by Bukola Aro-Lambo
With less than 90 days to the recapitalisation deadline for banks in the country, 19 banks have now met the new capital requirements ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as First Bank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank and FSDH Merchant Bank join the league of recapitalised banks.
This is as analysts say they expect more banks to conclude their recapitalisation plans between next week and the end of this month.
LEADERSHIP had earlier reported that 16 banks met the new capital requirements for their respective licence categories last year.
These included Access Holdings, Zenith Bank, GTBank, Ecobank, Stanbic IBTC, Wema Bank, Jaiz Bank, Lotus Bank, Providus Bank, Greenwich Merchant Bank and PremiumTrust Bank, alongside Globus Bank, Citibank Nigeria, United Bank for Africa, Nova Bank and Sterling Bank.
More recently, First Bank, Fidelity Bank and FSDH Merchant Bank also joined the list.
Fidelity Bank Plc has raised approximately N250 billion through a private placement. This offer opened and closed on December 31, 2025, driven by substantial investor demand fuelled by the bank’s impressive financial performance and solid track record.
A source close to the lender stated that this swift completion is a notable achievement for Nigeria’s stock market.
NGX regulations typically allow up to 10 days for such private placements.
Fidelity Bank aims to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s N500 billion minimum capital requirement for banks with international authorisation by the March 31, 2026 deadline.
Reportedly, participation was limited to a small circle of pre-qualified institutional investors, many with global investment footprints.
Market intelligence estimates the proceeds at roughly N250 billion, comfortably exceeding the bank’s estimated capital gap of N194.5 billion. This fully subscribed offer places Fidelity Bank among the more strongly capitalised Nigerian banks with international operations.
While the CBN is yet to ratify the new capital base of some of these banks, they seem to have scaled the hurdle, with some others set to scale it soon.
A player in the industry who craved anonymity noted that many of the banks yet to clear the hurdle are expected to do so before the end of the month, with announcements expected from next week.
CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso had late last year confirmed the progress of banks in their race to meet the deadline.
Cardoso had stated that “several banks have already met the new capital thresholds, while others are advancing steadily and are well positioned to comfortably meet the March 31, 2026 deadline.”
He disclosed that 27 banks had accessed the capital market through public offers and rights issues, with 16 already meeting or exceeding the new benchmarks, adding that beyond headline figures, stress tests conducted in 2025 showed that the banking system remained fundamentally robust, with key financial soundness indicators meeting prudential standards across the board.
Despite the progress, several lenders are still fine-tuning their capital plans.
The First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group is among those in advanced stages of capital raising and regulatory verification.
Shareholders of FCMB Group Plc at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) recently approved an increase in capital raise of up to N400 billion to enable it to retain its international banking licence ahead of the March 2026 deadline.
Group chief executive officer of the bank, Ladi Balogun, noted that “the additional capital will be deployed to strengthen our capital adequacy ratio and accelerate growth.”
Analysts say mergers and acquisitions remain limited for now, but ownership changes are becoming increasingly likely as banks court new investors.
Head of Financial Institutions Ratings at Agusto and Co, Ayokunle Olubunmi, said only a few institutions remain under real pressure.
“Nothing dramatic has happened yet on the mergers front, but by January or February, we could see clearer outcomes. Capital raising through private placements and rights issues will inevitably lead to dilution for shareholders who do not participate,” he said.
The race for capital has also triggered a wave of strategic realignments.
Nova Bank opted to downgrade its licence to a regional banking status, significantly lowering its requirement to N50 billion to beat the deadline.
Meanwhile, consolidation is picking up steam; Union Bank has merged with Titan Trust Bank, and Providus Bank is set to merge with Unity Bank, a move that would create Nigeria’s ninth-largest lender by assets.
Left in the race with the option of either meeting up, merging or closing shop are Keystone Bank, Parallex Bank, Polaris Bank, Signature Bank, TAJBank, Citibank Nigeria and Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria.
Others are FBN Quest Merchant Bank, Coronation Merchant Bank and Rand Merchant Bank.
