carried out under Section 12 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and Section 7.3 of the Revised Guidelines for Mortgage Banks in Nigeria, the CBN said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the apex bank, the affected institutions failed to meet minimum paid-up share capital requirements, had insufficient assets to cover their liabilities, recorded capital adequacy ratios below prudential thresholds, and consistently breached regulatory directives.
“The CBN remains committed to its core mandate of ensuring financial system stability,” a statement, signed by the apex bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali said.
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Following the licence revocation, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) was appointed liquidator of the defunct banks in line with the law.
The Corporation said it has commenced the liquidation process and begun verification and payment of insured deposits to customers.
Under the deposit insurance framework, depositors are entitled to receive up to two million naira per depositor, with payments made through BVN-linked alternate bank accounts.
Depositors with balances above the insured limit will receive the initial two million naira while the remaining sums will be paid as liquidation dividends after the realisation of the banks’ assets and recovery of outstanding loans.
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The NDIC said depositors may submit claims either online or physically at designated branches of the closed banks, while creditors will be paid after all depositors have been fully settled, in accordance with statutory provisions.
The two mortgage banks have faced prolonged operational challenges, including depositor complaints, governance concerns, and delisting from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in 2024 for failure to submit audited financial statements for more than six years.
The CBN assured the public that the action was taken to strengthen the mortgage banking sub-sector and protect depositors, adding that banks whose licences have not been revoked remain safe and sound.
This means the two financial institutions can no longer operate as licensed financial institutions.
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