Abbey Bank to start commercial banking operations in November
Expansion · announcedThursday 22 October 2026
Abbey Bank Plc, formerly Abbey Mortgage Bank, will begin commercial banking operations in November 2026. It plans to use its mortgage expertise to expand into construction finance and related lending.
The shift from mortgage lender to commercial bank broadens the competitive field in Nigerian retail and construction lending.
Abbey Bank's profit after tax rose 55.9% to about $1.7 million (N2.26bn) in the nine months to September 2026. Gross earnings surged 120% and customer deposits more than tripled.
Agusto & Co affirmed Abbey Bank's A3 short-term credit rating, citing stronger capitalization, liquidity, asset quality and profitability. The bank is preparing to start commercial banking operations in November 2026.
The CBN and NITDA disclosed that only about 57-59% of financial institutions are ready for the January 2027 data localisation deadline, based on an industry survey. The regulator said it will consider banks' challenges while keeping the deadline in place.
Demand deposits at Nigerian banks rose by about $1.2 billion (N1.69trn) over three months, according to central bank data. Analysts linked the rise to bank securities purchases, private-sector lending and government borrowing.
CBN monetary statistics show net credit to government reached about $29 billion (N39.4trn) in September 2026, up 63.1% year on year. Private-sector credit rose 15.7% to about $62 billion (N83.9trn) over the same period.
