First HoldCo Plc, the parent of Nigeria’s oldest lender FirstBank, increased its pre-tax profit by 61% in the first nine months of 2026, helped by strong growth in fee income, gains on trading and currency positions and lower charges for bad loans.
The group is chaired and controlled by Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola.Profit before tax rose to 911.2 billion naira ($684 million) in the nine months to Sept. 30, from 566.5 billion naira a year earlier, according to unaudited results filed with the Nigerian Exchange. Profit after tax climbed 65% to 744.5 billion naira ($559 million), and earnings per share rose to 16.45 naira from 10.65 naira.In the third quarter alone, pre-tax profit rose 22.5% to 257.7 billion naira ($193 million), and profit after tax jumped 35.5% to 218.3 billion naira ($164 million).Fees and trading drive growth
