Access Bank Ghana recorded a profit after tax of GH¢274.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2026, representing a decline of about 9.8% from the GH¢304.3 million reported in the same period of 2025.

The bank’s unaudited financial statements show that profit before tax also declined by 9.8% from GH¢468.2 million to GH¢422.2 million. Earnings per share consequently fell from GH¢1.75 to GH¢1.58.

All monetary figures in the financial statement are presented in thousands of Ghana cedis and have been converted into millions or billions of Ghana cedis in this article.

Net Interest Income Improves

Access Bank’s interest income declined by 15.4% from GH¢740.6 million in the first half of 2025 to GH¢626.8 million in 2026.

However, interest expenses fell at a much faster rate, declining by 37.7% from GH¢482.4 million to GH¢300.4 million.

This helped the bank’s net interest income increase by 26.4% to GH¢326.4 million, compared with GH¢258.2 million in the previous year.

The improvement suggests that the bank earned a wider margin between the interest generated from loans and investments and the interest paid to depositors and other funding providers.

Non-Interest Revenue Declines

Despite the improvement in net interest income, the bank recorded lower income from several other business areas.

Net fee and commission income declined by 17.8% from GH¢299.5 million to GH¢246 million, while net trading income fell by 12.2% to GH¢95.6 million.

Other operating income also dropped significantly from GH¢168.1 million to GH¢108.1 million, representing a decline of 35.6%.

As a result, total operating income fell by 6.4% from GH¢832 million in the first half of 2025 to GH¢778.4 million in 2026.

Operating Costs Remain Relatively Stable

The bank’s personnel expenses remained almost unchanged at GH¢148.5 million.

Depreciation and amortisation declined slightly from GH¢55.3 million to GH¢52.1 million, while other operating expenses decreased from GH¢160 million to GH¢155.6 million.

Although Access Bank managed to keep operating expenses relatively stable, the decline in total operating income placed pressure on profitability.

The bank paid GH¢147.8 million in taxes during the period, compared with GH¢163.9 million in the first half of 2025.

Customer Loans Rise 56%

One of the strongest areas of growth was the bank’s loan portfolio.

Loans and advances to customers increased by 55.7% from GH¢3.18 billion in June 2025 to GH¢4.94 billion in June 2026.

The sharp increase indicates that Access Bank expanded lending to individuals and businesses during the period. While increased lending can support future interest income, it may also expose the bank to higher credit risk if borrowers struggle to repay their loans.

Investment securities also increased by 9.5% from GH¢6.02 billion to GH¢6.59 billion.

Total Assets Decline to GH¢18.29 Billion

Access Bank’s total assets declined by 5.5% from GH¢19.35 billion in June 2025 to GH¢18.29 billion in June 2026.

Cash and cash equivalents fell sharply by 27.8% from GH¢6.09 billion to GH¢4.40 billion.

Other assets also declined from GH¢2.32 billion to GH¢878.2 million, contributing to the reduction in the bank’s overall asset base.

Customer deposits decreased slightly by 2.3% from GH¢14.03 billion to GH¢13.71 billion. However, deposits from other banks increased from GH¢128.2 million to GH¢673.3 million.

Total liabilities declined from GH¢17.29 billion to GH¢15.98 billion.

Shareholders’ Equity Strengthens

Despite the decline in profit and total assets, Access Bank’s total shareholders’ equity increased by 12.5% from GH¢2.06 billion to GH¢2.32 billion.

Retained earnings increased from GH¢1.28 billion to GH¢1.43 billion, while the statutory reserve rose from GH¢641.4 million to GH¢673.5 million.

The increase in equity provides the bank with a stronger financial cushion to absorb potential losses and support future business growth.

Non-Performing Loans Increase

Access Bank’s non-performing loan ratio increased from 3.41% in June 2025 to 4.63% in June 2026.

This means a larger proportion of the bank’s loan portfolio was classified as impaired or experiencing repayment difficulties.

The increase is worth monitoring, particularly because the bank expanded its loans and advances by more than 55% during the period.

The bank’s capital adequacy ratio declined from 19.08% to 18.20%, while its liquidity ratio fell from 91.53% to 89.39%.

Although both ratios declined, the bank reported no defaults in statutory liquidity requirements and no regulatory penalties during the period.

Operating Cash Flow Falls Sharply

Net cash generated from operating activities declined from GH¢2 billion in the first half of 2025 to GH¢387.8 million in 2026.

The decline was partly influenced by movements in customer deposits, investment securities, loans and other working-capital items.

Access Bank spent GH¢20 million on property and equipment and GH¢1.4 million on intangible assets during the period.

After investing and financing activities, the bank recorded a net increase of GH¢267.8 million in cash and cash equivalents.

What This Means for Investors

Access Bank Ghana’s half-year performance presents a mixed picture.

The bank recorded strong growth in net interest income, customer loans, investment securities and shareholders’ equity. However, these gains were not enough to offset the decline in fees, trading income and other operating revenue.

The fall in profit, earnings per share and operating cash flow may concern investors looking for short-term earnings growth. The rise in non-performing loans also deserves attention as the bank continues to expand its lending activities.

For long-term investors, the key areas to monitor will be whether the larger loan portfolio translates into higher interest income, whether the bank can improve its non-interest revenue and whether it can prevent further deterioration in loan quality.