My people, big news dey ground! Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, wey dem dey call ETI, don finally enter that exclusive Trillion-Naira Club. Na im first time wey dem go enter since 20 years wey dem dey listed for Nigerian Exchange. This one sweet like sugar!
As wey January 5, 2026 come, the valuation don burst our brains as e don pass N1 trillion. Last Monday, January 12, dem stock gain sharp 7.4 percent, carrying dem share price go N45. Over the past four weeks alone, ETI don waka enter plus 23 percent, na im make dem number 40 for NGX. Na wetin dem report from African Stock Exchange data dey show.
Omo, dem dey say Ecobank Transnational Inc. na di 23rd most valuable stock for NGX, with market valuation of N1.07 trillion. Dis one dey show say e dey make up about 1.02 percent of di Nigerian Stock Exchange equity market. Na wah oh, wetin no go happen when dem pay $245 million of im $300 million Eurobond to bondholders early early?
This one don boost plenty confidence for di bank operations wey don recover 61 percent for past year, despite all di challenges wey dem face for 2025. As dem dey talk am, more Nigerian banks dey cross N1 trillion mark, e mean say investor confidence don dey arise again for bank sector wey dey undergo recapitalisation.
No forget say GTCO still dey lead di pack with market cap of N3.62 trillion since January 12, followed by Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria and others wey dey contribute their own quota. Hopely, dis new move go encourage more banks to carry their aunty leg enter di trillion-naira club!
Dem talk say Fidelity Bank, wey first reach am on April 4, 2025, don enter wahala as e don slip back below di N1 trillion mark. Now now, dem dey value am N957 billion. Di exclusive club don expand reach 24 members, compared to 17 wey dey last year.
As we go dey watch di banking sector, dem dey predict say three major bank mergers go happen early for 2026, because of di pressure from di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to meet di new capital requirements. Dis one fit lead to strategic combinations so dat dem fit survive di harsh market environment as di deadline dey waka nearer.
Shout out to data from DataPro wey talk say many smaller banks don dey feel di heat, especially as dem get small capacity for capital markets. Omo! If dem no upgrade, dem fit just fall hand!
Idris Shittu, di Enterprise Risk Management analyst talk say consolidation dey create busy market for mergers and acquisitions. Dem dey rush to join forces like say na last bus stop. But make we shine our eyes well, because merger fit bring challenges wey fit sdoin dem operations if dem no plan well.
Challenges dey wait dem sharp-sharp! Regulatory tightening, pressure on capital, and di rise of fintechs dey threaten di traditional banks. If dem no wake up quick in 2026, dem fit lose more customers to fintech dem like Moniepoint and Opay wey dey snatch away market share.
DataPro dey expect say di number of banks for Naija go reduce by di end of 2026. E mean say we go dey see a more concentrated yet strong industry wey fit support bigger transactions. But among all dis merger wahala, dem still need to learn from di past so dem no go enter bad road again.
Semi they yarn, PwC dey optimistic about di financial services sector, claiming say na recapitalisation, fintech regulation and more na im dey push investor confidence up. We dey hope say dis year go bring better liquidity and growth for banking sector. Na one big time we dey hope for!
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