Stanbic IBTC Bank Maintains AAA(nga) Rating for 2026

Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed Stanbic IBTC Bank’s ‘AAA(nga)’ National Long-Term Rating, marking over a decade of maintaining the highest level on Nigeria’s national rating scale. This period has included significant economic challenges such as naira devaluation, rising interest rates, and a central bank-mandated recapitalisation exercise.

Despite these challenges, Stanbic IBTC's rating has remained stable. Fitch's stable Outlook assessment highlights the bank's comfortable liquidity coverage in both local and foreign currencies, with a loans-to-deposits ratio decreasing to 63 percent in the first quarter of 2026 from 100 percent in 2023.

The bank's operating profit reached a record 12.8 percent of risk-weighted assets in the same quarter, and its Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio improved to 18.7 percent following a N147 billion rights issue completed in 2025. The strategic backing from parent company Standard Bank Group, which holds a 68.46 percent stake in Stanbic IBTC, further supports the bank's stability.

Chief Executive Chuma Nwokocha stated that the rating reflects the bank's consistent governance and risk management.