Access Holdings PLC has been ranked the Tier 1 bank with the best asset quality in Nigeria, having posted the lowest Non-Performing Loan Ratio (NPLR) at 2.76 percent, according to Proshare’s 2025 Tier 1 Banking Report released, recently. This marks a significant achievement for Access Holdings, reinforcing its leadership in credit discipline, risk management, and sustainable lending practices.The report, titled: “The Class of 2025: Getting Bigger, Bolder, and Dominant,” ranks Access Holdings second overall in the Tier 1 category, placing just behind Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), which led with a percentile score of 100. Access Holdings followed closely with a 91st percentile ranking, ahead of Zenith Bank at 73 per cent, FirstHoldco at 82 per cent, UBA at 64 per cent, and GTCO at 55 per cent.In terms of NPLR performance, Access Holdings maintained a remarkable 2.76 per cent, outperforming Zenith Bank at 3.54 per cent, GTCO at 4.07 per cent, UBA at 3.80 per cent, ETI at 6.25 per cent, and FirstHoldco at 6.70 per cent. This places Access Holdings at the forefront of asset quality management among Nigeria’s top banks and reaffirms its reputation for operational discipline amid market volatility.Commenting on the achievement, Bolaji Agbede, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings PLC, said: “This ranking is not just a measure of our financial health; it reflects the strength of our governance, the quality of our decision-making, and the focus we place on long-term value creation. It is a testament to the discipline of our people and the effectiveness of our pan-African strategy.”She added: “At Access Holdings, we believe that sustainable success lies in balancing growth with resilience. We will continue to execute with precision, build with purpose, and innovate with integrity as we expand our presence across Africa and beyond.”The 2025 edition of the Proshare Bank Strength Index (PBSI) introduces a recalibrated framework that reflects the realities of the ongoing recapitalisation exercise in Nigeria’s banking sector. “This edition goes beyond traditional financial metrics and incorporates broader determinants of profitability, stability, and stakeholder value. “The PBSI model emphasises capital adequacy and scale, asset quality and sustainable growth, digital transformation and earnings diversification, governance quality and board diversity, as well as profitability and cost-efficiency.”