Standard Chartered Bank Leads As 27 Banks Are Responsible for Foreign Inflows Into Nigeria
- Foreign capital inflows into Nigeria’s banking sector surged by 93.25% to $13.53 billion in 2025
- Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc led inflows
- Total capital importation rose by 88.5% year-on-year, driven largely by banking sector inflows
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, the stock market, and broader market trends.
Foreign capital inflows into Nigeria’s banking sector surged by 93.25% year-on-year to $13.53 billion in 2025, up from $7.00 billion recorded in 2024.
Source: UGC
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics capital importation report showed that banks remained the dominant destination for foreign investment, accounting for $13.53 billion out of the total $23.22 billion recorded in 2025, representing 58.26% of total inflows, compared to 56.81% in 2024.
Breakdown of banking figures
Quarterly data showed that inflows into the banking sector began at $3.13 billion in the first quarter, rising 51.3% from $2.07 billion in the corresponding period of 2024.
Punch reports that in the second quarter, inflows climbed to $3.41 billion, a 203.2% increase from $1.12 billion, while the third quarter recorded $3.14 billion, up 442.2% from $579.48 million.
In the fourth quarter, inflows rose to $3.85 billion, representing a 19.2% increase from $3.23 billion recorded a year earlier.
Further breakdown showed that the sector accounted for 55.44% of total capital importation in Q1, 66.56% in Q2, 52.25% in Q3, and 59.75% in Q4, highlighting its consistent dominance throughout the year.
Source: Getty Images
Capital inflows into Nigeria by banks in 2025
- Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited: $7.83 billion
- Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc: $7.02 billion
- Citibank Nigeria Limited: $2.71 billion
- Access Bank Plc: $1.84 billion
- Rand Merchant Bank: $1.64 billion
- Ecobank Nigeria Plc: $780.83 million
- First Bank of Nigeria Plc: $308.25 million
- First City Monument Bank Plc: $202.18 million
- Guaranty Trust Bank Plc: $172.82 million
- FSDH Merchant Bank Limited: $155.90 million
- Zenith Bank Plc: $139.82 million
- Fidelity Bank Plc: $136.26 million
- Titan Trust Bank Limited: $117.14 million
- United Bank for Africa Plc: $54.85 million
- Nova Merchant Bank Ltd: $41.44 million
- Optimus Bank Limited: $15.30 million
- Coronation Merchant Bank: $15.20 million
- Sterling Bank Plc: $10.81 million
- Keystone Bank Limited: $7.26 million
- Union Bank of Nigeria Plc: $6.97 million
- Wema Bank Plc: $4.17 million
- Unity Bank Plc: $2.89 million
- Polaris Bank: $2.45 million
- ProvidusBank Plc: $1.16 million
- FBN Merchant Bank Limited: $0.50 million
- Signature Bank Limited: $0.50 million
- Parallex Bank Limited: $0.49 million
List of 34 banks that have completed recapitalisation
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s March 31, 2026, recapitalisation deadline, 34 banks have already confirmed meeting the new minimum capital requirements.
A provisional list reviewed shows that all major banks with international licences controlling over 70% of industry assets, alongside most national banks, have successfully scaled the recapitalisation hurdle.
Source: Legit.ng
