How First Holdco’s New Leadership is Redefining Competitiveness and Driving Innovation
With a bold new approach, First HoldCo’s leadership is shaking up the Nigerian banking scene, ditching traditional tactics for a fresh, customer-centric strategy that’s all about innovation and growth. 🌟 Under their guidance, the company is transforming its competitiveness, strategy, and organization to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market. But what’s driving this revolution, and how is it impacting the bank’s customers, its shareholders and the wider economy?
This transformation is driven by a clear understanding that the conventional view of competitiveness, which emphasizes cost advantages and market dominance, is no longer sufficient. Instead, First Holdco is focusing on creating new markets and disrupting existing ones, challenging industry norms, leveraging emerging technologies, and anticipating customer needs.
As a result, the company’s leadership is adopting a clear point of view about the future and developing a strategic architecture to achieve it. This includes investing in research and development, fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, and encouraging cross-functional collaboration. By doing so, First Holdco is building a sustainable competitive advantage and positioning itself for long-term success.
Moreover, First Holdco’s leadership is prioritizing empowerment, autonomy, and personal growth, granting employees the freedom to design their own jobs and make decisions, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and encouraging experimentation and risk-taking. This approach is unlocking collective genius and driving innovation within the organization.
However, this transformation also presents challenges, such as changing traditional organizational structures and cultures. Despite these challenges, the benefits are substantial, and First Holdco is poised to achieve sustainable growth, attract top talent, and drive innovation.
In this context, First Holdco is leveraging on some key strategies that to achieve success. The bank is focusing on niche markets, prioritizing exceptional customer service, and investing in digital tools and platforms. By embracing e-commerce, social media, and other digital channels, First Holdco is reaching new customers, re-building its brand, and staying ahead of the competition.
Ultimately, First Holdco’s transformation offers valuable lessons for organizations seeking to drive innovation and adaptability.
A Clear Impact of First Holdco’s Strategic Transformation : Structural,Process and Relationship Overhaul
A glaring impact of the above transformation is clear on First Holdco’s structural overhaul . When you peep hard into the interior workings of its operations , what indeed do you see? Whatever you see, one big fact stares you in the face: a transformation of a world-class multinational bank driven by the power of visionary leadership, cultural change, and structural reforms. Under Femi Otedola’s leadership, the bank has undergone a profound transformation, leveraging the interplay of structures, processes, and relationships to drive growth and innovation.Without any doubt , it is redefining banking .
The bank’s structures have been revamped to enable agility and customer-centricity. Cross-functional teams now work together to deliver seamless experiences, while a flat hierarchy empowers decision-making at the front lines. This structural shift has enabled First Holdco to respond swiftly to market changes and customer needs.
Processes have been redesigned to drive efficiency and innovation. The bank’s digital transformation has streamlined on boarding, reduced transaction times, and improved customer satisfaction. Data analytics and AI-powered insights inform decision-making, enabling the bank to anticipate customer needs and deliver personalized experiences.
Relationships have been strengthened across the ecosystem. First Holdco collaborates with fintechs, regulators, and customers to drive growth and innovation. The bank’s partnerships with tech giants like Microsoft have enabled it to leverage cloud and AI solutions, enhancing its digital capabilities.
The interplay of structures, processes, and relationships has created a competitive advantage. First Holdco’s agile structure enables effective collaboration, while data-driven processes inform better decision-making and drive customer-centric innovation. Strong relationships with partners and regulators provide access to new markets, technologies, and insights.
First Holdco’s transformation offers valuable lessons for organizations seeking to drive innovation and adaptability. By prioritizing structural, process, and relationship transformation, businesses can unlock new growth opportunities and achieve remarkable success.
Uniquely Balancing the Demands of Five Banking Constituencies
First HoldCo’s recent performance suggests that it is walking this tightrope with some success.. First HoldCo, like other commercial banks, operates in a complex environment where it must satisfy five distinct constituencies: surplus units, deficit units, shareholders, regulatory authorities, and the community at large. Each of these groups has competing demands, making it a delicate balancing act for the bank’s management.
On one hand, the bank must offer attractive interest rates and liquidity to surplus units, while also providing loans to deficit units at competitive rates. This is a challenging task, as the obligation to provide maximum liquidity to surplus units may conflict with the need to lend to deficit units at profitable rates.
Shareholders, on the other hand, expect maximum returns on their investments, which can be at odds with the bank’s obligation to manage risk and maintain adequate liquidity. Regulatory authorities demand prudent risk management and compliance with regulations, which can limit the bank’s ability to offer high returns to shareholders or lend to certain sectors.
The community at large expects the bank to contribute to development and be a good corporate citizen. This may involve lending to priority sectors such as agriculture or housing, which can be long-term and illiquid, and therefore less profitable for the bank.
The bank is uniquely balancing the above demands despite their conflicting nature . To satisfy the five constituencies, First HoldCo’s management must prioritize risk management, leveraging technology and data analytics to optimize lending and investment decisions. The bank must also engage with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance and advocate for policies that support its business objectives.Ultimately, First HoldCo’s ability to balance the demands of its five constituencies will depend on its ability to innovate, adapt to changing market conditions, and maintain a strong risk management framework. By doing so, the bank can ensure long-term sustainability and contribute to the development of the Nigerian economy.
It has reported strong growth in deposits and total assets, indicating its ability to attract surplus units and manage liquidity. First HoldCo Plc has reported a significant growth in customer deposits, reaching ₦17.9 trillion for the first nine months of 2025, up from ₦17.2 trillion at the end of December 2024, indicating a 4.2% growth year-to-date. This growth is a testament to the bank’s strong funding base and market trust The increase in customer deposits has contributed to the bank’s total assets, which stood at ₦26.4 trillion as of September 30, 2025. This growth in deposits has also enabled the bank to expand its loan book, with customer loans and advances increasing by 9% to ₦9.6 trillion
The growth in deposits is a positive indicator of the bank’s ability to attract and retain customers, and its strong position in the market.
First HoldCo’s Loan Book Expansion Drives Interest Income Growth
First HoldCo Plc has reported a significant expansion in its loan book, with gross loans reaching ₦9.56 trillion in the first nine months of 2025, up from ₦8.77 trillion at the end of 2024. This growth has driven a surge in interest income, with the company’s lending activities generating ₦2.29 trillion in interest income, a 40.4% increase from the same period in 2024.
The company’s net interest income also climbed by 71.7% year-on-year to ₦1.5 trillion, largely due to effective asset re-pricing and a strong net interest margin. However, the growth in the loan portfolio was accompanied by a significant increase in impairment charges for credit losses, which rose by 68.6% to ₦288.92 billion.
First HoldCo maintained a prudent yet growth-supportive loan-to-deposit ratio of 53.42% as of September 30, 2025, indicating a balanced approach to lending and risk management. The company’s strong loan book expansion and interest income growth demonstrate its ability to drive revenue growth while managing risk.
The increase in impairment charges highlights the importance of prudent risk provisioning and active measures to address impaired loans. First HoldCo’s management has likely taken steps to mitigate these risks, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the business.
Overall, First HoldCo’s loan and lending details for the first nine months of 2025 demonstrate a strong performance, driven by robust balance sheet growth and effective risk management.
Would you like to know more about First HoldCo’s financial performance or explore the Nigerian banking sector?
However, it’s worth noting that the bank’s profit after tax (PAT) declined by 15.57% to ₦450.87 billion, influenced by forex gains normalization and increased impairments {{IE_0}}¹{{/IE_0}}. Overall, First HoldCo’s strong deposit growth is a positive sign for the bank’s future prospects, and it’s likely to continue driving growth in its core banking operations.
The results of the above transformation have been very impressive. First HoldCo Plc, also known as FBN Holdings Plc, has a market capitalization of approximately NGN 2.04 trillion as of January 5, 2026. This valuation places it as the 15th most valuable stock on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), solidifying its position as a significant player in the Nigerian financial sector
In the past year, First HoldCo’s market capitalization has increased by 116.07%, indicating a significant growth trend. The company’s financial performance, with revenue of NGN 1.95 trillion and net income of NGN 588.40 billion, supports its market valuation
First HoldCo’s strong market position is further reflected in its ranking among Nigerian banks, with a market capitalization surpassing some of its peers. As the financial landscape continues to evolve, First HoldCo’s market capitalization will likely be influenced by its future performance and industry trends.
First HoldCo Plc, the parent company of First Bank Nigeria, has reported strong growth in deposits and total assets for the first nine months of 2025, with deposits reaching approximately ₦17.9 trillion and total assets standing at around ₦27.2 trillion.
However, the company’s Profit After Tax (PAT) declined to ₦450.9 billion, influenced by forex gains normalization and increased impairments.
The company’s strong funding base is evident in its significant deposit growth, signaling sustained confidence from customers. Despite rising interest income, PAT fell due to higher funding costs and provisioning for forbearance loans, a trend also seen across the sector.
Investors have shown caution, leading to share price dips and tight year-to-date returns, with comparisons made to “Tier-1 rivals”. First HoldCo’s management has acknowledged the challenges posed by rising impairment costs and elevated operating expenses, but remains focused on delivering long-term value through disciplined execution and enhanced risk management ¹ ² ³.
Would you like to know more about First HoldCo’s financial performance or explore the Nigerian financial sector?
